The individual goal of any athlete is to achieve perfection. The team goal of any athlete is to win a championship. John Curtis Christian softball pitcher Ashley Brignac came about as close to perfection as one can come while leading the Lady Patriots to a state championship in softball in 2006. For her accomplishments, Brignac was selected as New Orleans' Female Athlete of the Year by the Allstate Sugar Bowl Sports Awards Committee. As a junior, Brignac’s eye-popping numbers were simply undeniable. She won 30 games while losing just one. She faced a total of 639 hitters, striking out 491 (77%). She posted 28 shutouts, including eight perfect games and 11 no-hitters. In 196 innings pitched, she allowed a paltry total of 26 hits and had a perfect 0.00 earned run average. At the plate, Ashley hit .405 for the season with 12 home runs and 33 RBI. In the state championship game, Brignac hurled a no-hitter as John Curtis downed district rival St. Charles Catholic 6-0. Against the Comets, Ashley faced 22 batters, walked one, allowed no hits, and fanned 19.
Brignac was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Louisiana, was named 2006 Farm Bureau Miss Louisiana for softball, was named to the All-State 2-A team, and was chosen 2-A most valuable player in the state of Louisiana. Brignac was then chosen to compete for the Team USA Softball squad. In the women’s Pan Am qualifier at Maunabo, Puerto Rico, Ashley went 4-0 on the mound, including a one-hitter in a 7-0 victory over Puerto Rico to win the Gold Medal. Coach Kristy Hebert of John Curtis says Ashley is easily the best player she has coached in her eight seasons with the Patriots. Brignac has signed to play college softball with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
The New Orleans Sports Awards Committee began in 1957 when James Collins spearheaded a group of sports journalists to form a sports awards committee to immortalize local sports history. For 13 years, the committee honored local athletes each month. In 1970, the Sugar Bowl stepped in to sponsor and revitalize the committee, leading to the creation of the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, honoring 10 legends from the Crescent City in its first induction class. While adding the responsibility of selecting Hall of Famers, the committee has continued to recognize Sugar Bowl Athletes of the Month.
-www.AllstateSugarBowl.org-
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