May 20, 2010

 

2010 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region Teams

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Senior left fielder Marina Gusman-Brown and junior pitcher Toni Paisley have been named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Mideast All-Region First Team, according to an announcement from The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Thursday. Both players are now eligible to make the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America First, Second or Third Team.

The selection is the first for Gusman-Brown and the second consecutive for Paisley. It is the second-straight year in which the Pirates had a pair of players named to the Mideast Region First Team as Paisley and first baseman Jessica Johnson were honored last season.

In addition to Gusman-Brown and Paisley, Conference USA had six other players named mideast all-region. UAB's Mandy Lowman and Kayla Orr were first team selections while UCF's Ashleigh Cole, Marshall's Rebecca Gamby as well as UAB's Lauren Webster and Martina Landrum were second-team honorees.

Gusman-Brown, a First Team All-Conference USA selection this season, has team-best marks in batting average (.329), home runs (12), runs batted in (36), slugging percentage (.640) and stolen bases (28). The 12 home runs are tied for the fifth most in a season in Pirate history and tie her for third this year in the C-USA ranks. The March 29 Conference USA Hitter-of-the-Week paces ECU with nine multiple-RBI games, including five game-winners, and is tied for second on the squad with 12 multi-hit performances.

Earlier this season, Gusman-Brown was named to the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational All-Tournament Team after batting .333 during the five contests and driving in six runs. When batting with two outs this season, she leads ECU with a .389 average. She also paces the Pirates with 21 runs batted in with two down.

Paisley makes her second appearance on the first team after repeating as the Conference USA Pitcher-of-the-Year and a First Team All-C-USA selection. Last week, she was named the most valuable player of the C-USA Tournament. This season, she was the league's pitcher-of-the-week seven times, tying the mark she reached last year and shares with Southern Miss' Courtney Blades (2000) for the most weekly honors in a season.

For the year, Paisley has a 30-9 record and 0.97 earned run average while leading the NCAA in shutouts with 21. She also established the East Carolina single-season strikeout record with 340. With the release of the most recent set of NCAA statistics, through May 16, Paisley ranks third in ERA, 10th in hits allowed per seven innings (3.64), 11th in strikeouts, 12th in victories and 31st in strikeouts per seven innings (9.2).

For her career, Paisley's 878 strikeouts rank her second in Pirate and Conference USA history, trailing only current graduate assistant coach Keli Harrell's 948. Paisley also checks in fourth on the ECU and league career wins list with 85, just three behind Harrell for third. Paisley is the school's career-record holder in shutouts with 44.

The Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America team selections will be announced June 2.

NFCA Mideast Region
First Team
Position, Name, School
P, Kylie Reynolds, Kent State University
P, Toni Paisley, East Carolina University
C, Mandy Lowman, University of Alabama at Birmingham
1B, Alex Emeterio, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
2B, Kara Nelson, Illinois State University
3B, Abby Olson, Illinois State University
SS, Kayla Orr, University of Alabama at Birmingham
UT/P, Erin O'Shea, Elon University
UT/DP, Jo Jo Medina, University of South Florida
OF, Lauren Grimes, Kent State University
OF, Marina Gusman-Brown, East Carolina University
OF, Tomeka Watson, Elon University

Second Team
Position, Name, School
P, Ashleigh Cole, University of Central Florida
P, Danielle Glosson, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
P, Lauren Webster, University of Alabama at Birmingham
C, Rebecca Gamby, Marshall University
1B, Kristen Kaelin, Seton Hall University
2B, Alicia Garza, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
3B, Brittney Lindley, Rutgers University
SS, Haley Gorman, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
UT/P, Molly Manning, Villanova University
UT/DP, Elizabeth Kay, Illinois State University
OF, Emerald Graham, Elon University
OF, Martina Landrum, University of Alabama at Birmingham
OF, Katie Wilson, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

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