University of Houston Athletics
Houston Wins Conference USA Player, Newcomer of the Year
5/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 11, 2011
HOUSTON - The Conference USA Co-Champions of the regular season, the University of Houston softball team produced the league's Player and Newcomer of the Year, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Junior Melissa Gregson earned the C-USA Player of the Year award, becoming the third player in Houston's history, and the first since 2007, to earn the prestigious honor. After transferring in before the start of the season, senior Donna Bourgeois became the Cougars' first Newcomer of the Year.
Additionally, Houston had two All-Conference first team selections, three on the second team and two All-Freshman honorees. The seven All-C-USA selections marks the second most in program history, behind the eight that were selected during the 2008 season.
"It's good to see this for our program ," head coach Kyla Holas said. "We had a few players that we would've liked to se on there based on the year that each of them had, but I hope that the All-Region voters see all that they've accomplished. We are very proud of them."
A Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native, Gregson leads C-USA in home runs (16), RBIs (43) and ranked third in slugging percentage (.678). Against conference opponents, the junior left fielder was even more dangerous. She hit a league-high .418 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs. Heading into the tournament, Gregson is just four homers shy of becoming the all-time, single-season homerun leader.
"She had such a great year, and I'm so excited for her," Holas said. "I'd love for her to get that record, and there is still time for her to do that, but I'm so happy to see her being recognized now. I hope that she feels the confidence that everyone has in her and takes some of that pressure away to perform at that level everyday."
The 2011 All-C-USA first team selection also ranked third in hits (28) and runs scored (20). Not just a power hitter, Gregson was dangerous squared at the plate, too. She ranked second in sacrifice bunts (15) while playing left field, catcher and first base for the Cougars.
Gregson made herself even more memorable by blasting out game-winning homeruns against nationally ranked Texas A&M and conference foes Tulsa and East Carolina. The junior earned her first C-USA Player of the Week honor after hitting at a .556 clip with five RBI, three homeruns and a double for a slugging percentage of 1.667 on the series against Southern Miss. Two weeks later, Gregson unleashed another offensive display when she went 6-for-9 with two homeruns and nine RBI against UTEP.
Transferring in from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Houston's Newcomer of the Year did her damage in the circle. Bourgeois (15-6) started the season with wins against Top-25 Oklahoma State and LSU before hitting a rough stretch in her season.
Saddled with a 4-6 record, Bourgeois rebounded in a big way in conference action. In her last 11 decisions, the Lafayette, La., native has posted an 11-0 record with a C-USA best 0.50 ERA in league play.
"To be a player and be recognized now in two conferences is a testament to how hard of a worker she is," Holas said. "She came here to finish out her senior season and has been a huge factor and successful in both places. She proved that she is a valuable addition to any program and I'm glad she's being recognized. Donna is a difference maker in any program."
The 5-7 senior was the two-time Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) Pitcher of the Year before transferring to Houston and immediately earned a spot on the C-USA preseason all-conference squad.
Bourgeois went 15-6 overall and 8-1 in league play, while posting a 1.63 ERA, a key reason why the Cougars currently lead the NCAA in team ERA (1.28) this season. Conference opponents managed a dismal .154 batting average against her. Bourgeois has not surrendered a home run to a league opponent and has allowed only five all season.
FIRST TEAM
Gregson also joined sophomore third baseman Holly Anderson on the C-USA First Team, the first time Houston has landed more than one Cougar on the top tier team since the 2008 season.
Anderson earned her first career all-conference first team selection after ranking in C-USA's top six in on-base percentage (.436/4th), runs scored (39/1st) and walks (23/T6th). The sophomore earned her first C-USA Hitter of the Week award in the final week of the season, hitting .571 with two homers against UCF against UCF to clinch a share of the regular season title.
SECOND TEAM
Bourgeois earned All-Conference USA second team accolades with fellow senior pitcher Amanda Crabtree and sophomore shortstop Brooke Lathan.
Crabtree (18-7) dominated hitters all season, ranking as the top pitcher in the NCAA in strikeouts per seven innings (12.1) and hits allowed per seven (2.68). Heading into the tournament, Crabtree holds a 0.92 ERA and 303 strikeouts, good for second in the league despite throwing nearly 90 fewer innings than the league's leader.
