May 15, 2008

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Five members of the 2008 Alabama Softball team were named Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-South Region on Thursday.

Sophomore Charlotte Morgan, junior Brittany Rogers and freshman Kelsi Dunne were selected to the first team. The trio is now eligible for All-America honors which will be announced May 28 prior to the start of the Women's College World Series. Junior Kelley Montalvo and junior Ashley Holcombe were named to the second-team.

"It is exciting to see so many of our players honored for an outstanding season," Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said. Brittany (Rogers), Charlotte (Morgan) and Kelsi (Dunne) were named to the first team and they are truly deserving of that honor. But Ashley (Holcombe) and Kelley (Montalvo) were named to the second team and they just as easily could have been on the first team."

It is the third time Rogers, a native of Dacula, Ga., has earned first-team All-South Region honors. She leads the country in stolen bases with 53 and runs scored with 69 while hitting .433 with a .485 on-base percentage.

Morgan, the Moreno Valley, Calif., native is also a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year with a .425 batting average, 18 doubles, 16 home runs and 69 RBI at the plate while boasting a 15-2 record in the circle with a 1.43 ERA. She was a second-team choice as a freshman in 2007.

A freshman from Port Orange, Fla., Dunne has a 22-4 record in her rookie campaign with a 1.40 ERA and 231 strikeouts. Her 231 strikeouts rank as the sixth-highest total in school history while her 22 wins rank eighth.

Montalvo, a Miami, Fla., native garnered second-team honors at third base in 2008 after hitting .393 with eight home runs, 14 doubles and 49 RBI while posting a .532 on-base percentage. It is the second time Montalvo has been named All-South Region after earning first-team honors last season.

Holcombe, a native of Fayetteville, Ga., was selected to the second team after hitting .303 with 12 doubles, five home runs and 21 RBI. She threw out six base stealers and picked off five with a .987 fielding percentage, including a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in SEC play.

The Crimson Tide host the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional this weekend at the Alabama Softball Complex. UA's first game is slated for 7:30 tonight.

- UA-