2011 SEC Softball Tournament: Day One Open Thread and 2011 SEC Softball Awards

ed.- I'll keep scores and such updated in the comments as best I can throughout the day (real life is very much real today, I'm afraid), and we'll have another thread dedicated to Game 4.

With the regular season title secured, the road to back to back tournament titles begins today in Oxford, MS. The Tide will take on Mississippi State in Game 4 this evening, but 'til then fire away with your thoughts and comments on the early games, and take a few moments to congratulate the team on their impressive showing in this season's SEC Softball Awards:

2011 SEC Softball Awards

First Team All-SEC
P - Kelsi Dunne, Alabama
IF - Whitney Larsen, Alabama
OF - Kayla Braud, Alabama

Second Team All-SEC
DP/U - Amanda Locke, Alabama

Freshman All-SEC
IF - Kaila Hunt, Alabama

SEC All-Defensive
P - Kelsi Dunne, Alabama;
C - Kendall Dawson, Alabama
SS - Whitney Larsen, Alabama
RF - Jazlyn Lunceford, Alabama

Pitcher of the Year
Kelsi Dunne, Alabama

Kelsi Dunne continues her history making season, becoming the first pitcher in Alabama history to earn SEC Pitcher of the Year honors in consecutive seasons after joining Stephanie VanBrakle last year as the only Tide hurlers to earn the accolade. Dunne finished the conference season 13-2 with a 1.65 ERA. She struck out 146 batters in 110 innings and held opposing hitters to a .161 average. She tossed two no-hitters during league play, a seven inning blanking of South Carolina and a five inning affair against Ole Miss .

Kayla Braud also earns first-team honors for the second straight season after batting .337 during league games, adding a team-high 29 hits and 25 runs scored. She has also stolen nine bases, sported a .441 on base percentage and hit two home runs while adding 11 RBI.

Whitney Larsen earns her first-team accolades after batting .314 with five home runs and 18 RBI, scoring 19 runs, and collecting 22 hits. She added a .571 slugging percentage and a .467 on base percentage. Larsen also was named to the all-defensive team at shortstop.

Amanda Locke garnered second-team honors at the designated player/utility position. Locke led the Tide with a .352 average, six home runs and 22 RBI. She also paced the team with a .722 slugging percentage and .514 on base percentage. The selection is a career first for the former SEC Freshman of the Year.

Freshman Kaila Hunt was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. Hunt batted .286 during league games with four home runs and 11 RBI after batting .508.  She also sported an on base percentage of .400 while walking 11 times.

Joining Dunne and Larsen on the SEC All-Defensive team were juniors Kendall Dawson and Jazlyn Lunceford.Dawson fielded .991 behind the dish and threw out 67 percent of would-be base stealers. Lunceford fielded a perfect 1.000 in the outfield, making 14 putouts with one assist. This is the first time claiming the honor for both players.

Congratulations to the team, and good luck in the tournament.