May 10, 2007

Columbia, Mo. -Missouri seniors Kathy Masterson (St. Louis, Mo.) and Leanne Bowers (Arnold, Mo.) were named to the ESPN The Magazine First Team All-District VII Softball team as announced today by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The first all-district honor for both Tigers, this marks the Missouri softball program's first All-District VII honor since 2002 and first time since 1991 that more than one Tiger softball player received the honor in the same season.

Masterson, a civil engineering major, recorded a 4.0 grade-point average for the seventh time of her college career and is one of nine first-team university division honorees with a perfect mark. Missouri's starting catcher all four years of her career, Masterson stands fifth in the Tiger career putouts record book with 993 to her name. This season alone, Masterson has made 51 starts for the Tigers and owns a .284 average with three home runs, four triples and six doubles.

Missouri's second honoree, Bowers, received recognition for her 3.86 GPA in psychology. With a .292 average and 58 starts on the campaign, Bowers has etched her name into several categories of the Missouri softball record book, including a first place standing with 84 career walks.

Both Masterson and Bowers will automatically be nominated for Academic All-America honors.

A total of seven Big 12 softball players received First Team All-District honors, including two women from Baylor, two from the University of Oklahoma and a single honoree from Texas A&M.

The Tigers will begin their run at a Big 12 Championship title Friday, May 11, at 11:30 a.m. (CT) against 18th-ranked Texas on the alternate field of ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. Missouri enters the 12th annual tournament seeded third in the league, while the Longhorns earned the sixth seed with an 8-10 record in conference games.