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Three Cavaliers Earn All-Southeast Region Softball Honors
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May 16, 2001
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia softball players Kristen Dennis (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon), Ruby Rojas (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) and Meaghan Young (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) have been named to the 12-member 2001 All-Southeast Region First Team as voted on by the Southeast Region’s head softball coaches. The Cavalier trio also represented Virginia on the 2001 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team and combined for 230 hits, 150 runs, 120 RBI and a .387 batting average in 2001. UVa and Florida State are the only two schools to have three players named to the first-team.
Dennis, a third-year pitcher/first baseman/designated player, earns All-Southeast Region honors as the designated player. She was a second-team All-Southeast Region pick in 1999. Dennis hit .380 in 2001 with 63 hits in 166 at-bats. She set single season school records with 11 home runs, 49 RBI and 47 walks. Her 113 total bases are the third highest total in school history. Dennis is also UVa’s career leader in home runs (16) and walks (90). With 100 career RBI, Dennis is just two shy of that school record. In the circle, she posted an 18-7 record with one save and a 1.31 ERA. Dennis pitched 154.2 innings and struck out 200 batters while walking just 32. Dennis, the 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year, is currently 15th in the nation with 9.1 strikeouts per seven innings. She was a two-time ACC Player and two-time ACC Pitcher of the Week this season.
Rojas, a second-year third baseman, led the team in hitting with a .401 batting average (79-197) which is currently 26th in the nation. Her .401 average is the third highest in a single season at UVa. Rojas, the 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year, was second on the team with eight home runs, 12 doubles, 50 runs, 42 RBI, 119 total bases and 18 stolen bases. She set career highs in all offensive categories and her 119 total bases, 79 hits, and 50 runs are the second highest single season totals in school history. The eight homers tied the previous single season school record for home runs in a season. Dennis now holds that record with 11 homers. Rojas, who started and played in 68 of 69 games in 2001, was named the ACC Player of the Week on April 9.
Young, a fourth-year right fielder, earned regular season All-ACC honors for the first time in her career. She was also recently named to the 2001 ACC All-Tournament Team for the fourth time, which is a school record. Young is also just the second player in the history of the ACC Tournament, which dates back to 1992, to earn ACC All-Tournament honors four times. Florida State’s Kristy Hull was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Young concludes her brilliant career with 13 Virginia school records, including eight career marks. She is the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in games played (261), hits (285), at-bats (881), total bases (408), runs (149), doubles (51), triples (24) and stolen bases (51). In 2001, Young set Virginia single season records for at-bats (231), hits (88), total bases (129) and runs (57). Young, a two-time ACC Player of the Week selection in 2001, hit a career high .381 this season and set a career best with 17 doubles. She stole a career high 23 bases (one shy of the school record) and set career marks in at-bats (231), RBI (29) and home runs (4). She was the only UVa player to start all 69 games this season. Young never missed a game in her career, and also started and played every inning of all 261 games over the past four years. She played in 152 Cavalier victories during the last four seasons, marking the most wins a Cavalier player has appeared in.
Virginia concluded the 2001 season with a 52-17 mark and nearly earned the school’s first NCAA bid. The 52 victories are a school record for wins in a season by any Cavalier squad. UVa was also 4-4 in the ACC and 5-5 in the Southern Atlantic Softball Alliance.