Ball State University Athletics
Softball Earns Postseason All-Conference Awards
May 11, 2011 | Softball
AKRON, Ohio - For the sixth-consecutive season, the Ball State softball team has multiple players honored by the Mid-American Conference with postseason accolades including three First-Team All-MAC, one Second-Team All-MAC and two All-Freshman Team selections.
First-team selections Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern), Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) and Alyssa Collins (Fortville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) headline the Ball State Softball team's six all-conference selections Wednesday afternoon, while Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) picked up second-team accolades, in addition to earning all-freshman honors with Rager.
Capping a spectacular career at Ball State, Collins received First-Team All-MAC honors alongside 2009 Second-Team All-MAC and all-tournament team honors. This season, the Fortville, Ind. native is leading the squad with a .403 batting average, including 11 doubles, one triple, one home run, 25 RBI and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. As of Tuesday, Collins ranks first in the league in hits (79), fifth in total bases (95) and is tied for fifth in runs scored (39).
The four-year letterwinner earned 2010-11 Capital One Academic Second-Team All-District honors Friday afternoon, awarded to student-athletes who demonstrate excellence on and off the field. Collins has also started all 236 games in her career at Ball State as either an outfielder or at DP.
Rager, a First-Team All-MAC and All-Freshman Team selection, ranks third on the squad with a .355 batting average, including 10 doubles, seven home runs, 43 RBI and a .555 slugging percentage overall. She also ranks second in the MAC in RBI with 43 as of Tuesday. Starting 53 games for the Cardinals at first base so far this season, Rager has totaled 272 putouts with just five errors.
The 2011 season stands as the third in which Montalto has earned postseason honors, as the catcher collected second-team honors last season and 2009 First-Team All-MAC and All-Freshman Team accolades.
On the season, Montalto is batting at a .331 clip and has recorded a .713 slugging percentage, including 14 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 39 RBI. As of Tuesday, she also ranks fourth in the league in homeruns (12), third in slugging percentage (.697) and is tied for fifth in doubles (13) and in RBI (39).
The junior catcher earned MAC West Division Player of the Week accolades on several occasions this season. Montalto took home weekly honors April 19 for the third time in her career after she hit 6-for-12 and recorded an amazing 1.250 on base percentage, including three home runs and eight RBI against Wright State and Central Michigan.
She previously collected the accolade March 22 after earning MVP honors during the Radford Invitational in Botetourt, Va. On the weekend, Montalto batted .500 and recorded an astonishing 1.250 slugging percentage after scoring four runs and tallying seven RBI, one double, one triple and two home runs.
With 23 bombs in her career and 12 on the season, Montalto sits at first place in the Ball State record book, breaking Abby Gross' (2005-08) career record of 19 home runs and her own 2010 single season total of eight. In the second game of a twin bill with the Chippewas on April 17, Montalto hit a two-run homer into right field to clinch the program career home run.
Gilbert received Second-Team All-MAC and All-Freshman Team accolades as she continues her outstanding freshman campaign with the Cardinals. Starting in all 56 of Ball State's contests this season, she had a phenomenal start to her collegiate career with a .365 batting average, including 15 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs, including a grand slam, and 63 RBI.
As of Tuesday in the MAC, Gilbert ranks first in RBI (61), first in total bases (127), fourth in hits (66), is tied for second home runs (14), tied for second in doubles (15) and tied for third in runs scored (40).
The designated hitter earned MAC West Division Player of the Week accolades on two occasions. On March 1, she earned a spot on the Phyllis Rafter Memorial All-Tournament Team in Woodstock, Ga. after she batted .526, with five runs scored, 10 RBI and tallied two doubles and home runs against Tennessee State and Georgia State.
Gilbert also earned league honors Tuesday after an outstanding weekend performance against Western Michigan and Northern Illinois in which she went 7-for-15 with four home runs, 12 RBI and five runs scored for a 1.267 slugging percentage. She hit a two-run blast versus the Broncos Friday to drive in Rager, her second on the day and 13th on the season to break Ball State's single-season home run record, previously held by Jen Reifschneider in 2009 (11).
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First Team 1B - Taylor Rager, Ball State 2B - Brittini Merchant, Central Mich. SS - Molly Coldren, Central Michigan 3B - Gracie Barstad, Western Mich. 3B - Jessica Richards, Eastern Mich. C - Sarah Gerber, Eastern Mich. C - Amanda Montalto, Ball State OF - Alyssa Collins, Ball State OF - Danielle Parrish, Northern Illinois OF - McKenna Russ, Eastern Mich. OF - Lexie Jager, Western Michigan Pitcher - Jessica Simpson, Miami Pitcher - Meredith Whitney, Western Mich. Utility Non - Pitcher - Stephanie Tofft, Northern Illinois Utility Pitcher - Emily Wethington, Ohio Second Team 1B - Paige Berger, Bowling Green 2B - Andrea Colosimo, Northern Illinois SS - Alexis Joseph, Ohio SS - Stacie Skodinski, Eastern Mich. 3B - Daniela Torres, Miami OF - Mel Bonner, Ohio OF - Kathryn Russette, Miami OF - Macy Merchant, Central Mich. OF - Lindsey Tobias, Toledo C - Adriana Sanchez, Northern Illinois Pitcher - Kara Dornbos, Central Mich. Pitcher - Lauren Wells, Eastern Mich. Utility Pitcher - Kari Seddon, Central Mich. Utility Non - Pitcher - Kristin Waldron, Buffalo Utility Non - Pitcher - Jennifer Gilbert, Ball State All-Freshman Team Katie Gross, Akron Jennifer Gilbert, Ball State Taylor Rager, Ball State Holly Luciano, Buffalo Brittney Horan, Central Michigan Lauren Wells, Eastern Michigan Alex Marcantonio, Kent State Kirstie Fehrenbach, Miami Shelby Miller, Northern Illinois Stephanie Tofft, Northern Illinois
Coach of the Year - Kathy Leitke, Western Michigan Freshman of the Year - Stephanie Tofft, Northern Illinois Pitcher of the Year - Jessica Simpson, Miami Player of the Year - Gracie Barstad, Western Michigan Nan Harvey Award - Holly Finchum, Kent State |
