May 12, 2008

Eight LMU players highlighted the Pacific Coast Softball Conference 2008 All-Conference teams, announced Monday. Four Lions headed the First Team, led by conference Pitcher of the Year Tiffany Pagano. Junior Kirsten Slouber earned her second appearance on the First Team while junior Chelsie Tysdal and sophomore J.J. Hartung were each honored for the first time in their careers. Redshirt sophomore Darcy Pagnini was the lone Lion representative on the Second Team and the trio of junior MiaSarah Cesena, sophomore Melissa Dykema, and freshman Amy Charpentier were awarded Honorable Mention status.

Pagano (Temecula, CA) capped a phenomenal career with her third appearance on the All-PCSC First Team. On Friday, she became the first player in conference history to be named the Pitcher of the Year three times and first to do so in back-to-back seasons, having taken home the award as a freshman in 2005 and last year as a junior. Pagano earned PCSC Pitcher of the Week accolades six times in 2008, giving her a conference-record 16 such honors for her illustrious career.

In 2008, Pagano led the PCSC in wins, ERA, strikeouts, shutouts, complete games, opponent batting average, and innings pitched. She went 23-11 for her second straight 20-win season and posted a career-best 1.45 ERA. Her 274 strikeouts over 241 2/3 innings broke her own school record of 227 strikeouts set last season and she completed her career owning the top three single-season strikeout marks in LMU history. This season in conference play, she was 8-6 with a 1.47 ERA while registering 11 complete games and three shutouts in 12 starts.

Pagano finished her career with a record of 72-43 with a 1.85 ERA, and holds six Loyola Marymount career records. In addition to setting school career marks for wins, she also occupies the top spot for games started (119), complete games (87), shutouts (34), innings pitched (778.1) and strikeouts (820).

Joining Pagano on the First Team for the second straight year was Slouber. LMU's starting center fielder and leadoff hitter, Slouber (Canyon Country, CA) led the PCSC with 75 hits and 208 at-bats while batting a career-high .361. She was second on the team in stolen bases (nine) and third in runs scored (31) and doubles (13) while driving in 21. Slouber was a mark of consistency, collecting multiple hits in 29 of her 56 games and was the PCSC Player of the Week for February 11 as she started the season with a 12-game hitting streak.

Making their first appearances on the all-conference first team are Hartung (La Quinta, CA) and Tysdal (San Diego, CA). Hartung led the PCSC with a .405 batting average, tying for the third-highest single-season mark in LMU history. Batting primarily out of the eighth slot, the third baseman set career-highs with 64 hits, 11 doubles, 20 RBI, three triples, and nine stolen bases, the latter two of which led the team. Hartung was the PCSC Player of the Week for April 1.

Tysdal was selected to the first team as a utility player after starting every game either at catcher or designated player. The junior had a career year, hitting .382 with 11 home runs and a school-record 50 RBI, ranking in the top-three in the conference in all three categories. She registered a team-high 13 multiple-RBI games and had two or more hits in a contest 17 times. Tysdal raised her average to .393 during conference play and was named the conference's Player of the Week twice (February 26 and March 25).

Also making her all-conference debut was Pagnini (Hermosa Beach, CA), who was selected to the Second Team as a catcher. Pagnini hit .300 in 18 PCSC games (.296) overall and set a new LMU single-season record with 18 doubles. She also established new career-highs of six home runs and 20 RBI while turning in a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 248 chances at catcher, third base, and first base.

Cesena (Riverside, CA) earns her second consecutive Honorable Mention award after hitting .301 with one home run and 25 RBI. LMU's starting left fielder, the junior was second on the team with 10 sacrifice hits and stole five bases in five attempts.

The 2007 PCSC co-Freshman of the Year, Dykema (Bellflower, CA) followed up with a fine sophomore campaign that saw her go 15-7 with a 2.34 ERA. She had 16 complete games in her 22 starts, including eight shutouts, and struck out 108 batters in 143.2 innings. In conference play, A two-time PCSC Pitcher of the Week this season (February 11 and April 29), Dykema went 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA and was undefeated in her final eight starts of the season.

Rounding out the LMU honorees is freshman Amy Charpentier (Bakersfield, CA). LMU's starting second baseman, Charpentier hit .317 overall and led the team in runs scored (35), walks (23), and sacrifice hits (15). She also legged out 10 doubles and drove in 17 runs as the second hitter in the lineup.

The eight LMU players and four first teamers ties Sacramento State for the most honored in each category. LMU's eight honorees are the third-most in the school's history, trailing the ten players from last year and the nine from 2005, both years in which the Lions won the conference title. In addition, the four players awarded First Team status are the second-most in the program, trailing only the five recognized last season.

LMU went 38-18 overall and 13-7 in PCSC play to finish in second place, one game behind champions Sacramento State. It was the program's tenth consecutive winning season and eighth of 35-or-more wins under Head Coach Gary Ferrin, who collected his 500th career victory on May 3 at Saint Mary's