North Carolina State University Athletics
Allbritten, Smith Pick Up ACC Softball Honors
5/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. Alyssa Allbritten and Shanna Smith collected NC State’s share of hardware at the 2008 ACC Softball Championships pre-tournament banquet on Wednesday, May 7. Allbritten was named conference freshman of the year and second-team All-ACC, while Smith was named to the first team.
A true freshman from Palm Harbor, Fla., Allbritten is the first conference rookie of the year in State’s five-year history. She’s had a serious impact on the Wolfpack offense all season, leading the team in batting average (.351) and RBIs (33), while ranking second in hits (54), runs scored (26) and total bases (101). She stands first in the league in doubles (18) and slugging percentage (.656). Her 18 doubles puts her 28th nationally.
“I am so proud of Alyssa,” said head coach Lisa Navas. “She had big shoes to fill as a catcher, but has made her own path. I am very exited to have three more years with her. It’s great for her to be recognized by the other coaches in the conference as the top newcomer in the league.”
With a sixth-inning two-bagger against Georgia Tech on April 6, she set a new school record for doubles in a single season, eclipsing Heather Gelbard’s old standard of 13 set back in 2004.
Allbritten’s second-team All-ACC honor is the fourth for the Wolfpack (Jen Chamberlin 06, Gelbard ’05, 07).
Smith, out of Albemarle, N.C., makes her second-straight appearance on the first-team all-conference list. She ranks in the top-10 of several offensive categories among all ACC players, leading the league in home runs (12), total bases (104) and walks (34), placing second in runs scored (46), third in slugging percentage (.608), fifth in stolen bases (26) and sixth in on-base percentage (.440). Smith has been named ACC Player of the Week twice this year, and has started 230-straight contests for the red and white, second-most among all active players in the league. The last time her name didn’t appear on the lineup card before first pitch was way back on Feb. 26, 2005 against UNC Greensboro.
“Shanna is a great shortstop and her numbers and performance make that perfectly clear,” said Navas. “She has become the player that we knew she could be, and she is the kind of kid that you are honored to coach. I just hope that I can have a few more like her.”
Smith is currently in the hunt for tying and/or taking over three single-season program records. Her 12 long balls is just one shy of the record 13 (Chamberlin 06, ’07, Gelbard 07). Additionally, her 26 stolen bases ties the mark that she set as a sophomore in 06. At Florida State this April 26 she set a new school record for walks in a season, picking up her 34th.
Heading into the homestretch of her memorable four-year career, Smith has also left her footprint on the conference record book. With 168 career runs scored to date, Smith is in sixth-place all-time in the ACC, while her 86 swiped bags puts her eighth.
Smith’s accolade marks the eighth time that a State player has been named first-team All-ACC (Chamberlin ’05, ’07, Shaina Ervin ’06, Abbie Sims ’05, ’06, ’07, Smith ’07).
NC State will enter the 2008 ACC Championships as the fifth-seed overall when play begins this Thursday, May, 8 at College Park, Md. The Pack will take on fourth-seed Georgia Tech at 5:30 p.m. Live stats will be available for the entire tournament via GoPack.com, while ACC Select will provide live streaming online.
A true freshman from Palm Harbor, Fla., Allbritten is the first conference rookie of the year in State’s five-year history. She’s had a serious impact on the Wolfpack offense all season, leading the team in batting average (.351) and RBIs (33), while ranking second in hits (54), runs scored (26) and total bases (101). She stands first in the league in doubles (18) and slugging percentage (.656). Her 18 doubles puts her 28th nationally.
“I am so proud of Alyssa,” said head coach Lisa Navas. “She had big shoes to fill as a catcher, but has made her own path. I am very exited to have three more years with her. It’s great for her to be recognized by the other coaches in the conference as the top newcomer in the league.”
With a sixth-inning two-bagger against Georgia Tech on April 6, she set a new school record for doubles in a single season, eclipsing Heather Gelbard’s old standard of 13 set back in 2004.
Allbritten’s second-team All-ACC honor is the fourth for the Wolfpack (Jen Chamberlin 06, Gelbard ’05, 07).
Smith, out of Albemarle, N.C., makes her second-straight appearance on the first-team all-conference list. She ranks in the top-10 of several offensive categories among all ACC players, leading the league in home runs (12), total bases (104) and walks (34), placing second in runs scored (46), third in slugging percentage (.608), fifth in stolen bases (26) and sixth in on-base percentage (.440). Smith has been named ACC Player of the Week twice this year, and has started 230-straight contests for the red and white, second-most among all active players in the league. The last time her name didn’t appear on the lineup card before first pitch was way back on Feb. 26, 2005 against UNC Greensboro.
“Shanna is a great shortstop and her numbers and performance make that perfectly clear,” said Navas. “She has become the player that we knew she could be, and she is the kind of kid that you are honored to coach. I just hope that I can have a few more like her.”
Smith is currently in the hunt for tying and/or taking over three single-season program records. Her 12 long balls is just one shy of the record 13 (Chamberlin 06, ’07, Gelbard 07). Additionally, her 26 stolen bases ties the mark that she set as a sophomore in 06. At Florida State this April 26 she set a new school record for walks in a season, picking up her 34th.
Heading into the homestretch of her memorable four-year career, Smith has also left her footprint on the conference record book. With 168 career runs scored to date, Smith is in sixth-place all-time in the ACC, while her 86 swiped bags puts her eighth.
Smith’s accolade marks the eighth time that a State player has been named first-team All-ACC (Chamberlin ’05, ’07, Shaina Ervin ’06, Abbie Sims ’05, ’06, ’07, Smith ’07).
NC State will enter the 2008 ACC Championships as the fifth-seed overall when play begins this Thursday, May, 8 at College Park, Md. The Pack will take on fourth-seed Georgia Tech at 5:30 p.m. Live stats will be available for the entire tournament via GoPack.com, while ACC Select will provide live streaming online.
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