May 7, 2008

Complete OVC Release in PDF Format

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - (Wednesday, May 7, 2008) Four years ago Megan McDonald (Cape Girardeau, MO/Cape Central) and Michelle Summers (Glendale, CA/Hoover) ended their freshman campaigns as All-OVC selections, today they ended their careers the same way as both were named First Team All- Ohio Valley Conference selections by the OVC for their performances during the 2008 regular season at the annual banquet Wednesday night in conjunction with the 2008 OVC Softball Tournament held in Jacksonville, Alabama. It is the fourth-straight year that each player has been honored as All-OVC selections and it is the third time that each has been named to the first team.

McDonald, the 2005 OVC Freshman of the Year, returns to the All-OVC First team after being named to the second team last season. An OVC Player of the Year candidate, McDonald became only the fourth player in the Southeast Missouri State program to bat over .400 in a season when she finished with a .406 average which ranks fourth on the school's single season charts. She finished second in the OVC and 27th nationally in batting and raised her career average to .351 which ranks fourth all-time.

She led the OVC with 15 doubles which ranks fifth on the school's single season charts. She set new career highs and led the team in hits (67) and runs batted in (41) both rank second and fifth respectively on the single season charts. She set new career highs in homeruns (9), slugging percentage (.661), walks (19) and on base percentage (.465). She struckout a career low 12 times in a career-high 165 at bats.

McDonald has started in every game she has played in since her freshman season for 207 games which ranks third all-time. She also finishes in the career top-five in hits (third-222), at bats (third-632), doubles (second-46), homeruns (second-31), RBIs (second-120), walks (fourth-59) and total bases (second-363).

In OVC play she batted .371and recorded eight of her 15 doubles against OVC opponents. She led the team with nine three-hit games and finished with 17 multi-hit games. She ended her collegiate career with a nine-game hitting streak.

Summers makes her second-straight First team All-OVC appearance after garnering second team accolades in 2006 and a first team selection her freshman season. One of the OVC's most prolific power-hitters in history she finished with a team-high 13 homeruns which tied for third in the OVC standings. It was her fourth-straight season hitting 10 or more homeruns in her career as she owns the school's career record with 48 homeruns. The 13 homeruns ranks second on the all-time list as she owns four of the top-five single season homerun marks including the No. 1 spot with 14 homeruns last season.

Michelle Summers hit a team-best 13 homeruns (Photo Courtesy of Patrick Clark)

She batted a career-high .376 this season which was third in the OVC behind McDonald. She feasted on OVC pitchers as she batted a team-best .386 and hit nine of her 13 homeruns against her conference foes. She led the team with 39 runs, 114 total bases (a new school record), .472 on base percentage and a .691 slugging percentage. Her 13 doubles and 21 walks were second on the team. She also led the team and the OVC with 20 multi-hit games on the year.

She owns seven school records in career at bats (670), runs (161), doubles (47), homeruns (48), RBIs (132), walks (80) and total bases (423). She ranks second in hits (228), games played (208), games started (208), hit by pitch (24) and slugging (.631) while ending her career with a .340 average which ranks sixth all-time.

The Redhawks are one of only three OVC schools with multiple players on the All-OVC First Team. Regular season champion Jacksonville State led the way with five representatives on the 12-women team led by OVC Freshman of the Year Ashley Eliasson as one of the two pitchers on the team. Fifth-place Tennessee Tech had two members with the power-hitting duo of Beth Boden and Stephanie Fischer representing the Golden Eagles on the team. Fischer was named the OVC Player of the Year.

Alex Gjevre (Morehead State) was named OVC Pitcher of the Year and Jacksonville State Head Coach Jana McGinnis was named Coach of the Year.

For the second-straight season the Redhawks missed out on the OVC Softball Tournament as they finished eighth with a record of 24-28 and 11-16 in the OVC. Next season the Redhawks return six position starters and one pitcher.