Three Hokies named to All-ACC softball squads
Mariconda, Rhodes named to first team, Everhart to second team
May 7, 2009

RALEIGH, N.C. - Three Virginia Tech softball players were named All-ACC Thursday night at the pre-tournament banquet. Jenna Rhodes and Charisse Mariconda were named to the first team while Jessica Everhart was named to the second team.

Rhodes is having one of the best offensive seasons in school history. The senior, who made second-team All-ACC last year, is fourth in the country with a .478 batting average, first in hits with 89 and second in the country with 49 stolen bases. All three of those marks shatter the previous school record and her career batting average of .385 will break the school’s mark once her career is over and the number becomes final. The Broadway, Va., native also holds the school’s career stolen base mark with 114 swipes.

Mariconda, a senior from Hollywood, Fla., was rewarded for her outstanding season. She heads into the tournament hitting .379. The third baseman has nine doubles, three triples, four home runs, 38 RBI and a career-high 25 stolen bases. She was named to the first team in 2008 as well.

Everhart, a senior from Purcellville, Va., makes her second appearance on the All-ACC squad as she was named to the second team as a freshman. This year, she is hitting .349 with nine doubles, five home runs and 29 RBI. She has drawn 31 walks and is second in the country with five sacrifice flies.

Danielle Spaulding of North Carolina was named Player of the Year for the second year in a row while Florida State’s Sarah Hamilton was named Pitcher of the Year. Kelsi Weseman of Georgia Tech was named Rookie of the Year and Georgia Tech’s Sharon Perkins was named Coach of the Year.

Fifth-seeded Virginia Tech will face fourth-seeded Maryland Terrapins in Friday’s first round at 7:30 p.m. Action begins at noon with the first of four games in the single-elimination event. All games can be watched for free on ACCSelect and all Tech games can be heard for free on hokietv.com.

Below are the individual honors, as well as both All-ACC squads:

Player of the Year
Danielle Spaulding, North Carolina

Pitcher of the Year
Sarah Hamilton, Florida State

Freshman of the Year
Kelsi Weseman, Georgia Tech

Coach of the Year
Sharon Perkins, Georgia Tech

All-ACC First Team
Breanna Brown, North Carolina
Whitney Haller, Georgia Tech
Sarah Hamilton, Florida State
Charisse Mariconda, Virginia Tech
Lisa Norris, North Carolina
Kaleigh Rafter, Florida State
Jenna Rhodes, Virginia Tech
Danielle Spaulding, North Carolina
Kelsi Weseman, Georgia Tech
Jen Yee, Georgia Tech

All-ACC Second Team
Kristen Adkins, Georgia Tech
Whitney Allen, North Carolina
Jessica Everhart, Virginia Tech
Terese Gober, Florida State
Kerry Hickey, Maryland
Tiffany Johnson, Georgia Tech
Brittany McKinney, North Carolina
Breanna Shaw, Maryland
Blair Shimandle, Georgia Tech
Carly Wynn, Florida State