Athletic Report
May 2, 2002

KING AND RHOTEN OF ENMU ARE NAMED TO LSC SOUTH ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Zias also Place Rowley and Murray on LSC Honor Roll
PORTALES, NM – Two Eastern New Mexico University softball players have been selected to the 2002 Lone Star Conference South Division All-Academic Softball Team in voting by the LSC South sports information directors. The Eastern players named to the All-Academic Team were sophomore pitchers Lauren King (La Mirada, CA/La Serna H.S.) and Maegan Rhoten (Albuquerque, NM/St. Pius X H.S.). Rhoten also played left field for the Zias this season.

Student-athletes with at least a 3.2 grade point average and 24 or more semester hours at an LSC member institution were eligible for the LSC South All-Academic Team. A total of 10 players from the six South Division teams were selected.

ENMU also placed two additional players on the LSC South Commissioner’s Honor Roll. They were senior shortstop Jessica Rowley (Dallas, OR/Clackamas C.C.) and junior first baseman and pitcher Dawn Murray (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad H.S.). Players voted to All-Academic Team, plus all other nominees, were named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

King is undecided regarding her major, but has a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average. She led the 2002 Zia pitching staff with a solid 2.11 earned run average. She pitched 145 2/3 innings and struck out 99 batters, while recording 13 complete games and 4 solo shutouts. She gave up less than one hit per inning (137) and allowed just one homer. She achieved a 13-7 record during the season, and has an 18-9 overall record in two seasons at ENMU.

This year, she held Eastern’s opponents to a .244 batting average. King has thrown in 43 games the past two seasons, and has registered 122 strikeouts in 182 innings pitched. She owns a 2.08 career ERA. Rhoten, who is Psychology, has earned a 3.93 cumulative GPA. She was named First Team All-LSC South as a utility player in 2001 and was chosen Second Team All-LSC South at the utility position this season. She earned a 12-7 record and a 2.98 ERA this spring. She threw 12 complete games and registered two solo shutouts, including a 1-0 win over Tarleton State on April 20 that clinched Eastern’s berth into the LSC Tournament.

Rhoten led the Zias with 126 strikeouts in 127 innings pitched this season. She limited opposing batters to a .256 batting average and was named LSC South Pitcher of the Week three times. She also received the Pitcher-of-the-Week Award once last season.

In her career, Rhoten has thrown 148 innings and has registered 141 strikeouts. She has a career ERA of 2.93 and a career win-loss record of 13-8. She hit .263 on offense this season, with an LSC-leading 44 RBIs. She earned 21 extra-base hits, including a team-high 7 home runs. As a freshman in 2001, she batted .294 with 38 RBIs and 33 runs scored. She has started all 104 games the past two years.

Rowley is majoring in Physical Education and has achieved a 3.24 cumulative GPA at Clackamas Community College and ENMU. She has played volleyball and softball for the Zias. She was named Second Team All-LSC South twice in softball, and was selected LSC South Newcomer-of-the-Year in 2001. She was named Second Team All-LSC South in volleyball in 2001 and was chosen Honorable Mention All-LSC South in 2000.

Rowley hit .329 and led the Zias with 38 runs this season. She also drove in 33 runs and hit 10 doubles, 2 triples and 5 homers. She set an ENMU record with 17 stolen bases on 19 attempts. She earned a career batting average of .308 and started all 104 games the past two years. She ended her career with 74 runs and 53 RBIs. She was 31 of 36 on stolen bases (86.1%). In volleyball, she helped ENMU earn a combined record of 48-25 over two seasons. She registered 806 digs to rank eighth all-time at Eastern, and concluded her career with 794 kills.

Murray was named to the LSC South All-Academic Team last season, when she also was chosen Second Team Verizon Academic All-District. On the field, she earned Honorable Mention All-LSC South honors as a first baseman in 2000 and as a pitcher in 2001. This year, she received Second Team recognition at first base. She hit .282 with 22 runs and 21 RBIs during the 2002 season. She also pitched in 12 games for the Zias.

In three seasons at ENMU, she has compiled a .280 career batting average, while scoring 58 runs and providing 63 RBIs. She has pounded out 17 doubles, 2 triples and 4 homers. Murray has been steady at first base, and has accumulated 780 putouts, 87 assists and a .985 fielding percentage. She has played in 152 of 154 games and owns a 12-7 record as a pitcher.

The Zias finished the 2002 season with a 28-23 overall record. ENMU placed third in the LSC South at 10-10, and qualified for the LSC Tournament. The Zias earned their third straight season at .500 or better. ENMU was 25-25 in 2000 and 38-14-1 in 2001.