Zias place two players on All-South first team

RICHARDSON, Texas — Junior center fielder Laura Thompson and sophomore second baseman Rebecca Quinones were selected to represent Eastern New Mexico University on the All-Lone Star Conference South softball team, released on Wednesday by the conference office.

ENMU (28-28, 6-12 South) also got senior first baseman Anna Hershkowitz and sophomore left fielder Alex Mayo Otis on the second team. Sophomore shortstop Casandra McCommons earned honorable mention status.

Thompson, a transfer from Vernon College, batted .353 in the leadoff position and registered the sixth-highest on-base percentage in school history (.468). She led the team in runs scored with 46 and became the second person in the program’s history to steal 30 bases in a season.

Quinones, a second-team All-South choice last year when she hit .337, batted .359 with a team-leading 35 RBIs in 2008. She also hit 17 doubles, tying for the second-most in a season in school history.

In two seasons, she is already sixth on the Zias’ career RBI list (85) and seventh in doubles (24).

Hershkowitz repeated her second-team selection from a year ago, batting .376 with eight doubles, four homers, 30 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

Mayo Otis was a first-team choice in 2007 after hitting .439. This season, she finished at .376 with 12 doubles, four triples, one homer and 33 RBIs, with 17 multiple-hit outings.

After two seasons, she ranks fifth in batting and doubles, sixth in on-base percentage, seventh in triples, eighth in slugging percentage and 10th in runs scored on ENMU’s career lists.

McCommons earned her second consecutive honorable mention berth, driving in more runs in division play than any other Zias player. Her 127 assists in 2008 were the second-highest single-season total in the program’s history.

Cruickshank makes honor roll — ENMU sophomore pitcher Kristen Cruickshank has earned a spot on the LSC South’s all-academic team for 2008.

The award is based on her performance on the field and in the classroom, where a nominee must carry a grade point average of at least 3.20.

Cruickshank, a speech pathology major, posted a 13-10 record with a 2.39 earned run average during the 2008 campaign. At the plate, she hit .273 in 99 at-bats with seven doubles, 14 runs scored and 13 RBIs.

With 24 victories in two seasons, Cruickshank already ranks fourth on the Zias’ all-time wins list.