Jeffery, Smith and Tucker Earn NCCSIA All-State Honors
Junior Emily Jeffery was one of three Niners selected to the All-State softball squad. |
|
|
June 4, 2009
DURHAM, N.C. – After aiding the Charlotte 49ers softball team to a 33-16 record and a third place finish in the Atlantic 10, juniors Emily Jeffery and Serena Smith were joined by sophomore Tenaya Tucker on the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) All-State team. The All-State team is voted on by the Sports Information Directors in the state of North Carolina.
Jeffery had one of the best seasons by a pitcher in Charlotte history en route to earning first-team All-Conference and All-Region honors. She destroyed the school’s single-season strikeouts record with 294 punchouts, tied the single-season shutouts record with nine, turned in the second highest wins total with 23, while notching the sixth best single-season ERA in team history (1.39). Opponents hit at a measly .182 average against Jeffery as the junior hurler turned in 16 double-digit strikeout games, including the single-game record with 15 K’s at Saint Bonaventure on April 18.
Tucker earned first-team All-Region honors as a catcher, leading Charlotte with 308 putouts and posting a .327 batting average with 53 hits. The sophomore boosted her average 150 points from her freshman season, while also tagging 33 more hits. Tucker’s 11 doubles on the season was the second-most on the squad, while her nine strikeouts were the fewest by an everyday Niner starter.
Smith led the 49ers in hits for the second season in a row with 62, while recording a .363 batting average to earn first-team All-Conference and first-team All-Region honors. She hit .397 with runners in scoring position on the season and led the squad with 37 RBI.
The Charlotte 49ers led the way with three student-athletes on the team, followed by Atlantic Sun Conference champion and NCAA regional playoff participant Campbell University with a pair of honorees. Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Gardner-Webb University, North Carolina A&T State University, UNC Wilmington and Western Carolina University filled out the 2009 all-state squad with one representative each.
|
|
 |
Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from North Carolina’s NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions for the purpose of promoting college athletics in the state. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina whose responsibilities include sports information.
NCCSIA selects all-state teams in the university (NCAA Division I) and college (Division II, III, NAIA) divisions for women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and baseball. More than 500 student-athletes have been recognized on all-state teams since 2003.
