University of Massachusets Athletics
KJ Kelley Named First-Team All-American By Easton
June 15, 2005 | Softball
June 15, 2005
AMHERST, Mass. -- Massachusetts junior softball catcher KJ Kelley (Rainier, Ore.) was named a first-team All-American by Easton Sports. Each year, Easton names three teams consisting of 15 student-athletes. Kelley and Alabama's Ashley Courteny were both selected first-team catchers. Kelley batted a team and Atlantic 10-high .382 in 2005 and broke the UMass all-time home run record.
"I am so proud of KJ and the program," said UMass Head Coach Elaine Sortino. "It is an incredible honor to be named among some of the greatest names in the game today. KJ had an incredible year and was an extremely tough out at the plate as evidenced by her walk to strikeout ratio."
Kelley was a member of the Atlantic 10 All-Conference team and was also picked to the All-Tournament team. She ranked among the leaders in the A-10 with a .382 batting average, 52 hits, 12 doubles, 14 home runs, 42 RBI, 106 total bases, a .779 slugging percentage, 33 walks and a .517 on-base percentage. With a solo home run against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the NCAA Tournament, her 14th of the season, Kelley broke her own single-season home run record. Batting in the number three spot in the order, Kelley compiled an impressive 1.65:1 walk to strikeout ratio. She had 33 walks and just 20 strikeouts in 178 plate appearances.
Behind the plate, Kelley threw out 32 percent of would-be base stealers. Opponents only attempted 28 stolen bases on her and she threw out nine of them. In the 16 league games, opponents only attempted three stolen bases. Kelley also had four pick-offs and a .980 fielding percentage.
On April 12 at Connecticut, Kelley broke the all-time UMass career home run record and now has 35 during her first three seasons. She sits in 11th-place all-time at UMass with a .329 batting average, tied for ninth with 110 RBI, third with 83 walks, second with a .649 slugging percentage and ninth with 59 extra-base hits. Kelley's .382 batting average in 2005 ranks as the 12th-highest while her RBI tally is tied for the fourth-best in a UMass single-season. In addition, her slugging percentage this season is the second-best at UMass. Her 33 walks also tied the mark for most in a single-season. Kelley, a two-time A-10 Player of the Week, compiled 16 multi-hit and 12 multi-RBI games this year. Last month, she was named the New England Intercollegiate Softball Coach's Association Player of the Year as well as a first-team All-Star.
Massachusetts finished the 2005 season with a 37-16-1 overall record. The Minutewomen advanced to their 11th straight and 15th overall NCAA Tournament. They went 0-2 at the Austin, Texas regional. UMass lost to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 6-2, and 1-0 to eventual Women's College World Series participant Texas.
Easton 2005 All-American Teams and Awards
First Team
P, Cat Osterman, Texas
P, Brianne McGowan, Oregon State
P, Jamie Southern, Fresno State
C, Ashley Courtney, Alabama
C, KJ Kelley, MASSACHUSETTS
SS, Amber Jackson, Bethune-Cookman
1B, Kim Wendland, Georgia
2B, Caitlin Benyi, UCLA
3B, Vicky Galindo, California
OF, Melanie Dorsey, Creighton
OF, Kaleo Eldredge, California
OF, Lindsay James, California
At-Large, Kristina Thorson, California
At-Large, Anjelica Selden, UCLA
At-Large, Stephanie VanBrakle, Alabama
Second Team
P, Michelle Green, Georgia
P, Jessica Sallinger, Georgia Tech
P, Sonja Garnett, San Francisco State
C, Jessica Ortega, Mt. San Antonio
C, Lauren Watson-Perry, BYU
SS, Christina Clark, Fresno State
1B, Ianeta Le'i, BYU
2B, Kate Stake, Illinois State
3B, Andrea Thomas, Bethune-Cookman
OF, Liz Perez, West Valley College
OF, Michelle Palazuelos, Mt. San Antonio College
OF, Traci Trujillo, Pasadena City College
At-Large, Heather Slettvett, Mt. San Antonio College
At-Large, Danni Hall, Golden West College
At-Large, Lauren Castle, LSU
Third Team
P, Kelly Anderson, California
P, Krystina Gomez, Sacramento City College
P, Tammy Nielsen, Creighton
C, Nichole Willis, Fresno State
C, Emily Zaplatosch, UCLA
SS, Jaci Ecker, Sacramento City College
1B, Stephanie Hill, LSU
2B, Chez Sievers, Texas
3B, Andrea Duran, UCLA
OF, Amy Hosier, Georgia Tech
OF, Tara Harbert, Hawai'i
OF, Liz Sequeira Long Beach City College
At-Large, Missy Cross, Ohlone
At-Large, Gina Rango, Bowling Green
At-Large, Stephanie Roberts, Colorado State