Softball Release - (2005) - All-Region Awards - Guilford College

 

      Greensboro, NC (5/12/05) -- A school-record four members of Guilford College's softball team received All-Atlantic Region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Thursday. Senior outfielder Jennifer Franklin  was a second-team selection. Senior catcher Ashley Cooke, junior infielder Carla Cain and freshman pitcher/infielder Christi Dunnigan were third-team picks.

 

Jennifer Franklin Ashley Cooke Christi Dunnigan Carla Cain

 

            A third-team all-region selection in 2004, Franklin earned First Team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) recognition last month after finishing her finest season. The center fielder held a share of the team lead in every offensive category save stolen bases, where she ranked second, and RBIs, where she finished third. She hit .393 with 15 doubles, four homers and 17 RBIs in 40 games. The three-year starter placed among the ODAC's toughest hitters to strike out, fanning only five times, the lowest figure among Guilford regulars. Franklin paced the conference in total bases (86) and doubles (15) and ranked second in hits (55) and home runs.

            Cooke also won third-team all-region laurels in 2004. The three-time Second Team All-ODAC honoree was second on the team in many categories this year, including batting average (.361) and RBIs (21). Cooke led the league's catchers by throwing out 10 would-be base stealers and ranked sixth in the league in hits (46) and total bases (66). She and Franklin shared second place among the ODAC's home runs leaders with four.

            A Second Team All-ODAC selection, Dunnigan was a workhorse for the Quakers on the mound this season and shattered most of the school's pitching records. She went 10-11 with a 2.61 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 144.2 innings over 30 games, all school records. She led the league in appearances and innings and ranked ninth in ERA, fourth in wins and fourth in strikeouts. An infielder when not on the mound, Dunnigan ranked fourth on the squad with a .308 batting average and .363 on-base percentage.

            Cain, a middle infielder, earned honorable mention All-ODAC laurels this spring and led the Quakers in RBIs (22) and stolen bases (9). She finished second on the team with nine doubles and 20 runs scored. Among ODAC leaders, she ranked sixth in stolen bases, ninth in hits (44) and ninth in total bases. Cain's situational hitting was fantastic throughout the year, as she hit at a .378 clip (14-37) with two outs and had a .391 average (18-46) with runners in scoring position; she led the team in both categories.

            Head coach Ty Cook's Quakers finished the season with a 16-24 overall record, 8-8 in the ODAC. Guilford's season ended in the six-team, double-elimination ODAC Tournament in Salem, VA. The Quakers fell to fourth-seeded Bridgewater, 4-3 in eight innings, and third-seeded Virginia Wesleyan, 6-4. Cook expects 10 letter winners back next season, including Dunnigan and Cain.