PINEVILLE – The list of awards and honors that Louisiana College senior centerfielder Jodi Montagnino (Baton Rouge, La./Christian Life) is growing as fast as her totals for hits, RBI, runs scored and homeruns.

Two days after winning her second straight American Southwest Conference East Division Hitter of the Week award, it was announced Thursday that Montagnino was the Louisiana Sports Writers Association's Hitter of the Week, an award open to players from any of the state's colleges and universities.

The award came after Montagnino paced top-ranked Louisiana College to a 6-0 week with an amazing 10-for-18 performance at the plate.

She notched two home runs to go along with 13 RBIs and scored eight runs.

Counting her homers last week, Montagnino now has nine dingers on the year, enough to tie the school's single season record.

Not a bad mark for a player who hit only three long balls during her first three seasons combined and, at 5-foot-5 and rail thin is one of the smaller players on the LC roster.

“People keep asking me where my power comes from,” Montagnino said. “I don't know what to tell them. I know I don't look like a power hitter. I guess I just improved my swing and found ways to start getting the ball over the fence.”

Even when Montagnino has stayed in the park, she's been a nightmare for opposing pitching staffs.
On the season, she's batting an amazing .420 with 34 hits, 33 runs scored, 36 RBI, four doubles, nine home runs, a .802 slugging percentage, a .545 on-base percentage and is 20-for-22 on steals.

She's not bad on defense, either, having come up with 35 putouts and two assists for a .974 fielding percentage.

“I think the thing people overlook with Jodi is that she is probably as good an athlete as we have on this team,” LC softball coach Tim Whitman said. “And she's always had power in her hands. I think the difference this year was the work she put in this offseason. She's always been a solid hitter. Now she's taken that next step because of her hard work.”

A credit, Montagnino said, to new LC assistants Daniel Price and Andrea Waguespack.

“When Coach Wags and Coach Price came in they really pushed us in our fall workouts,” Montagnino said. “The conditioning under them was intense.”

Perhaps that intense conditioning has paid off … and not just at the plate.

Montagnino has not missed a start through 30 games this year despite battling all manner of bump, bruise and injury.

“I'm telling you, you don't think 22 is old, but I feel ancient,” Montagnino jokes. “I guess I've just played so long that it's starting to catch up with me. I can definitely feel it when I am out there, especially if I'm trying to do something new.”

“She's been nicked up but it would be impossible for me to get her out of the game without handcuffs,” Whitman said. “She's as hard-nosed a player as I have had. She goes all out, whether it takes sliding or diving or crashing, she finds a way to get the job done.”

Perhaps the most amazing factor in Montagnino's story is that she did not plan to play college ball and that, save a chance meeting with Whitman in Texas after her last travel-ball game during the summer after her high school graduation, she might have never become one of the top hitters in Lady Wildcat history.

“I was actually registered as a student at LSU,” Montagnino recalled. “I was going to go there with my buddies from high school and we were all just going to be students. But, after I played my last game, I was heading to my car to leave Texas and never play again. Then, someone told me that there was some coach who wanted to talk to me.

“I found it was Coach Whitman and that he thought I could help LC out. So I transferred here in 2006 and have been happy ever since.”

Her journey has not been without hurdles or adjustments.

A pitcher at Christian Life, Montagnino originally worked the circle for the Lady Wildcats but was moved to the outfield as a sophomore.

“She's been all over the lineup for us ever since,” Whitman said. “She's batted basically everywhere you can bat and has played pitcher, right field and center field. I think her move to center field is what has helped her the most as far as being recognized for the talent she has. In right field, you could see a little bit of her athleticism, but in center she's all over the place.”

Perhaps Montagnino's best quality, Whitman said, is the fact that at no time has she ever complained about her movement through the LC lineup.

“One thing that I am very fortunate to have is a team full of unselfish players,” Whitman said. “All of these kids will do what's best for the team and Jodi is no different. When I asked her to move from pitcher to the outfield, even this year when I asked her to pitch for a few games early on when we were dealing with injuries, it's always been, 'Yes sir, coach, whatever you need.”

Joining Montagnino on the LSWA honors list this week was Louisiana Tech's Meghan Krieg, who was named LSWA Pitcher of the Week.

A junior pitcher for the Lady Techsters, Krieg was perfect 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA and held her opponents to a .172 hitting clip. She recorded road wins over Centenary College and San Jose State. During her 20.0 innings of work, Krieg surrendered only two extra base hits and tallied 22 strikeouts. She opened the weekend with a one-hit shutout over the Spartans and also earned WAC Pitcher of the Week for her efforts.

It's the first weekly award for Montagnino and Krieg from the LSWA.