Date Posted: 3/17/2008

MACON, Ga. - Jamie Madruga filled the columns in several offensive categories, leading Mercer to a 5-3 week which included splits in conference play with Jacksonville and North Florida. The senior hit .478 during the week, stole five bases and drove in nine runs to earn the Atlantic Sun Player of the Week award for the first time in 2008. USC Upstate's Morgan Childers garnered her first Pitcher of the Week honor after appearing in all six games and posting a 0.76 ERA, the conference office announced Monday.

Madruga collected 11 hits in eight games for the Bears. The criminal justice major out of Warner Robins, Ga. scored seven runs, laced two doubles and connected on two home runs during a week that included a 3-3 performance against Vermont on Monday and a 2-3, three RBI outing at Georgia State on Tuesday. Anchoring the infield at first base, Madruga has collected a team-high six long balls in 2008, which puts her in sole-possession of seventh place on the all-time A-Sun list. She is also the only active A-Sun player in the top ten in career batting average (.361, ninth). Although this is Madruga’s first weekly honor in 2008, it is her third ever; she took home the honor for consecutive weeks in April 2006, which is the last time a Mercer player has been named Player of the Week. Madruga currently leads the conference in batting average (.442) and leads the Bears in nearly every offensive category, excluding sacrifice bunts and times hit by pitch.

A freshman from Kings Mountain, N.C., Childers added to an already impressive resume with her performance during the week. In her six appearances, the education major was credited with wins in each of her three starts. One of those games was a 10-inning, 1-0 shutout of Coastal Carolina that saw Childers fan 13 batters en route to 36 strikeouts for the week. She notched another shutout in a 6-0 victory over conference foe, Belmont, and cruised to an 11-2, four-hit victory against UNC Wilmington. Childers also made four relief appearances, one of which saddled her with the lone blemish on her record for the week due to three unearned runs against Coastal Carolina in the second game of a doubleheader. Childers currently holds a 12-2 record with a 1.17 ERA on the season, and claims the distinction of being the first ever player from USC Upstate to be honored as the A-Sun Pitcher of the Week. |

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

Cheyenne Jenks, FGCU (Jr. - 3B - Naples, Fla. - Art) - Led the Eagles to a 5-1 record last week and helped lead the Eagles to their 31st win in the last 35 games. Jenks hit .533 with a 1.067 slugging percentage. She had eight hits, including two doubles and two homeruns. She also had seven RBI's on the week.

Aliana Jacobson, LIP (So. - P - Crocker, Mo. - Biology) - Won two games in two outings, one as a starter, one as reliever. Jacobson allowed only one earned run in compiling an ERA of 0.81 for the week. She threw a complete game, four-hit shutout against Jacksonville in a 4-0 decision.

Morgan Campen, FGCU (Fr. - P - Rougemont, N.C. - Criminal Forensics and Criminal Justice) – Campen went 3-0 during the week and is currently 10-1 with a 1.17 ERA on the season. The freshman pitched 21.0 innings, allowed 18 hits and had an ERA of 1.67.

Amanda Littlejohn (So. - C - Lake Elsinore, Calif. - Education) - Littlejohn batted .611 on the week, helping the Camels to a 3-2 record. She pushed five runs across in the tourney, scoring three times herself while slugging .833. Littlejohn laced four doubles in five games.

Katie Kelly, JU (Fr. - SS - Callahan, Fla. - Exercise Science) - In her first ever A-Sun competition, Kelly went 8-for-13 (.615), including going 4-for-4 in the second game against Lipscomb. Her four hits equaled a school record. Her three RBI against Belmont in game two clinched the win for the Dolphins.

Sammi Parks, BEL (Jr. - P - Riverside, Calif. - Political Science) - Parks led the Bruin pitching staff in its four games last week, finishing with a 2-1 record. She picked up her third shutout of the year with the team's 1-0 victory against Southeast Missouri. For the week, she posted a 2.23 ERA with nine strikeouts.

Related Links:
 • A-Sun Softball