UH Softball Earns Five All-Conference USA Honors

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 6, 2009) The University of Houston softball team took five 2009 All-Conference awards, as selected by the conference's head coaches. The awards were announced at the pre-tournament banquet Wednesday, one day before the start of the 2009 C-USA Softball Championship presented by Helen of Troy.

Each team includes 11 players; one catcher, four infielders, three outfielders, two pitchers and a utility player.

Senior Jessica Valis earned her fourth-straight All-C-USA First Team honor. This season, Jessica Valis leads the Cougars in numerous categories, including batting average (.348), at-bats (161), hits (56) and triples (4). The Shiner, Texas native is just three triples away from tying the C-USA career record, which is set at 19.

Haley Valis earned her first All-Conference honor, taking home All-C-USA Second Team honors for her performance this season at second base. The senior is tied with a team-high nine doubles, and has hit two home runs and two doubles this season. She has knocked in 20 runs and scored 22 runs.

Seniors Katie Bush and Laurie Wagner both earned All-C-USA Second Team honors as well for outfield.

Bush leads the conference and is 11th in the NCAA for SAC bunts (21). The Brenham, Texas native has the second-highest batting average on the team (.343) and highest batting average in C-USA games (.424). The centerfielder has knocked in 13 RBI this season, two doubles and scored the second-highest runs (34).

Wagner, who is errorless in right field, is tied with Haley Valis with a team-high nine doubles. She has a team-high 47 RBI and is tied for team-high eight home runs. She also holds the team-high total bases (74). She is batting .285 and has missed only one game this season.





The final award for Houston was All-C-USA Freshmen Team and was given to freshman Melissa Gregson. This season, the Cucamonga, Calif. native has hit a team-high eight home runs, which is tied with Wagner. She has also recorded five doubles, one triple and 30 RBI, which is the third-highest on the team.

The Cougars are seeded third in the Conference USA Championship presented by Helen of Troy in El Paso, Texas and will play No. 6 Southern Miss on Thursday at 9 p.m. CT.

Fans can find tournament information, live stats and schedule information by clicking the C-USA Championship logo on the sidebar of the softball page on UHCougars.com.

All-Conference USA First Team
C - Camilla Carrera, UTEP
IF - Jessica Johnson, East Carolina
IF - Jessica Valis, Houston
IF - Kailey Yarmer, Tulsa
IF - Tiffany Lane, UCF
OF - Megan Hill, Southern Miss
OF - Brooke Smart, Tulsa
OF - Lauren Lindsay, Tulsa
UT - Chelsea Troupe, UTEP
P - Toni Paisley, East Carolina
P - Jackie Lawrence, Tulsa


All-Conference USA Second Team
C - Kristin Pilgrim, Southern Miss
IF - Haley Valis, Houston
IF - Leila Dolfo, Memphis
IF - Vanessa Vice, Tulsa
IF - Breanne Javier, UCF
OF - Katie Bush, Houston
OF - Laurie Wagner, Houston
OF - Joscelyn Bitner, Marshall
UT - Abby McClain, UCF
P - Samantha Davis, Southern Miss
P - Jordan Kinard, Tulsa


All-Conference USA Freshman Team
Melissa Gregson, Houston
Rebecca Gamby, Marshall
Alianna Telles, Marshall
Lelani Bernardino, Memphis
Ashley Razey, Southern Miss
Jessica Stoelke, Tulsa
Skylar Swanson, Tulsa
Catherine Douglass, UAB
Natalie Land, UCF
Vanessa Perez, UCF
Chelsea Troupe, UTEP


Freshman of the Year
Chelsea Troupe, UT, UTEP


Co-Newcomers of the Year
Katie Murphree, P, Marshall
Martina Landrum, CF, UAB


Pitcher of the Year
Toni Paisley, East Carolina


Player of the Year
Camilla Carrera, UTEP


Coach of the Year
Tracey Kee, East Carolina