April 14, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Georgia Tech's Whitney Humphreys has been selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, April 13, while North Carolina's Cassie Palmer and NC State's Shanna Smith have been chosen as Co-Players of the Week. The weekly award is the first of 2008 for Humphreys and Palmer, and is the second of the year for the Wolfpack's Smith.

In four appearances in the circle last week, Georgia Tech's Humphreys went 3-0 with a pair of wins against conference-opponent Florida State and a victory against No. 17/19 Georgia. In her first action of the week at home against Georgia last Wednesday, the Yellow Jacket senior went the full seven innings, holding the Bulldogs to just three earned runs in a 6-4 Tech win. Then in two starts over the weekend at Tallahassee, Fla., the Shady Spring, W. Va., product recorded a combined 14 innings-pitched, allowing just three total earned runs in a pair of wins. Humphreys, now 11-13 this season, had a 2.33 ERA for the week.

Palmer, a senior from Weddington, N.C., went 11-for-18 in five North Carolina games last week. In a mid-week double-header against Charlotte, she recorded three hits and two RBIs as the Tar Heels picked up their 37th win of the season. At Virginia over the weekend, Palmer was even better, belting seven total hits, including four doubles and a home run, and six RBIs in a three game sweep of the Wahoos. Now the all-time leader in at-bats (731) and runs scored (160) at UNC, Palmer ranks second in the ACC this season in both doubles and RBIs.

The Wolfpack's Smith, who was previously named Player of the Week on Feb. 11, batted .600 in five games last week. After piling up three hits in NC State's first two games of the week against Radford, the Albemarle, N.C., senior blasted a walk-off two run homer in the weekend's first game against league-foe Maryland. She followed that up with a two home-run performance in Saturday's second game against the Terps, and then another two-hit performance in the Wolfpack's 7-6 win on Sunday. On the week, Smith went 9-for-15, with four home runs, seven RBIs, seven runs scored and six walks. She currently leads the league in home runs (11), total bases (93) and on-base percentage (.468).

All three will again take the field this weekend, as the ACC regular-season begins to wind down. NC State and North Carolina will face one another in a three game series this Saturday and Sunday, while Georgia Tech will host ACC opponent Boston College in Atlanta, Ga., over the weekend.