Terps' Shaw, Hickey Named to All-Region Team
5/15/2009 8:00:00 AM | Softball
May 15, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - University of Maryland softball players Breanna Shaw and Kerry Hickey have been named to the 2009 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I All-Region team, the NFCA announced.
Shaw, a senior infielder, and Hickey, a sophomore pitcher/designated player, join 24 fellow softball student-athletes comprising the honorees from the Mid-Atlantic Region. Their latest recognition comes one week after Shaw and Hickey garnered All-Atlantic Coast Conference second team honors. The Terrapin duo becomes the 20th and 21st All-Region honorees during the 15-year history of the team's softball program. Hickey is the first non-senior at Maryland to claim the honor since 2002.
A team co-captain, Shaw served as a leader for the Terps throughout the 2009 season. The Ellenwood, Ga., native developed into Maryland's most consistent batter and excelled defensively playing various positions on the infield, particularly second base.
Shaw, who established new career highs in most offensive categories this season, ranked among the conference leaders with a .326 batting average and nine doubles. She led the team with 12 extra-base hits and compiled 18 RBIs. Displaying remarkable discipline at the plate, Shaw accounted for nearly as many multi-hit games (11) as strikeouts (12) in 2009.
Despite being in only her second collegiate season, Hickey emerged as one of the best two-way players in the ACC this season. The Huntingtown, Md., native was one of three players in the conference (along with North Carolina's Danielle Spaulding and Georgia Tech's Tiffany Johnson) to rank both in the top-10 in pitching and top-25 in batting this season.
Serving as Maryland's ace pitcher, Hickey led the ACC with 19 relief appearances and 18 games finished pitching and tied for the conference lead with four saves. The right-hander, who also served as team co-captain, compiled a record of 12-10 with an ERA of 2.48 and 174 strikeouts in 164.0 innings in the circle this season. Hickey's single-season strikeout total ranks seventh all-time in team history, and her 39 pitching appearances are good for fifth on Maryland's single-season list.
At the plate Hickey provided a strong bat in the middle of Maryland's lineup this season. She batted .279 with a team-high 48 hits, seven doubles and 61 total bases. Hickey also enjoyed a team-best eight-game hit streak during the first eight games of the campaign.
Maryland is one of five teams from the ACC to place players on the All-Region team, joining conference champion Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State and Virginia Tech. The Terps now have placed two players on the squad for the third consecutive season. Amber Jackson and Jennifer Wellborn were named to the All-Region team in 2007, and Jenny Belak and Sarde Stewart garnered similar honors a year ago.
The all-region teams were chosen by NFCA member coaches from each of the 10 regions. Each nominee will now be eligible for selection to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America first, second or third teams, which will be announced May 27.
Thanks in large part to Shaw and Hickey's contributions, Maryland (29-26) registered nine ACC victories during the 2009 season - its highest conference win total in 10 years. The Terrapins claimed ACC series victories against four opponents (Boston College, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech) and closed the season by winning nine of its last 15 games.
