Five Cavaliers Named to All-ACC Academic Softball Team

Story Links

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Five Virginia student-athletes have been named to the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference All-ACC Academic Softball Team, as announced Thursday by ACC Commissioner John D. Swofford.

Alison Pittman (So., Newburg, Pa.), Casey Steffan (Sr., Long Valley, N.J.), Sarah Tacke (Jr., Merced, Calif.), Karla Wilburn (Sr., Del Mar, Calif.) and Carly Winger (Sr., Windermere, Fla.) each were named. Wilburn earned the honor for the second time, while the other four players were selected to the team for the first time.

To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned at least a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained at least a 3.00 cumulative average during her academic career.

Pittman started all 47 of Virginia’s games in 2009 and split time between left field and catcher. She hit .217 and was third on the team with 28 runs scored.

Steffan served as the team captain and started 37 games in right field. She was third on the team with a .297 average and hit a career-best four home runs during her senior season.

Tacke led Virginia with a .358 batting average while starting every game at first base. The redshirt junior also paced the Cavaliers in slugging percentage (.758), on base percentage (.480), hits (43) and RBI (40). She was second in runs scored (32), home runs (11) and triples (5).

Wilburn led the Virginia pitching staff with 17 wins and compiled a 3.13 ERA in 34 appearances. She also totaled a team-best 111 strikeouts in 176.2 innings of work.

Winger started all 47 games and split time with Pittman in left and behind the plate. She finished the year with a .269 average and paced the Cavaliers with 37 runs. She also contributed six home runs and 24 RBI.