DePaul’s junior pitcher Lindsay Chouinard, who led the No. 4 Blue Demons to their third consecutive regular season title this season, has been named Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and Most Valuable Player. South Florida’s Ken Eriksen was named C-USA Coach of the Year after guiding his program to a 51-15 overall record and second place regular season finish. East Carolina’s Christine Sheridan earned Freshman of the Year honors after ranking first in walks (40) and on base percentage (.503), while placing sixth in batting average (.357).

Conference USA announced its major award winners and all-league teams, chosen by C-USA’s nine head coaches, at its pre-tournament banquet Wednesday evening at the Athletics/Alumni Center on the University of Houston campus. The 2003 Conference USA Tournament, hosted by Houston, will take place May 8-10 at the Cougar Softball Stadium.

Chouinard claims her second consecutive C-USA Pitcher of the Year accolade, while also earning MVP honors. She becomes only the second player in league history to earn both awards in the same year, joining Southern Miss’ Courtney Blades, who accomplished the feat in 2000. Chouinard is currently first in the league in three categories – earned run average (0.48), opposing batting average (.154) and saves (4). The senior has thrown seven career no-hitters, ranking her second behind USM’s Blades, the 2000 Honda Award winner, on the C-USA career list. On the season, she is 28-4 with a 0.48 ERA, ranking second in the nation. She led the conference with six C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors this season, totaling 15 in her career. Chouinard is also a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, awarded by the Amateur Softball Association.

After finishing the 2002 season in fifth place, head coach Ken Eriksen has brought the 19th-ranked South Florida Bulls back in contention of the 2003 C-USA Tournament title. USF finished second in the league standings with a 51-15 overall record and 17-6 league mark. This past weekend, the Bulls claimed their 50th win of the year, marking the first time since 1998 that USF has reached this milestone. During the 1998 season, South Florida posted a 57-14 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

In her first season in Greenville, Sheridan has been a key member to East Carolina’s starting lineup, claiming the Pirates’ first-ever Freshman of the Year honor. She led all freshmen in batting average (.357), slugging percentage (.527), runs batted in (30), triples (3) and walks (40). Sheridan notched 14 multi-hit games, including four three-hit games and produced a second team-best six-game hitting streak.

No. 4 DePaul led the way with five first team all-conference selections, marking the third consecutive year that the Blue Demons have tied their own league record. Houston and South Florida followed with two, and East Carolina and Louisville each placed one player on the first team.

The championship game of the tournament on May 10 at 2 p.m. (CST) will be televised by affiliates of the Conference USA Television Network. Don Russell will announce the play-by-play with Amy Prichard, providing the commentary. The game will be telecasted live on the following stations: College Sports Television (Direct TV, Ch. 610), Charter Communications (St. Louis), Comcast Charter Sports Southeast, Cox Sports TV (New Orleans) and WFTE-TV (Louisville). Fox Sports Net Chicago (May 10 at 5 p.m. (CST)) will be broadcasting the championship game as a tape delay.

2003 CONFERENCE USA SOFTBALL AWARDS

First-Team All-Conference USA
C: Arelis Ferreris, Houston
IF: Kristen Glowacz, Houston
IF: Liz Bouck, DePaul
IF: Christine Sheridan, East Carolina
IF: Saskia Roberson, DePaul
OF: Holly Groves, South Florida
OF: Shannon Nord, Louisville
OF: Dana Kenney, DePaul
P: Lindsay Chouinard, DePaul
P: Leigh Ann Ellis, South Florida
UT: Sarah Martz, DePaul

Second-Team All-Conference USA
C: Courtney Lewellen, South Florida
IF: Carmela Liwag, South Florida
IF: Katy Kukman, DePaul
IF: Nicole Sparks, Louisville
IF: Keola Calderon, Louisville
OF: Shelly Riker, South Florida
OF: Heather Bell, Southern Miss
OF: Renee Oursler, South Florida
P: Nicole Bohnenstiehl, Saint Louis
P: Jamie Falco, Houston
UT: Nicole Bohnenstiehl, Saint Louis

Conference USA All-Freshmen Team
Sara Bandauski, IF, DePaul
Krista Jessup, C, East Carolina
Christine Sheridan, IF, East Carolina
Crystal Briscoe, P, Houston
Jaci Gonzalez, IF, Houston
Michelle Vasquez, IF, Louisville
Ashlee Heady, IF, Saint Louis
Christie-Lee Chapman, IF, South Florida
Kattrina Dowd, IF, South Florida
Ashley Davis, Southern Miss
Amanda Byrne, IF, UAB


Freshman of the Year: Christine Sheridan, East Carolina

Pitcher of the Year: Lindsay Chouinard, DePaul

Most Valuable Player: Lindsay Chouinard, DePaul

Coach of the Year: Ken Eriksen, South Florida