May 14, 2009

STARKVILLE, Miss. - After helping the No. 15 North Carolina softball team to a 45-11 overall record on the season three Tar Heels earned NFCA All-Region honors on Thursday. The duo of Danielle Spaulding and Lisa Norris picked up their second consecutive first team honors while Breanna Brown earned her third honor and her initial first team honor. The Tar Heels will take on Campbell today at 3:30 p.m. in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Anderson Stadium in Chapel Hill.

Brown leads the team with a .357 batting average and ranks in the top 10 of nearly every offensive category in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Durham, N.C., native earned second team all-southeast region honors the past two years before making the first team this season. The NFCA did away with the second team for the 2009 season and now there is only one all-region team.

Norris notched second team honors as a sophomore before earning first team plaudits as a junior and again as a senior. The senior right-hander leads the Tar Heels with a 1.11 ERA and a 22-7 record with four saves.

Spaulding, a 2008 NFCA All-America selection, leads the country in strikeouts per 7 IP at 14.7 and owns a 1.13 ERA with a 20-3 record. The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native has also produced at the plate with a .296 batting average to go along with a team-best 10 home runs.

Southeast Region  	 First Team
Pos. 	 Name 	                School
P 	Stephanie Brombacher 	University of Florida
P 	Sarah Hamilton 	        Florida State University
P 	Stacey Nelson 	        University of Florida
P 	Lisa Norris 	        University of North Carolina
P 	Amanda Reyes 	        Florida A&M University
C 	Kaleigh Rafter 	        Florida State University
C 	Megan Yocke 	        University of Kentucky
1B 	Whitney Haller 	        Georgia Tech
1B 	Tiffany Huff 	        University of Tennessee
2B 	Aja Paculba 	        University of Florida
2B 	Jen Yee 	        Georgia Tech
3B 	Alisa Goler 	        University of Georgia
3B 	Jessica Spigner 	University of Tennessee
SS 	Megan Bush 	        University of Florida
SS 	Molly Johnson 	        University of Kentucky
OF 	Breanna Brown 	        University of North Carolina
OF 	Kelsey Bruder 	        University of Florida
OF 	Francesca Enea 	        University of Florida
OF 	Kelly Grieve 	        University of Tennessee
OF 	Ryanne Hill 	        North Carolina A&T State University
OF 	Lisa Kingsmore 	        Winthrop University
OF 	Taylor Schlopy 	        University of Georgia
UT/P 	Tiffany Johnson 	Georgia Tech
UT/P 	Danielle Spaulding 	University of North Carolina
UT/P 	Brittany Stanley 	Campbell University
UT 	Katie Kelly 	        Jacksonville University
UT 	Jill Semento 	        University of South Carolina