Feb. 6, 2008

Greenville, S.C. -- Junior Abby Robertson and sophomore Lana Mackey were named preseason All-Southern Conference and Furman was picked to finish fifth in the league's preseason poll, it was announced on Wednesday.

Furman, who received one first place vote, returns five position starters from a 2007 squad that claimed its first SoCon Tournament title in more than a decade and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. The Lady Paladins, 21-36-1 a year ago, downed Georgia Southern in the SoCon finals with a dramatic extra-inning victory to advance to the NCAA Regional in Knoxville, Tenn.

Defending regular season champion Chattanooga was picked to repeat while Charleston was tabbed second. Georgia Southern and Elon were picked third and fourth, respectively. Following Furman, Western Carolina, Appalachian State and UNC Greensboro rounded out the poll.

Robertson, a third baseman and catcher, was named preseason first team All-SoCon. The Woodstock, Ga., product batted .285 with nine doubles as a sophomore and fanned just 10 times in 172 at-bats.

Righthander Lana Mackey, a preseason second team selection, will lead the Lady Paladins in the circle. The sophomore registered nine wins and a team-leading 3.04 ERA last season. Mackey pitched nine innings allowing just one earned run in the SoCon title clinching victory over Georgia Southern last May. She also batted .281 with 10 doubles, five homers and 28 RBI.

Furman opens its 2007 season hosting East Tennessee State in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday at Pepsi Stadium before entertaining Winthrop in a February 13, twinbill.

Admission is free to all of Furman's 21 home games at Pepsi Stadium. Fans can follow the live statistics of each home game on the internet through GameTracker at www.furmanpaladins.com

Coaches' Preseason Poll

1. Chattanooga (6) 48

2t. College of Charleston (1) 38

2t. Georgia Southern 38

4.  Elon 23

5. Furman (1)  21

6. Western Carolina 20

7. Appalachian State 19

8. UNC Greensboro 17

 

Coaches' Preseason All-Conference

First Team

P Brooke Loudermilk, Chattanooga

P Terri Mesko, College of Charleston

C Jaimie Rao, Elon

C Leslie Furness, UNC Greensboro

1B Lauren Ross, Western Carolina

2B Amber Shifflett, College of Charleston

SS Tracey Dahlen, Elon

3B Abby Robertson, Furman

OF Laci Upchurch, Chattanooga

OF Lindsey Hopkins, Georgia Southern

OF Brittany Ausley, UNC Greensboro

OF Mary Greenway, UNC Greensboro

DP Shannon Howard, College of Charleston

UT Debbie Ziegler, Elon

 

Second Team

P Lana Mackey, Furman

P Lauren Ross, Western Carolina

C Jenny Side, Georgia Southern

1B Samantha Russo, Georgia Southern

2B Brittany Gaston, Appalachian State

SS Tia Blosser, Chattanooga

3B Stephanie Beatty, Western Carolina

OF  Ashley Gaston, Appalachian State

OF Natalie Willis, Appalachian State

OF Brandi Jones, Elon

DP Mollie Fowler, Western Carolina

UT Tara Tembey, Chattanooga