May 31, 2006

STARKVILLE, Miss. - After an impressive sophomore campaign that earned her Conference USA Player of the Year honors, Marshall Thundering Herd catcher Rachel Folden (Baldwin Park, Calif./Diamond Bar) claimed Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America second team accolades Wednesday.

As a freshman last season, Folden became the first All-American in school history, earning Louisville Slugger/NFCA third team honors. She finished her rookie season batting at a .406 clip with nine home runs and 60 RBI.

Folden, the only C-USA player to earn All-America honors, enjoyed a record-setting season that saw her bat .386 with a school- and conference-record 18 home runs and 54 RBI. She fell four RBI shy of tying the single-season school record she set a year ago.

Folden finished the season tied for 12th nationally in home runs. She also finished as the C-USA leader in conference-only home runs (seven) and RBI (23).

"This is a great accomplishment for Rachel and she is well deserving of this honor," Marshall head coach Shonda Stanton said. "She ranks among the best power hitters in the country and she is a very solid catcher defensively.

"We are very excited to have her here for two more years and to help guide our program to national prominence."

She became the first player in school history to amass 50-plus RBI in consecutive seasons, while earning the elusive C-USA "Triple Crown." Defensively, Folden picked off a conference-best seven runners, while throwing out 13 more along the base paths.

The Baldwin Park, Calif., native also garnered first team All-Conference USA and NFCA All-Mideast Region honors.

"I am so excited right now," Folden said. "This is amazing. To become an All-American playing in Conference USA is awesome because I respect those teams so much.

"This speaks volumes about our program. We are going places and people around the country are beginning to realize it."

Earlier this season, Folden became the first player in school history to hit three home runs in a game, accomplishing the feat against Austin Peay March 4. With the three-homer performance, she tied the Conference USA single-game record held by Houston's Kristen Glowacz.

The Thundering Herd (33-23), which finished its first season in Conference USA with a 15-9 record, earned its second consecutive trip to a conference tournament championship game. Under Stanton, the Herd has enjoyed four consecutive 30-win seasons and two conference regular season championships en route to the most successful era in program history.

2006 Louisville Slugger/NFCA NCAA Division I All-Americans

First Team
P	Monica Abbott, Tennessee
P	Cat Osterman, Texas
P	Jennie Ritter, Michigan
C	Haley Woods, California
1B	Jenna Hall, Illinois
2B	Veronica Wootson, Florida State
3B	Andrea Duran, UCLA
SS	Lindsay Schutzler, Tennessee
OF	Sarah Fekete, Tennessee
OF	Danyele Gomez, Louisiana-Lafayette
OF	Katie Cochran, Arizona State
UT	Cambria Miranda, Oregon State
DP	Kristi Durant, Tennessee
AL	Tonya Callahan, Tennessee
AL	Kristie Fox, Arizona
AL	Caitlin Lowe, Arizona
AL	Anjelica Seldon, UCLA
AL	Kristin Vesely, Oklahoma

Second Team
P	Alicia Hollowell, Arizona
P	Angela Tincher, Virginia Tech
P	Kristina Thorson, California
C	Rachel Folden, Marshall
1B	Ianeta Le'I, BYU
2B	Caitlin Benyi, UCLA
3B	Brette Reagan, Baylor
SS	Christina Clark, Fresno State
OF	Norrelle Dickson, Oklahoma
OF	Kellie Middleton, Georgia
OF	Lindy Winkler, Cal State Sacramento
UT	Serena Settlemier, Kansas
DP	Jessica Strickland, Colorado State
AL	Eileen Canney, Northwestern
AL	Gina Carbonatto, University of the Pacific
AL	Alexis Switenko, Syracuse
AL	Stephanie VanBrakle, Alabama
AL	Jackie Wong, Utah

Third Team
P	Brianne McGowan, Oregon State
P	Emily Turner, LSU
P	Crystal Cox, North Carolina
1B	Garland Cooper, Northwestern
2B	Dominique Lastrapes, Washington
3B	Megan McAllister, Georgia
SS	Tammy Williams, Northwestern
OF	Catalina Morris, Stanford
OF	Stephanie Brown, Notre Dame
OF	Brittany Rogers, Alabama
UT	Jessica Doucette, Georgia
DP	Amber Smith, Illinois State
AL	Leslie Klein, LSU
AL	Lacy Wood, Louisville
AL	Ashley Charters, Washington
AL	Erin Floros, San Diego State
AL	Chelsi Lake, Baylor