May 7, 2002

Birmingham, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference announced today from the league offices the 2002 All-SEC Softball Teams. South Carolina’s Megan Matthews, Amber Curtis and Adrianna Baggetta earned second team honors while head coach Joyce Compton was named Co-Coach of the Year. This marks the second SEC honor for Compton. For Matthews, it is her second All-SEC honor and first for Curtis and Baggetta.

Compton has led South Carolina to its second consecutive SEC East title, fourth overall, as the Gamecocks reached the 40-win mark for the fourth consecutive year, and the 20-win SEC mark for the second time in school history. Auburn head coach Tina Deese and LSU’s Yvette Girouard join Compton in the co-coach of the year honors. Scheduled to be inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame later this year, Compton enters the SEC tournament with a 938-360-2 overall record and a 730-264-2 Carolina record. Her all-time SEC record is 106-57.

Matthews is USC’s all-time leader in strikeouts and ranks 12th on the NCAA’s all-time list. This season, the Greer, S.C. native became the first USC pitcher to record four consecutive 20-win seasons and the second USC pitcher to reach 1,000 career strikeouts. Matthews was named second team All-SEC in 1999 as a freshman.

Curtis, a sophomore shortstop, was USC’s first SEC Player of the Week honoree this season. The Tucson, Ariz. native hit .314 in SEC play and has started every game this year. She is a co-leader in home runs with five and leads the team in doubles with 11. In SEC play, she is second on the team in hits, by only one, with 27 and has 13 RBI.

Despite missing 12 games this season due to injuries, Baggetta switched from catcher to outfielder, and bounced back to lead the Gamecocks to an exceptional season. She now leads the team in hitting average with .328 overall and .325 in SEC play. Also in SEC play, she leads the team in runs scored (14), home runs (4) and RBI (15). The Chantilly, Va. native has 11 career home runs and ranks seventh on USC’s all-time list.

For more information about the All SEC Team and the SEC Tournament, go to www.secsports.com. The SEC Tournament begins in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Thurs., May 9 and the No. 2 seed Gamecocks will play No. 7 Mississippi State at 2 p.m. The championship game will be Sunday, May 12. It will be televised live on FOX Sports.

2002 SEC Softball Awards First Team P- Britni Sneed, LSU P- Shelly Laird, Alabama C- Lyndsey Angus, Kentucky INF-Jackie McClain, Alabama INF- Kim Wendland, Georgia INF- Christy Connor, LSU DP/UTL- Kellie Wilkerson, MSU OF- Ashley Moore, Auburn OF- Nicole Barber, Georgia OF- Trena Peel, LSU OF- Iyhia McMichael, MSU

Second Team P- Kristin Schmidt, LSU P- Megan Matthews, USC C- Lacy Prejean, Alabama INF- Kasey Angulo, Auburn INF- Jacki Marchetta, Florida INF- April Janzen, LSU INF- Amber Curtis, USC DP/UTL- Mandy Schuerman, Florida OF- Jackie Wilkins, Alabama OF- Beth Fogle, Kentucky OF- Erin Johnson, LSU OF- Adrianna Baggetta

Pitcher of the Year- Britni Sneed, LSU Athlete of the Year- Trena Peel, LSU Co-Coaches of the Year- Joyce Compton, USC; Tina Deese, Auburn; Yvette Girouard, LSU Co-Freshmen of the Year- Sara Dean, Auburn; Mandy Schuerman, Florida