Burnham, Kiefer Claim Major Awards at CAA Softball Banquet

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., May 8, 2012 – James Madison softball senior shortstop Ashley Burnham (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) became the first player in Colonial Athletic Association softball history to be named the CAA Player of the Year twice and freshman pitcher Heather Kiefer (Potomac Falls, Va./Potomac Falls) was named the CAA Rookie of the Year to highlight the awards for JMU at the pre-championship banquet in Hempstead, N.Y., on Tuesday evening.

Burnham and Kiefer were two of five players to collect 10 honors for JMU at the annual CAA Softball banquet held on the eve of the 2012 CAA Championship on the campus of Hofstra University.

In addition to being named the conference Player of the Year, Burnham earned First Team All-CAA recognitions for the third time. She was joined on the First Team by Kiefer and freshman outfielder Morgan Heath (Yorktown, Va./Grafton). Sophomore third baseman Caitlin Sandy (Fayetteville, N.C./Jack Britt) and freshman pitcher/designated player Sarah Mooney (Huntersville, N.C./North Mecklenburg) were each All-CAA Second Team honorees while Kiefer, Heath and Mooney were all garnered All-Rookie recognitions.

Burnham won the third CAA Player of the Year award in school history and became the first player to be named All-CAA First Team three times. She finished the regular season hitting .342 with a .401 on-base percentage and a .671 slugging percentage. The senior from Danvers, Mass., led the team in doubles (14), home runs (11), runs (37) and RBIs (40). She added 13 walks, nine steals and committed just nine errors for a .953 fielding percentage. This season she broke the school record for career home runs, RBIs, total bases and doubles and became just the second player in school history to surpass 200 hits. In CAA play, Burnham hit .362 with three doubles, two home runs, 12 runs and 10 RBIs and fielded her position at a .969 clip.

Kiefer joins former Madison outfielder Lauren Curtis (2003) as the only players for JMU to be named the league's Rookie of the Year. She also joins former pitchers Jenny Clohan (2007) and Meredith Felts (2008 & 2009) as the only players to be named First Team All-CAA as pitchers for the Dukes. Kiefer anchored a young pitching staff, going 13-5 with a 1.71 ERA with 14 complete games and five shutouts in 19 games started. She limited her opponents to a .232 batting average against and struck out 90 in 131 1/3 innings pitched. In conference play, Kiefer raised her game to a higher level, going 9-2 with a 1.25 ERA. She had 10 complete games and four shutouts in 11 CAA games started.