University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Softball's Kelly Ramsey Earns All-America Honors
May 25, 2000 | Softball
May 25, 2000
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - University of North Carolina sophomore Kelly Ramsey has been named a third-team Louisville Slugger All-America, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced on Thursday. Ramsey becomes the fourth All-America in Carolina history, joining Theresa Buscemi (1992), Christine Kubin (1996) and Brandy Arthur (1998).
Ramsey led Carolina and ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 48 RBI this season. She set a school record for single-season RBI, surpassing the old record of 45 by Beverly Smith in 1992. Ramsey's batting average of .361 ranked second on the Tar Heel team and fifth in the ACC. She also led UNC with four triples and was second with six home runs in 2000.
"Kelly is very deserving of this award," UNC head coach Donna Papa said on Thursday. "She was one of our catalysts this year and came up with a lot of clutch hits and a lot of great plays at third base for us. She was one of our captains and is a wonderful leader as a sophomore. I'm thrilled for her and for our program to receive this honor."
Ramsey started all 64 Carolina games during the 2000 season, including 46 at third base, 15 at catcher and three at designated hitter. Twice this season, she drove in four runs in a single game. She hit two triples in the second game of the season, against Elon. Her slugging percentage of .541 ranked third on the team. She was named the ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 14 after batting .700 with nine RBI over the first four games of the season. An outstanding leader, Ramsey was the only underclassman among a trio of Tar Heel team captains in 2000.
Carolina finished its 2000 campaign with a record of 47-17, 6-2 in the ACC. The 2000 Tar Heels won a program-record 47 games and set team single-season records for hits, runs, doubles, RBI, home runs and total bases. UNC was among the top hitting teams in the country all season long, leading the ACC and ranking seventh nationally in the latest NCAA statistics. The Tar Heels did not receive an NCAA Tournament bid despite winning 31 of their last 39 games.
