All-OVC Teams

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Three members of the Eastern Kentucky softball team earned All-Ohio Valley Conference recognition, the league announced Wednesday night at its annual awards banquet on the eve of the 2009 OVC tournament. Junior Shyenne Hussey and freshman Diane Gallagher were selected first team All-OVC. Senior Kalyn Fox was chosen second team all-conference. Gallagher also earned a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer team.

Hussey, a third baseman from Waimanalo, Hawai`i, earned all-conference honors for the third straight season. She has been selected to the first team twice. Hussey concluded her junior season with a team-best .349 batting average. She also led the team in home runs (six), RBIs (29), slugging percentage (.560) and on-base percentage (.471).

Hussey’s batting average was the sixth best in the conference. She posted the third best on-base percentage in the league. She hit safely in 27 of 40 games and never went more than two consecutive games without a hit.

The junior capped her season in fine fashion. In her final at bat, Hussey launched a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh against Tennessee-Martin on Sunday.

In her first season, Gallagher posted a .301 batting average, scored 27 runs and finished with 24 stolen bases in 24 attempts. She was second on the team in average, runs and total bases. The outfielder from Atwater, Calif., had the second most steals in the OVC this season and the 19th best batting average.

On April 25 at Southeast Missouri State, Gallagher recorded her third three-hit game of the season, walked once and had a season-high three stolen bases.

Fox earned second team all-conference honors as a utility player. The senior from Murray, Ky., played every position except catcher at some point during the 2009 season. At the plate, she finished the season with a .267 batting average, 14 runs scored and 20 RBIs, second most on the team. In the circle, Fox made 20 appearances and started twice. She compiled a 7-2 record with a 2.68 ERA. She posted nearly a 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio.

Fox led the OVC with the fewest runs and walks allowed.

On March 11, Fox did it all for EKU in the circle and at the plate. Against Yale, after Eastern’s first two pitchers allowed five runs in the first three innings, Fox came in and shutout the Bulldogs over the final 3.1 innings. Then, after EKU battled back to tie the game, Fox came to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh and drew a walk to force in the winning run. Later in the day against La Salle, Fox came up big for the Colonels again. She came on to pitch in the third and allowed the three tying runs (only two of which were earned), but gave up just one hit while holding La Salle scoreless over the final four innings as the EKU offense generated five unanswered runs.

Off the field, Fox was selected as one of 30 candidates nationwide for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact.

The Colonels ended their 2009 season with a record of 17-27. Eastern went 8-13 in OVC play and finished seventh.