TROY, Ala. – After helping the University of South Alabama softball team close out the regular season strong, five Jaguars received all-conference honors as announced selected by the Sun Belt coaches and announced by the league office at the pre-tournament banquet Tuesday evening.

Devin Brown and Kaleigh Todd repeated as first-team all-Sun Belt performers, while Amanda Minahan claimed second-team all-league accolades for the second time in her career and Destin Vicknair and Krisitan Foster both earned second-team honors for the first time in their Jaguar careers.

Fourth-seeded South Alabama (33-18, 15-12 SBC) will open up tournament action on Wednesday at 3 p.m. when the Jaguars take on the winner of No. 5 Texas-Arlington/No. 8 Coastal Carolina in the third game of the day on Wednesday which will begin the double elimination format of the tourney.

FIRST TEAM
Devin Brown – Junior – Pitcher – Mobile, Ala.
First-Team all-Sun Belt Conference selection for the second-straight season … Three-time Community Coffee Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week … Preseason all-Sun Belt selection and named to a pair of preseason All-American teams – FastPitch News (Second Team) and CollegeSportsMadness (Fourth Team) – as well as being named the No. 5 pitcher on FPN's Top 50 Pitchers List … The junior right-hander leads the Sun Belt in opposing batting average (.188) and fewest runs allowed (38) ... She is second in the league in ERA (1.50), while also ranking among the conference leaders in several other categories – strikeouts (180, third), strikeouts looking (44, fourth), hits allowed (108, fourth) and earned runs allowed (34, second), among other categories … Brown also ranks among the NCAA leaders in shutouts (11, fourth), strikeouts (34th), hits allowed (37th), strikeouts per 7 innings (7.7, 38th) and ERA (34th) … Recorded her fourth career no-hitter – just one away from the program's all-time mark – against Tennessee Tech … After missing two weeks due to illness, returned to the circle at Louisiana-Monroe in a crucial three-game SBC series sweep … Recorded a complete-game eight-inning victory in game two against ULM and then came in and recorded a three-out save in the series finale … Has recorded eight or more strikeouts in 11 of her 22 starts, including six double-digit efforts … Her 11 shutouts tied her own single-season mark that she set last season … She currently sits in second on South's career strikeouts list with 687.

Kaleigh Todd – Junior – Second Baseman – Bessemer, Ala.
First-Team all-Sun Belt Conference selection for the second-straight season … Preseason all-Sun Belt selection and an honorable mention All-American by FastPitch News … Leads the team in batting average, hits, runs scored, triples, on-base percentage and stolen bases … Also ranks among the conference Top 10 in most of those categories, while her 69 hits are Top 30 in the NCAA … Heading into the postseason, she is just shy of the .400 mark as she is hitting .399 and she continues to rank among the conference leaders in hits (69, second), batting average (third), triples (4, tied-second), stolen bases (19, third), and runs scored (42, seventh) … Her hit total is already the most ever by a junior at South and tied for third-most in a single season … Her 23 multi-hit games are a team high and she has recorded three-hit games seven times …Collected at least one hit in all but four Sun Belt games this season with multi-hit games on 13 occasions … Reached base safely in 17-straight games during the season, recording a hit in 10 of those contests … Recorded her first-ever home run – an inside the parker – in extra innings to help South pick up a 2-1 win at Louisiana-Monroe … Had season-high three hit efforts against Georgia Southern, Louisiana-Monroe and twice against Coastal Carolina … Was 6-for-8 with four runs scored and two stolen bases in the three-game series against the Chants … Posted back-to-back multi-hit games in the first two games of the series at Louisiana-Monroe … Also had six hits and back-to-back multi-hit games in the final two games of the series against Georgia Southern … Closed out the regular season by going 5-for-8 with four RBI in doubleheader sweep at Troy.

SECOND TEAM
Amanda Minahan – Senior – Outfielder – Oak Park, Ill.
Earned Second-Team all-Sun Belt Conference honors for second time in her career as a senior … As one of two seniors on the Jaguar roster, Minahan has been a leader both on and off the field … Leads the club in doubles (11), home runs (8), slugging percentage (.559) and is tied for top honors in both RBI (36) and walks (19) … Has ranked either in our just outside of the Top 10 of the Sun Belt in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage … Has eight multi-hit outings this spring and nine multi-RBI games – which is second-most … Of her 27 hits in Sun Belt play – second-most on the Jag roster – 14 have been for extra bases … Recorded a career-high five RBI in an 8-0 five-inning win over Troy … Her batting average (.338) in conference games is the second-best on the squad, walked a team-best 11 times, and .650 slugging percentage in SBC action … Of her eight home runs, five have come against league competition with 22 of her 36 runs driven in also coming against those foes … Eight of her 11 doubles have also come in league play … Recorded the 25th home run of her career – tying her for third at South in that category – in game two at Texas-Arlington … Went 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI that same game against the Mavericks … Moved into fourth place at USA in career RBI during the final home series against Georgia Southern … Was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three runs driven in in the series opener against Coastal Carolina.

