May 1, 2002
CHATTANOOGA, TN - Two Lady Paladins were named to the All-Southern Conference Team as Jessica Matthews earned first team honors and LaKerah Barr earned a second team citation. In addition, Furman head coach Bonnie Flynn earned a share of the 2002 Coach-of-the-Year award.
Matthews, a freshman outfielder from Homestead, Florida, has started all 42 games for the Lady Paladins this season and is hitting a team best .328 with eight doubles and two homeruns on the year. She currently leads Furman with 20 RBIs and a .445 slugging percentage.
Barr, a sophomore outfielder from Stone Mountain, Georgia, ranks third in the Southern Conference with 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts. She leads Furman with 41 hits on the year and has scored a team-best 23 runs.
Coach Bonnie Flynn is in her seventh year as head coach at Furman and has led the Lady Paladins to three straight 20-win seasons. This year's Coach-of-the-Year award is Flynn's second, having won the award in 2000 as well.
Furman finished the regular season with a 20-22 overall record, 11-10 in conference play, and earned the No. 3 seed in this week's Southern Conference Tournament in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Lady Paladins open the tournament against No. 6 seeded UNC Greensboro on Thursday afternoon at 5:00.
All-Southern Conference First Team
All-Southern Conference Second Team
Freshman-of-the-Year
Crystal Crews, Georgia Southern
Pitcher-of-the-Year
Beth Alexander, Chattanooga
Player-of-the-Year
Penny Thompson, UNC Greensboro
Coaches-of-the-Year
Bonnie Flynn, Furman
Natalie Poole, Georgia Southern