Softball Release - All-ODAC Picks - Guilford College

Greensboro, NC (04/27/03) -- Guilford's Ashley Cooke (Gibsonville, NC/Eastern Guilford) and Jennifer Franklin (Greensboro, NC/Southern Guilford) earned second-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) laurels according to a vote of the league's head coaches this season. Jennifer Evans (Colfax, NC/Northwest Guilford) received honorable mention recognition. The players are Guilford's first All-ODAC selections in school history as 2003 marked the Quakers' first season of softball competition in the league.

Cooke led Guilford with a .417 batting average in 31 games as the Quakers' cleanup hitter. She hit .489 with 15 RBI in 15 ODAC games and ranked sixth among the league's batting average and doubles (9) leaders. The sophomore catcher placed second in the league with three homers and also paced the Quakers in runs batted in (RBI) (24) and hits (40). She made just two errors in the field and threw out 13 of 34 would-be basestealers (38.2%). Cooke had a team-leading 12 games with two or more hits, four multiple-RBI contests and a Guilford-best 10-game hitting streak. She went 5-5 with five runs batted in and two doubles in Guilford's 10-9 win over league-rival Randolph-Macon March 23. Cooke was 3-3 at the plate with a double, triple and two RBI versus Randolph-Macon Woman's College April 6.

Franklin (right) hit .350 in 31 games as the Quakers' starting center-fielder, .385 against league foes. She batted third in the lineup and shared the team lead with three triples. Franklin led the Quakers with seven sacrifice bunts and succeeded in all five stolen-base attempts. She ranked second to Cooke with 10 multiple-hit games and had four contests with two or more RBI. Franklin had three hits, including a double, in Guilford's 5-2 loss to Virginia Wesleyan March 22. She also had three hits in the second game of the Quakers' doubleheader loss to Greensboro February 21. Franklin stole a career- and team season-high three bases in a 10-1 win over Mary Baldwin and had two hits and a career-high three RBI against Lynchburg April 13. Her brother, Brad, a Guilford senior, was a second-team All-ODAC baseball player this year.

The Quakers' top pitcher, Evans garnered an 8-10 record with a 3.77 earned run average (ERA) in 25 appearances, including 16 starts. The rookie right-hander threw 111.1 innings, which ranked third in the ODAC, and she placed ninth in the league with eight victories. Evans tossed a team-high 13 complete games, including a five-hit shutout of Mary Baldwin April 5. She struck out a career-high six batters in a five-inning win over Baptist Bible March 15 and threw 11 innings to earn both victories in Guilford's doubleheader sweep of ODAC-rival Randolph-Macon Woman's College April 6. Evans started 10 games at designated hitter and logged a .242 batting average with two doubles and four RBI. She was 2-4 with two runs scored, and two RBI in Guilford's first softball victory since 1990, a 12-4 eight-inning decision over Peace March 4. Evans also received the pitching victory in the game.

An excellent student, Evans earned a spot on Guilford's Spring Student-Athlete Honor Roll and the Academic All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) team.

The trio helped Guilford to a 12-19 overall record, 6-9 in the ODAC. The Quakers qualified for the six-team ODAC Tournament in their first season as a varsity team since 1990. All 13 letter winners are due back in 2004.