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April 14, 2010
HAMPTON, Va. - The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) announced on Tuesday that Fayetteville State's April Branch, LaTonia Gatling and Tracy Brighter were named first-team All-CIAA. Senior Shahiree Covington was selected to the second team while freshman infielder Ashley Wlezen was picked to the All-Rookie team. The 2009 Runner-up Broncos (15-19) will vie for the CIAA championship title in Petersburg, VA Thursday through Saturday. All five Broncos will be honored during a luncheon on the campus of host Virginia State University tonight at 6. First baseman April Branch (junior - Pender, NC) leads FSU in every hitting category. Branch has a .369 batting average, .571 slugging percentage and .563 on-base percentage. Her on-base percentage ranks fifth in NCAA Division II softball. On the season, she amassed team-highs in runs scored (29), RBI's (35), triples (2), home runs (3), total bases (48) and walks (31). Branch's 31 walks are second in Division II. Right fielder LaTonia Gatling (sophomore - Suffolk, VA) had a .324 batting average and leads the Broncos with 16 steals and 34 hits. She ranks second on the team with 38 total bases and 19 walks. Gatling ranks eighth in the conference with 28 runs scored. She is tied at ninth with three others with 31 hits and at tenth with 16 stolen bases. Tracy Brighter (senior - Spring Lake, NC), the Broncos' No. 1 starter, was second in the CIAA with 116 strikeouts. With a 6-7 record in the circle, she pitched 85 innings and allowed only 35 earned runs. Brighter has a 2.88 era.
Shahiree Covington, a native of Scotland County, NC, batted .296 and tallied 17 RBI's. She ranked in the top five at FSU in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, RBI's, doubles and total bases. Covington is one of two Broncos to hit a home run this season. Wlezen, a native of Charlotte, NC, led FSU with five doubles and started in all 34 games. Wlezen had two or more RBI's in seven games while amassing 18 hits. |
