SSC RELEASE

WINTER PARK, Fla. – Senior centerfielder Katie Kelton (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) was one of five Nova Southeastern softball players selected to the All-Sunshine State Conference teams released Wednesday by the conference office. Kelton garnered All-SCC First-Team accolades as an at-large selection, while four teammates: Jaimee Vega (Jr., Loxahatchee, Fla.), Lorena Spaulding (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Laura Saladrigas (Jr., Hollywood, Fla.) and Sara DeMuth (Sr., Plant City, Fla.) were selected to the All-SSC Second-Team.
 
For the second year in a row, Kelton has been selected to the All-SSC team, improving from the honorable mention team a season ago to the first-team for her outstanding play this season. Kelton led the Sharks with 42 runs, good for fourth overall in the conference. Kelton also led the Sharks in on-base percentage (.417), tallying 54 hits, 14 walks and 18 sacrafice hits. Her .353 batting average and 13 stolen bases were good for second-most on the team. Kelton also finished the season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, converting all 68 putout attempts and recording two outfield assists.
 
Saladrigas also earned a spot on the All-SSC team for the second consecutive season, selected as the second-team designated player. The conference home run leader (13) tied fellow second-team selection Brittany Yates (Saint Leo) and SSC Player of the Year Monica Meadows (Rollins) with 44 RBI to pace the conference. Her 13 long shots also set a new program record for homers in a single-season at NSU. Saladrigas slugged at a team-high .631 clip this season, good for third in conference. She finished the year tied for the team-lead in walks with 19 and swiped six bases.
 
Two newcomers to the Sharks and the SSC this season, Vega and Spaulding, were also selected to the second-team. Vega, a transfer from Santa Fe College, was selected as the All-SSC Second-Team shortstop after starting 47 games at the position this season for the Sharks. Vega finished third on the team with a .324 batting average and tied for third with 45 hits. She also matched Kelton with 13 stolen bases.
 
Spaulding completed her first season at the collegiate level with a team-high .375 batting average and 60 hits. She finished just seven hits shy of the conference lead in hits, coming in fourth. The Sharks’ lead-off hitter for the majority of the season finished second on the team with a .407 on-base percentage, while pacing NSU with 18 stolen bases. Spaulding started 47 games in left field for NSU, finishing the season with a .975 fielding percentage, committing only one error the entire season.
 
DeMuth rounded out the All-SSC selections for NSU, making the second-team as an at large selection. The Sharks’ starting pitcher in 45 games this season has left her mark on the program for many years to come. DeMuth set new single-season NSU records in starts (45), appearances (50) and innings pitched (277.2). She also became the first Shark to ever eclipse the 300-strikeout mark and the fourth in program history to rack up over 400 in her career with 330 (second in the NCAA in 2012) and 451, respectively. Her new program record of 26 wins in a season matched fellow second-team selection Christine Clark for the most in the conference. She was acknowledged by the conference on three occasions as the SSC Pitcher of the Week this season. DeMuth also displayed power at the dish, racking up three doubles, two triples and a pair of homers to go with 13 RBI.
 
In total, the Sharks five selections trailed only No. 13 Barry and No. 14 Rollins, who each placed six student-athletes on the All-SSC teams this season. No. 5 Tampa picked up three of the four award winners, capturing Pitcher (Deanna Henriott), Freshman (Meagan Burke) and Coach of the Year (Leslie Kanter). Rollins’ Meadows was selected as the SSC Player of the Year.

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2012 ALL-SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE SOFTBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM
1B – Aimee Halpin (Rollins, Jr.)
2B – Krista Rodden (Rollins, Sr.)
3B – Sarah Broeseker (Barry, Jr.)
SS – Natalia Ojeda (Barry, Jr.)
C – Becky Vyzas (Tampa, Sr.)
OF – Grace Collins (Barry, Sr.)
OF – Lawna Hunter (Rollins, Sr.)
OF – Monica Meadows (Rollins, Sr.)
OF – Karlyn Scott (Florida Southern, Sr.)
DP – Jessica Tabor (Barry, Sr.)
UT – Brianna Smith (Barry, Sr.)
P – Kayla Cox (Tampa, So.)
P – Deanna Henriott (Tampa, Sr.)
At-Large – Katie Kelton (Nova Southeastern, Sr.)
 
Player of the Year – Monica Meadows, Rollins
Pitcher of the Year – Deanna Henriott, Tampa
Freshman of the Year – Meagan Burke, Tampa
Coach of the Year – Leslie Kanter, Tampa
 
SECOND TEAM
1B – Meagan Burke (Tampa, Fr.)
2B – Alex Sasso (Eckerd, Sr.)
3B – Brittany Martin (Florida Southern, Sr.)
SS – Jaimee Vega (Nova Southeastern, Jr.)
C – Brittany Yates (Saint Leo, Sr)
OF – Meredith Foster (Rollins, Sr)
OF – Alex Garris (Saint Leo, Jr)
OF – Alyssa Goldsmith (Barry, Sr)
OF – Lorena Spaulding (Nova Southeastern, Fr.)
DP – Laura Saladrigas (Nova Southeastern, Jr.)
UT – Lauren Cole (Florida Tech, Sr)
P – Hope Bitzer (Rollins, Sr)
P – Christine Clark (Florida Southern, Sr)
At-Large – Sara DeMuth (Nova Southeastern, Sr.)