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June 4, 2002
CAP COD, Mass. – University of Virginia softball player Kristen Dennis (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) has been named the 2002 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I Softball Player of the Year as announced Monday (June 3). It is the first time a UVa player has been selected as the ECAC Softball Player of the Year. Dennis, a fourth-year, was also selected to the 13-member ECAC All-Star First Team for the second consecutive year.
Dennis was named to the 2002 ECAC All-Star First Team as a pitcher after being selected as the designated player in 2001. The ECAC honor is the latest among several awards Dennis has earned for her play in the 2002 season. On May 22, she was named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I All-America second-team as the utility player as announced at the Women’s College World Series. It marked the second consecutive year Dennis was named a second-team All-American. She was a first-team Southeast Region pick this season, marking the second time she has been named to the All-Region first-team and the third All-Region honor of her career. She was also named the 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. Along with being named the ACC Player of the Year, Dennis earned All-ACC honors for the fourth consecutive year, becoming the first Cavalier to garner All-Conference honors four times. In addition, Dennis was the recipient of the Virginia Athletic Department’s Distinguished Student-Athlete Scholarship Award and was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District III University Division Softball Team.
Dennis was a pitcher/first baseman/designated player and also served as a co-captain of the team in 2002. In 2002, Dennis set UVa single season records for batting average with a mark of .417 (73-175) and total bases (134). Dennis also broke her own single season school records for home runs (13), RBI (58) and walks (54) this season, and set a career best in doubles (18). She also had an on-base percentage of .547 and a slugging percentage of .766. Dennis holds the ACC records for career doubles (58) and walks (144) and is second all-time in home runs (29) and RBI (158). In addition to establishing Virginia’s career records in doubles, walks, home runs and RBI, she holds the school record in total bases with 414. Dennis is second all-time at UVa in career batting average at .363 (255-703), hits (255), at-bats (703), and games played (251).
In the circle in 2002, Dennis was an impressive 24-11 with a 0.97 ERA. In 217 innings or work, Dennis struck out 293 batters while walking 45 for a 6.5 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio. She made 41 pitching appearances in 2002 with 25 starts and 21 complete games. Dennis recorded nine shutouts and one save while limiting opponents to a .188 batting average. As of games played May 25, Dennis is the only Division I softball player with at least 20 wins and a .400 batting average.
Virginia concluded the 2002 season with a 45-22 mark. The 45 victories are the second most in program history, only surpassed by the 2001 squad’s school record 52 wins.