Jan. 16, 2008

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IRVING, Texas - Houston has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2008 Conference USA regular season softball title for the third consecutive year in voting conducted by the league's head coaches. The Cougars were a unanimous choice earning 81 points to claim the honor. East Carolina, the 2007 regular season and tournament runner-up, garnered 62 points to grab the second place spot, followed by UCF (57) in third and Tulsa in fourth (51).

Houston senior RHP Angel Shamblin was tabbed as the C-USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row, while 2007 C-USA Player of the Year junior Jessica Valis of Houston was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year. Shamblin tallied a 31-9 record with a staff-low 1.42 ERA en route to Conference USA Pitcher of the Year honors and an NFCA All-South Region Second-Team selection in 2007. Her 1.42 ERA was second-lowest in C-USA and her 15 wins in league play tied the C-USA record.

Valis ranked in C-USA's Top 10 in six offensive categories and improved all of those marks in league play to help lead the Cougars to a 20-4 finish, the 2007 C-USA Softball Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals. Valis was also an NFCA All-South Region Second-Team selection.

East Carolina was tabbed to finish behind the Cougars again in 2008. The Pirates return seven starters and 15 letterwinners from a squad that finished 40-20 and fell just two runs short of reaching the NCAA tournament. ECU has recorded at least 40 wins not only in the past four seasons, but in 12 of the last 14 campaigns.

UCF went 38-26 last season and finished fourth in the conference standings, but made an impressive run to the C-USA Championship semifinals before falling to runner-up ECU. The Knights return 12 letterwinners from last season's squad, including preseason All-Conference selection in pitcher Allison Kime. A 2007 All-Southeast Region first team selection, Kime had the fourth-best ERA in the country at the conclusion of the 2007 season with a 0.87 mark through 40 appearances and 266.1 innings pitched. Her ERA also set a UCF single-season record.

Tulsa was picked to finish fourth in 2008. TU will be led this season by preseason All-Conference picks Sara Dyer and Jackie Lawrence. Dyer was named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team. She started in all 56 games for the Golden Hurricane at first base and led the nation in doubles with 25. Lawrence garnered NFCA All-Midwest Region Second-Team recognition last season. Lawrence, a sophomore, is the only TU pitcher to record two no-hitters in the same season, and was the only Conference USA pitcher with two in 2007.

Houston will serve as the host city for the 2007 Conference USA Championship, May 8-10 at the state-of-the-art Cougar Softball Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston. The championship game is slated for Saturday, May 10, and will be televised live by CSTV for the third consecutive year.

Player of the Year
Jessica Valis	Jr.	Houston
Pitcher of the Year
Angel Shamblin	Sr.	Houston
All-Conference Team
Pos	Name			Yr. 	School
C	Rachel Folden		Sr.	Marshall
IF	Jessica Valis		Jr.	Houston
IF	Breanne Javier		Jr.	UCF
IF	Sara Dyer		Sr.	Tulsa
IF	Jessica Johnson		Jr.	East Carolina
IF	Samantha Rodriguez	Sr.	Marshall
OF	Megan Hill		So.	Southern Miss
OF	Katie Bush		Jr.	Houston
OF	Ashley Ellis		So.	UTEP
OF	Charina Sumner		So.	East Carolina
P	Angel Shamblin		Sr.	Houston
P	Allison Kime		Sr.	UCF
UT	Leila Dolfo		Jr.	Memphis
DP	Jackie Lawrence		So.	Tulsa

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