Guilford Pair Lands All-ODAC Honors

Greensboro, N.C. (5/1/09) -- Sophomore Ami Hutcherson earned First Team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) softball recognition according to a vote of the league's head coaches Friday. Freshman teammate Kimberly Keys received Second Team All-ODAC honors and Guilford senior Kelly Hale was named honorable mention. Voting was based on the students' play in conference competition only.

 

Hutcherson, the Quakers' leadoff hitter and starting third baseman, hit .339 with a school-record four triples and 26 runs scored. She also set the Quakers' season standards with 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts and posted a .971 fielding percentage at the hot corner. Hutcherson hit .422 in 18 league games, which ranked sixth in the ODAC, and shared top honors in the conference with 27 hits in conference contests. She stood second on the club with 12 multiple-hit games and enjoyed a nine-game hitting streak, the team's second-longest of the season. Hutcherson was three-for-four with a triple and three RBIs in the Quakers' game-two win over Mary Baldwin College Apr. 1. Her four runs scored versus Sweet Briar College Apr. 23 rank second in school history. Entering her junior season, has a .335 career batting average with seven doubles, 15 stolen bases and 23 RBIs.

Keys started 35 of 37 games in left field and usually batted in the middle of the Quakers' lineup. She ranked third on the team with a .345 batting average, tops among the team's rookies, and added three doubles, a homer and 14 RBIs. Keys hit .360 with seven RBIs in 16 ODAC games. She had 12 multiple-hit contests and ranked third on the team with five games with two or more RBIs. Keys enjoyed a 10-game hitting streak this season, Guilford's longest, and went three-for-four with a double, homer and two RBIs in an Apr. 1 win over Mary Baldwin. She was six-for-nine with two RBIs in the Quakers' doubleheader sweep at league-rival Randolph College Apr. 8. Hale, Guilford's first baseman and cleanup batter, wrapped up a successful career with a .352 batting average, which ranked second on the team. She led the Quakers (for the third straight season) with five home runs and also stood second in doubles (9), RBIs (29) and slugging percentage (.581). Hale topped the team with seven multiple-RBIs games and finished fifth with 11 contests with two or more hits. Her .513 average with runners in scoring position ranked second in the league. She hit a club-high .423 in conference games, the ODAC's fifth-best figure, with seven doubles and 17 RBIs. Hale earned a spot on the ODAC's all-tournament team after hitting .364 with a homer and four RBIs in three games. She was three-for-four with a double, homer and four RBIs in Guilford's Mar. 18 win over Roanoke College. Hale tied the school record with two doubles among her three hits in Guilford's Apr. 8 opening-game win at Randolph.

Hale concludes her career with a .349 batting average in 159 games. She graduates with nine school career records, including home runs (20), RBIs (104), slugging percentage (.598) and fielding percentage (.971). The 2008 First Team All-ODAC and second team all-region selection also owns 10 of Guilford's season records and four single-game marks. Hale is a three-time Academic All-ODAC honoree and will earn her degree later this month in health sciences and psychology.

The trio helped third-year head coach Dennis Shores' club to its finest season in school history. The Quakers went 26-13 (13-5 ODAC) and set 46 individual and team records, including overall and league victories. Guilford qualified for its second straight ODAC Tournament where it recorded a 1-2 record.