Rinus named MVP of SAC tourney, three other Eagles recognized
ROCK HILL, S.C. – For her efforts in the circle over the weekend, Carson-Newman freshman pitcher Lacie Rinus (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) was named the South Atlantic Conference Tournament MVP for guiding C-N to its 10th SAC tournament title.
VIDEO: Lacie Rinus Interview
Catcher KaraLynne Levi (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), shortstop Kristen Toppel (Roanoke, Va.) and leftfielder/pitcher Alli Webster (Charlestown, Ind.) joined Rinus on the all-tournament team.
Rinus also earned TSWA State Pitcher of the Week honors for a third time this season for her efforts.
Rinus pitched the Eagles to the South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship over the weekend, striking out 28 in 27.0 innings while allowing just 15 hits and six runs, picking up all four wins in the process. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native struck out seven and gave up three runs on five hits in a 4-3 win over Queens to open the tournament.
The freshman lefthander allowed three runs on six hits with six strikeouts in an 11-3 victory over Coker College before reeling off 14 consecutive scoreless innings to end the tourney. She struck out nine and gave up two hits in a 1-0 win against Lenoir-Rhyne, with the Eagles scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
Rinus then shut out Coker on two hits as well, striking out six, in a 2-0 victory in the championship game.
Levi hit .714 for the tournament and made it on base 82 percent of the time that she came to the plate in the four games.
Webster went .545 at the plate with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Toppel hit .357 and played error free at short. She proved to be the hero of the Eagles' Saturday win over No. 13 Lenoir-Rhyne, producing a walk-off single up the middle against the Bears to win it in the seventh.
