Aggies Garner Conference Awards at Big 12 Banquet
May 11, 2005 | Softball
May 11, 2005
The No. 1 seed Texas A&M softball team kicked off the Big 12 Tournament by making a splash at the softball banquet prior to the start of play on Wednesday. Head coach Jo Evans was named the Conference Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and freshman sensation Amanda Scarborough earned Big 12 Freshman and Player of the Year awards while the Aggies totaled seven all-conference team honors and four Academic All-Big 12 awards.
"It is quite an honor for our players and staff to be recognized in such a way," commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. "I am excited for our players because they work extremely hard and are certainly deserving of all-conference recognition."
Scarborough, a pitcher/first baseman from Magnolia, Texas, led all players with 170 points and was joined on the first team by outfielders Sharonda McDonald (Houston, Texas) Jana James (Mesquite, Texas) and Rocky Spencer (Katy, Texas) and designated player Megan Gibson (Spring, Texas). First baseman Lindsay Park (Arcadia, Calif.) and third baseman Jamie Hinshaw (Missouri City, Texas) rounded out the team's awards by being named to the All-Big 12 second team.
Scarborough's two individual awards came on the heels of leading the Aggies to their first conference title in school history in 2005. In her first season in the circle for A&M, Scarborough posted a 26-1 overall record and an 11-1 mark in conference action, the most wins in the Big 12. The right-hander posted a 0.85 earned run average in conference games and 53 strikeouts. She also shut out 10 opponents on the season, including two during the Big 12 season. At the plate, Scarborough finished league play as the individual batting leader, compiling a .410 batting average, while recording the most hits (25) and averaging 1.39 hits per contest.
"I am so happy for Amanda," Evans stated. "She has been a great performer and an incredible teammate and has certainly proven to be an impact player. Amanda is an extremely hard worker and puts all she has in to contributing to the team."
Evans, in her ninth season at A&M, earned her first Big 12 Coach of the Year honor last season after leading the Aggies to a 13-3 record finishing ˝-game out of first. This season she led A&M to a school-record 14-4 conference mark and their first-ever conference championship. She earned her 600th career win in the second game of the season and followed that with her 300th win at A&M a few weeks later. The Aggies' 43-6 record leaves Evans with a 641-396-2 career mark and a 328-186-2 record at A&M.
"It is very humbling to be recognized by my fellow coaches," Evans continued. "The Big 12 is a great conference full of great coaches and I am honored to receive this award for the second straight season. I have to give all the credit to my coaching staff - Joy Jackson and Rich Wieligman - and my players. It is a total team effort and we are very proud of the program we have built at A&M."
Texas A&M's success has not been limited to the field as they have excelled in the classroom as well. Shortstop Adrian Gregrory (Livingston, Texas) and Park and Spencer were named to the first team while second baseman Joy Davis (Austin, Texas) made second team Academic All-Big 12.
"It is always rewarding to see our players recognized for their success in the classroom," Evans stated. "These players work extremely hard to be successful in all aspects of their life and the classroom is no exception. They are so often recognized for only their on-field performance but these players are true student-athletes on a daily basis."
The Aggies will open tournament play at 7:30 p.m. at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium against the winner of the No. 8 Oklahoma State/No. 9 Texas Tech play-in game.
