BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  – Outgoing senior softball player Lindsey Randall has received a 2009 GSC "Top 10" award, an honor given to the top student-athletes in the league.
 
The award is based on athletic, academic and extracurricular achievement during the 2008-09 academic year. It is given to the top five male and top five female student-athletes of the league, signifying them as the cream of the GSC crop.
 
Randall (Keithville, La.) is one of three seniors on the female side to be selected this year. She joins Amanda Grappe (Basketball, Arkansas Tech) and Alicia Williams (Tennis, Harding). A pair of juniors round out the field in Courtney Jones (Soccer, West Florida) and Bethany Wright (Volleyball, Henderson State).
 
Along with her Player of the Year accolades on the field, Randall has been an outstanding student and asset in her community.  The senior shortstop made her two years at UAM memorable, culminating in one of the best careers in school history and a GSC “Top Ten” honor.

Randall’s accomplishments on the diamond were exceptional, including several honors during her tenure for the Cotton Blossoms. A two-time All-GSC selection, Randall amassed 140 hits and a career .372 average, while topping her squad in hitting in both seasons.

During her final year at UAM, she led the Cotton Blossoms in hits, runs, doubles, slugging percentage and home runs.  Randall had 19 multiple hit games and put together a 15-game hitting streak during the season.  A three-time GSC West Division Player of the Week, she also assumed team leadership duties and was named captain for the 2009 squad.

On the field accomplishments only cover half of her attributes, as Randall’s success in the classroom and the community elevated her to her high level.  Randall posted a 3.69 overall GPA., including a 4.00 in her major of Health and Exercise Science. She is a National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar Athlete, and was named ESPN the Magazine Academic All-Region. The two-time UAM Chancellor’s List member also made the 2009 GSC All-Academic Team.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the middle infielder is what she is doing to help people halfway across the world.  Randall is the Chairman of the fundraising committee for Baptist Campus Ministries for a mission trip to Krakow, Poland. She is one of six UAM softball players who will participate, traveling to Poland to promote goodwill and sport to youth in Krakow.  They have used Internet mediums such as Facebook to help raise money for the trip and appear within reach of bringing this fantastic journey to fruition.

The UAM softball program has now produced four players that have been deemed the league’s best. UAM’s first ever selection came in 2004 with Lindsey Kight’s selection to what was then called the “Top Eight”. The other three have come over the last three seasons with Sarah Reed in 2007, Meredith Heckel in 2008 and now Lindsey Randall in 2009.
 
The award presentations will be made at the GSC’s Annual Awards Banquet this Thursday, June 25 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front in Pensacola, Fla. at 6:30 p.m. At that time, the GSC will reveal the winners of the Commissioner’s Trophies (top male, top female), recognize its All-Sports Trophy Champions and recognize UAM Athletic Director Alvy Early, who is stepping down as AD at the end of June after more than a decade at the helm of the UAM Athletics department.

* Portions of this release were contributed by Gulf South Conference Media Relations staff members.