Destin Vicknair – Senior – Pitcher – Reserve, La.
Second-Team all-Sun Belt Conference selection … Vicknair (14-10) has ranked among the Top 10 of the Sun Belt Conference in several different categories throughout the season … She has gone the distance in 16 of her 25 starts, while she also has four total shutouts … Heading into the postseason, Vicknair is sixth in runs allowed, eighth in earned run average and 10th in opposing batting average, among other categories … Began the season with wins in her first seven starts and allowed just three earned runs during that stretch … With Devin Brown out due to illness, she had to pitch all 21 innings of the three-game Sun Belt series against Texas State … With South Alabama needing a win in the series finale at Texas-Arlington, Vicknair tossed a one-hit shutout … Moved into the designated player role for the Jaguars midway through the season starting nine games in that role and pulled double duty both hitting and pitching in a few games … Served as the DP for the Jags in 10 games, making eight starts and posted a .304 batting average … Recorded her first career home run at Appalachian State … Pitched a career-high nine innings in South Alabama's series opening win at Louisiana-Monroe … Will end her Jaguar career ranked among the program leaders in several categories as she is currently fifth in wins, starts, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, sixth in fewest walks per seven innings and appearances (49), and seventh in lowest opponent's batting average and strikeouts.

Kristian Foster – Junior – Shortstop – Pelham, Ala.
Second-Team all-Sun Belt Conference selection … One of two Jaguars (Kaleigh Todd) to start every game this spring … Has been one of the most consistent players in the Jaguar line up throughout the season … Has driven in 24 of her 36 team-high RBI in Sun Belt play … Her 24 RBI in SBC action are a team high, while her 22 hits in league play are third-most … Named to three all-tournament teams during the spring … Leads the club with 10 multi-RBI games, while her 13 multi-hit outings are second most … Ranks third on the Jag roster in walks (18) … Posted a career-best four hits against Murray State as she was 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored … Was 3-for-3 with a RBI at UAB … Had her best Sun Belt series in USA's three-game set at Texas-Arlington where she was 6-for-12 with five RBI against the Mavericks … With USA trailing by three at Appalachian State in game two of the series, Foster recorded a home run to lead off the seventh, a game in which the Jags sent to extra innings and eventually won … From the series finale at Georgia State (3/12) through South's win against Southern Mississippi (4/5), drove in 16 runs during that 14-game stretch, and drove in at least one RBI and 11 total during seven-straight games during that stretch … After going without a run driven in for three games, she returned to her run producing role as she began a new stretch of 11 RBI in 12 games from 4/13 – 5/7.

2017 ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE AWARDS
First Team All-Sun Belt
Devin Brown (South Alabama, Junior, P, Graphic Design)
Alyssa Denham (Louisiana-Lafayette, Freshman, P, Kinesiology)
Randi Rupp (Texas State, Junior, P, Management)
Alex Stewart (Louisiana-Lafayette, Senior, P, Mathematics/Finance)
Ivie Drake (Georgia State, Junior, C, Early Childhood Education)
Haley Hayden (Louisiana-Lafayette, Senior, 1B, Exercise Science)
Kaleigh Todd (South Alabama, Junior, 2B, Education)
Becca Hartley (Troy, Senior, SS, Accounting)
Ariel Ortiz (Texas State, Junior, SS, Management)
DJ Sanders (Louisiana-Lafayette, Junior, SS, Exercise Science)
Kara Gremillion (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sophomore, 3B, Exercise Science)
Aleah Craighton (Louisiana-Lafayette, Junior, OF, Biology/Pre-Med)
Taty Forbes (Coastal Carolina, Sophomore, OF)
Megan Litumbe (Georgia State, RS Junior, OF, Human Learning and Development)
Emily Snider (Georgia Southern, Senior, OF, Accounting)
 
Second Team All-Sun Belt
Sam Clakley (Texas-Arlington, Sophomore, P, Kinesiology)
Kinsley Jennings (Georgia State, Junior, P)
Dixie Raley (Georgia Southern, Sophomore, P, Public Relations)
Destin Vicknair (South Alabama, Senior, P, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Lexie Comeaux (Louisiana-Lafayette, Sophomore, C, General Studies)
Aileen Garcia (Texas-Arlington, Freshman, 1B, Mechanical Engineering)
Sandra Mendoza (Texas-Arlington, Junior, 2B, Kinesiology)
Kassidy Zeringue (Louisana, Senior, 2B, Exercise Science)
Kristian Foster (South Alabama, Junior, SS, Exercise Science)
Kensey Caldwell (Georgia State, Senior, 3B, Human Learning and Development)
Morgan Brown (Georgia State, Senior, OF, Marketing)
Mekhia Freeman (Georgia Southern, Freshman, OF, Human Resource Management)
Sydney McKay (Louisiana-Monroe, Sophomore, OF, Accounting)
Amanda Minahan (South Alabama, Senior, OF, Exercise Science)
Krista Rude (Texas-Arlington, Sophomore, OF, Education)
 
Player of the Year
DJ Sanders (Louisiana-Lafayette, Junior, SS, Exercise Science)
 
Pitcher of the Year
Randi Rupp (Texas State, Junior, Management)
 
Freshman of the Year
Alyssa Denham (Louisiana-Lafayette, P, Kinesiology)
 
Newcomer of the Year
Kinsley Jennings (Georgia State, Junior, P)

Coach of the Year
Michael Lotief (Louisiana-Lafayette)

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
    
Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear.  All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub

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