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May 10, 2002
GREENSBORO, N.C. – University of Virginia fourth-year softball player Kristen Dennis (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) has been selected as the 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year as voted on by the league’s five head coaches. Dennis was also named to the 12-member 2002 All-ACC Softball Team along with UVa third-year Ruby Rojas (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei). Dennis is only the second Cavalier to be honored with the ACC’s Player of the Year award as Eileen Schmidt was the Cavaliers’ first recipient in 1993.
Dennis, a fourth-year pitcher/first baseman/designated player, earns All-ACC honors for the fourth consecutive season. A 2001 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Second Team All-American, Dennis is hitting a career best .419 in 2002 and is also 23-10 with a 0.92 ERA in the circle. Dennis is 72-172 at the plate with 18 doubles, 13 home runs, 56 RBI, 133 total bases and 48 walks, all of which are career bests. She has set new Virginia career records in homers, RBI, total bases and walks in 2002. Dennis, who has started all 64 games for UVa this season thus far, is the Cavaliers’ career record holder in doubles (58), home runs (29), RBI (156), walks (138) and total bases (413).
In addition to a 23-10 record and 0.92 ERA in the circle in 2002, Dennis has recorded 277 strikeouts in 205.2 innings. She has walked just 43 batters and possesses a 6.4 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio. Dennis has appeared in 39 games as a pitcher with 23 starts, 20 complete games and nine shutouts. As of games played May 5, 2002, Dennis is the only Division I player with at least 20 wins and a .400 batting average. Dennis, the 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year, was named an ECAC Player of the Week (April 10) and ACC Player of the Week four times this season. Dennis was also named to the 11-member 2002 Verizon Academic All-District III University Division Softball Team.
Rojas, a third baseman, earns All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season. She is hitting .293 this season (49-167), and her average jumps to .371 (23-62) with runners in scoring position and .600 (9-15) with a runner on third with less than two outs. She leads the team with 13 multiple-RBI games. The 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year is second on the team in 2002 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI, and 97 total bases. She has a .333 career batting average and is second all-time at UVa in home runs (21) and RBI (106). Rojas was named the ACC Player of the Week on March 25.
Florida State led all teams with four players earning All-ACC honors. Virginia’s Dennis earned ACC Player of the Year honors, while Georgia Tech freshman pitcher Jessica Sallinger was named the ACC Rookie of the Year. Georgia Tech head coach Kate Madden was tabbed ACC Coach of the Year. North Carolina had three players earn All-Conference honors while Virginia and Georgia Tech both had two players selected. Maryland was represented on the All-ACC team by one player.
The Cavaliers are currently 44-20 overall and 1-6 in the ACC heading into the conference tournament. Virginia begins play in the 2002 ACC Tournament, which is being held at the Seminole Softball Complex in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday, May 10. The fifth-seeded Cavaliers open the five-team, double elimination tournament by playing fourth-seeded North Carolina (31-28, 2-6 ACC) for the second year in a row. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. The Tar Heels swept both games regular season ACC games from UVa, 1-0 and 6-5 on April 14. The Cavaliers, however, defeated UNC 4-3 at the Tar Heel Invitational on April 6 en route to taking the tournament title.
The entire 2002 ACC team follows.
2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Team (alphabetical order)
Natalie Anter Sr. North CarolinaKimmy Carter Sr. Florida StateKristen Dennis Sr. VirginiaTara Knudsen So. Georgia TechLeslie Malerich Sr. Florida StateQuinn Porter Jr. North CarolinaRuby Rojas Jr. VirginiaBrandi Stuart Jr. Florida StateSamantha Sweeney So. MarylandTiffany Tolleson Jr. North CarolinaJessica van der Linden So. Florida StateLindsay Wood Jr. Georgia Tech
ACC Player of the Year Kristen Dennis VirginiaACC Rookie of the Year Jessica Sallinger Georgia TechACC Coach of the Year Kate Madden Georgia Tech