STARKVILLE, Miss. - Shippensburg University softball sophomore utility player Dana Ward was honored on Thursday with a selection to the 2009 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II All-Atlantic Region Second Team for her outstanding play this season from the pitcher and right field positions.

Ward was the lone Lady Raider chosen to the 26-member squad that was selected through voting conducted by the region's coaches. Lock Haven led all Atlantic Region schools with six selections (including five first-team honorees) while WVIAC champion West Virginia Wesleyan was the only other school to have multiple first-team honorees.

In her second season with Shippensburg, Ward led the Lady Raiders at the plate with a .391 batting average while scoring 21 runs and totaling 49 bases. She also tied for the team lead with 11 stolen bases.

From the circle, Ward made 14 starts and compiled a 2.99 earned-run average, limiting opponents to 17 extra-base hits in 89 innings of work. She averaged a strikeout per inning with 89 punchouts on the season and held opponents to a .261 batting average while throwing seven complete games.

In her final game of the season, a contest in the NCAA regional tournament against California (PA.), Ward threw a nine-inning complete game with nine strikeouts while going 4-for-4 at the plate and reaching base in each plate appearance.
 
The 2009 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II All-Region Teams consist of eight NFCA Division II Regions that present a 13-member first-team and 13-member second-team comprised of one player per team at the positions of catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, designated player, utility/pitcher and utility/non-pitcher, plus two pitchers and three outfielders per teams.