The Best of Braves
Berrier and Morales named The Pine Needle’s Players of the Year

Brittany Barrier

By Brad Crawford
Assistant Sports Editor

For her work on the softball diamond in helping her team to a 43-10 regular season record and a Peach Belt Conference title, outfielder Brittany Berrier has been named  The Pine Needle’s women’s spring sports player of the year.

On April 14, Berrier became the single-season record holder for most doubles in school history with her 45th two bagger against St. Andrews.

For her season merits, Berrier was named to the Peach Belt’s All-Conference softball team on April 18, along with teammate Martika Elmore.

Berrier was the PBC leader this season in hits, RBIs and doubles, a first in UNCP softball history.

Over her four years at UNCP, Berrier has started 200 games for the Braves, including a career-high 56 games this season.

Berrier led her Braves team this season with 44 RBIs and 109 total bases with an incredible .412 batting average in 56 games.

The 5-foot-6 inch senior from Lexington, N.C., has delivered in the clutch in this year’s record-setting season for the UNCP softball squad.

On April 8, Berrier shared Peach Belt Conference player of the week honors with Elmore, batting .737 at the plate with five doubles and four RBIs in six games and 20 plate appearances.

UNCP will need Berrier’s offensive firepower if they intend to advance deep in the NCAA tournament.


Jason Morales

By Brad Crawford
Assistant Sports Editor

UNCP shortstop Jason Morales has become an RBI machine while donning the Black and Gold during his tenure as a NCAA collegiate athlete.

For his monstrous offensive efforts this season while driving in a career-high 74 runs, Morales has been named The Pine Needle’s men’s spring sports player of the year.

Morales has 27 multi-hit games this season for the Braves and collected career-high 9 runs against St. Andrews on Feb. 6.
Morales ranks among the PBC leaders this season in RBIs, batting average and slugging percentage. He is also tied for the team lead with 14 homers.

This season, Morales has helped UNCP register a 31-21 overall record, including a 12-12 clip in conference play. He helped the Black and Gold off to a torrid 11-3 start in 2008 that included sweeps of Anderson, St. Augustine’s and East Stroudsburg.

The Black and Gold scored more than 10 runs six times during the 14-game stretch in early February.

During a weekend series with Georgia College April 19-20, Morales picked up the offensive slack for his team with four homers and 14 RBIs in three games.

From Fayetteville, N.C., Morales has played shortstop for the Coastal Plain League Fayetteville Swampdogs over the last two summers, collecting 35 RBIs and a home run derby champion award.

Morales was named UNCP student-athlete of the week twice this season and leaves UNCP with a career batting average of .354 and 210 career RBIs. The Black and Gold senior will now prepare himself for the next level and Major League Baseball’s 2008 amateurdraft in June.