May 12, 2004
Furman Softball Trio Earns All-Southern Conference Honors
Chattanooga, Tenn. -- Furman centerfielder LaKerah Barr and catcher Jessica Matthews were named First Team All-Southern Conference in voting by the league's coaches, it was announced Wednesday night at the conference's annual softball banquet in Chattanooga, Tenn. Junior pitcher Rachel Henley was named second team all-league.
Barr, a first team selection in 2003, batted .342 this season with a league high 33 stolen bases. The senior led the SoCon in batting average during conference games hitting at a .403 clip. The Stone Mountain, Ga., native also started all 61 games in centerfield for the Lady Paladins and recorded four assists without making an error.
Matthews, a first team pick in 2002 as an outfielder, batted .244 with nine doubles and 20 RBI. The junior excelled behind the plate registering only one error in 57 games.
Henley led the Lady Paladin pitching staff with a 1.99 ERA and 12 victories. The junior struck out 196 batters during the regular season. Henley limited opponents to only 84 hits in 97 innings of work during conference play. In 14 SoCon outings, Henley struck out 80 batters and posted a 1.66 earned run average.
Barr and Matthews join former Furman standouts Julie Glasser, Amy Jakubowski and Kay Brittain as the only Lady Paladins to earn First Team All-SoCon honors multiple times.
Furman opens Southern Conference Tournament play against second-seeded College of Charleston at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga.
Live stats will be available for all games at the 2004 Southern Conference Tournament at www.soconsports.com.