The five-time C-USA Pitcher of the Week threw her first career no-hitter against Nicholls State en route to starting her season 9-0. She also tossed no-hitters against ULM and C-USA foe Southern Miss. The Kingwood, Texas native broke UH's single-game strikeout record against Memphis, striking out 17 in the series opener. Her 10 complete-game shutouts ranks 14th in NCAA.
Despite missing six games due to injury, Crabtree still leads the league in opposing batting average (.117), is second in ERA (0.92) and strikeouts (303). Her 0.92 ERA ranks 5th in NCAA, while her 303 strikeouts ranks 7th in NCAA. Entering the C-USA Tournament, Crabtree sits 11 strikeouts away from breaking Houston's all-time single-season strikeout record.
Lathan was the second part of the 1-2 punch at the heart of Houston's lineup, Lathan and Gregson are vital reasons why Houston has been the C-USA homerun leader for the majority of the season. The Livingston, Texas native ranks second on the team and fourth in the conference in both homeruns (13) and RBI (36).
Lathan and Crabtree helped UH become the only member of C-USA this season to twice sweep the Pitcher and Hitter of the Week awards. She posted a career week to earn the award, hitting .700 against Houston Baptist and UTEP with three homers and 10 RBI, including a career-best, six-RBI effort against the Miners to power the Cougars to their first C-USA sweep using three-consecutive run-rule victories in program history.
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Freshmen twin battery Haley and Diedre Outon were named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team following an impact rookie year.
An everyday starter as a true freshman, Haley has been the starting catcher for the Cougars in 48 of their 54 games, and has seen time in every game but two. Throughout the season, she caught four no-hitters for the Houston pitching staff. Haley has caught every start for Crabtree, including 10 complete game shutouts and all 303 of her strikeouts this season.
Haley leads C-USA in putouts (432) and has caught the third-most runners attempting to steal amongst C-USA catchers (13). She also ranks third in the league in runners picked off (4). Haley is becoming a force at the plate as a rookie, hitting .260 overall and .275 in conference play. The disciplined hitter is tied for second-most walks on the team (22) and holds a .490 slugging percentage in conference action.
Her twin sister, freshman pitcher Diedre Outon (6-2), has stepped up to become the third member of the dominant Cougar pitching staff.
After starting the season 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, Outon was sidelined with an injury for the majority of March and April. She returned to make her first start against a C-USA opponent, throwing a two-hitter in the series opener against a Tulsa squad receiving votes on the national polls. She has surrendered only one homerun in her debut season, to Top-25 Texas A&M.
In one of the highest-pressure situations in her young career against ECU to keep the Cougars' battle for first place alive, Outon posted a 2-0 record with a 0.00 ERA on the weekend, striking out nine while not allowing a single run. In just her second start against a C-USA opponent, she threw an efficient complete-game shutout, using 86 pitches to toss the first one-hitter of her career against the Pirates.
2011 ALL-CONFERENCE USA SOFTBALL TEAMS
First Team
C - Rebecca Gamby, Marshall
IF - Holly Anderson, Houston
IF - Heather Mott, Memphis
IF - Samantha Cobb, Tulsa
IF - Natalie Land, UCF
OF - Melissa Gregson, Houston
OF - Caitlin Everett, Tulsa
OF - Caley Walden, UAB
U - Lacey Middlebrooks, Tulsa
P - Toni Paisley, East Carolina
P - Aimee Creger, Tulsa
Second Team
C - Mandy Lowman, UAB
IF - Sissy Jimenez, East Carolina
IF - Brooke Lathan, Houston
IF - Jill Barrett, Tulsa
IF - Kelly Chapman, Tulsa
IF - Tiffany Lane, UCF
OF - Suzanne Riggs, East Carolina
OF - Leslie LeJune, Southern Miss
OF - Shelby Blanton, Tulsa
U - Jill Jelnick, East Carolina
P - Donna Bourgeois, Houston
P - Amanda Crabtree, Houston
All-Freshman Team
Jill Jelnick, East Carolina
Kristi Oshiro, East Carolina
Jasmine Robbins, East Carolina
Jordan Lewis, East Carolina
Haley Outon, Houston
Diedre Outon, Houston
Ashleigh King, Memphis
Brittany Lilly, Southern Miss
Jill Barrett, Tulsa
Aimee Creger, Tulsa
Shelby Blanton, Tulsa
Leigh Streetman, UAB
UP NEXT
The top-seeded Houston Cougars will take on the No. 8 Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the first round of the 2011 Conference USA Softball Championship. Hosted by East Carolina, the game is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. EDT.
