Date Posted: 3/31/2008

MACON, Ga. - They took different paths, but Belmont's Angie Helseth and UNF's Heather Hyde arrived at the same place. The two shared the title of Atlantic Sun Softball co-Player of the Week. Helseth batted .583 during the week and helped Belmont record its first-ever victory over A-Sun foe, Stetson, while Hyde blasted five home runs in four conference games to lead the Ospreys to a 5-3 record. In the circle, Brittany Matthews continued her assault on opposing batters, going 3-0 with two saves to earn her fourth Pitcher of the Week honor of 2008.

A senior shortstop, Helseth led the Bruin offense from the leadoff spot, going 7-for-12 in four conference games against two of the top six teams in the conference, Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson. Against the first-place Eagles, Helseth went 5-for-8 with a triple and two RBI, as the Bruins nearly pulled off an upset in game one, falling 4-3. In the Stetson series, the exercise science/health promotion major from Vancouver, Wash. hit .500 in four plate attempts, churning out two doubles as Belmont knocked off Stetson 8-7. Helseth also had a triple and four stolen bases in as many attempts while compiling a .667 on-base percentage during the week. She fielded her shortstop position without flaw for the Bruins.

Hyde powered her way to 11 RBI and a 1.043 slugging percentage on the week as UNF compiled a 5-3 record. The senior third baseman hit her first three home runs in a two-game sweep of ETSU on Friday. She added long balls in both games of the doubleheader against Kennesaw State, the first of which came against Matthews. That home run from Hyde represented the only earned run given up by Matthews this week. The biology major from Tallahassee, Fla. scored 10 runs her own and hit .348 throughout UNF’s eight games.

A senior from Brooks, Ga., Matthews had a perfect week, notching complete game victories against Albany, Jacksonville and UNF. She also tallied saves against Jacksonville and UNF, contributing in each of Kennesaw State’s five victories. In 24.2 innings of work, she had an ERA of 0.28, held batters to a .136 average, and fanned 27. The professional sales major struck out 12 in her start against Jacksonville and struck out the side to pick up the save in game two. Against UNF she struck out five in each game. Matthews now has a total of eight-career A-Sun Pitcher of the Week awards, as her most recent honor tied the four weekly awards she tallied in 2007.

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

Devyn Findley, UNF (So. - P- Nursing - Gainesville, Fla) - Findley struck out 40 batters and went 3-1 during the week, with her only loss coming in a head-to-head match-up with Brittany Matthews. She set a career-high with 12 strikeouts against Florida A&M, then broke it with 13 in her next outing against ETSU.

Patricia Melo, JU (Sr. - DP - Sociology - Jacksonville, Fla.) - Melo hit .467 with one home run, two doubles and four RBI. She hit a two-run bomb in the seventh to clinch a 5-0 victory over ETSU on Sunday.

Jenni Holtz, MER (Fr. - P - Undeclared - Tracy, Calif.) - Holtz fanned 21 batters in two complete-game shutouts against Gardner-Webb and Campbell.

Lauren Quevedo, UPST (Fr. - 1B - Computer Science - Wellington, Fla.) - Quevedo went 7-for-16 at the dish for a .438 average with five RBI, a double and a home run.

Morgan Childers, UPST (Fr. - P - Education - Kings Mountain, N.C.) - Childers went 3-1 with two complete-game shutouts. She struck out 26 and allowed seven earned runs in 25.2 innings.

Related Links:
 • A-Sun Softball