Ball State University Athletics
Softball Places 10 On Academic All-MAC Squad
June 02, 2015 | Softball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Ten members of the Ball State softball team have been named to the 2015 Softball Academic All-Mid-American Conference team as announced by the league office Tuesday (June 2).
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for their particular sport, with an exception to the 50 percent rule being made for pitchers.
Two of the Cardinals' 10 honorees pick up the award for the second-straight season, with both junior pitcher Kelsey Schifferdecker (Belton, Mo./Belton) and junior first baseman Sammi Cowger (Fenton, Mich./Fenton) earning the award in 2014.
First-time honorees for Ball State include sophomore utility player Amanda Arnett (Monroe, Mich./Monroe), sophomore outfielder Taylor Cooley (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea), senior outfielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North), senior catcher Jessica Craft (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte), junior second baseman Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam), sophomore infielder Rachel Houck (Greenfield, Ind./Mt. Vernon), sophomore outfielder India Steward (Matteson, Ill./Rich South) and senior outfielder Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan).
Ball State finished the 2015 season with a 34-25 overall record, including a 14-5 mark in league play to capture the MAC West Division title. The Cardinals won the MAC Softball Championship for just the third time in program history to advance to the NCAA South Bend Regional. In regional play, the Cardinals defeated No. 16 national seed and host Notre Dame by a score of 6-3 on the opening day of competition for the program's first-ever regional win.
Overall, a total of 79 student-athletes from the league's 12 softball programs were honored as Academic All-MAC selections in 2015. The 2015 MAC regular season champion Kent State led the league with 14 total honorees, while MAC West Division and MAC Softball Championship winner Ball State was second with 10.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB and @TyraPerry13 / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSoftball.
2015 Ball State Academic All-MAC Selections
Amanda Arnett, Sophomore, 3.452, Speech Language Pathology
Loren Cihlar, Senior, 3.907, Health Science
Taylor Cooley, Sophomore, 3.704, Nursing
Sammi Cowger, 3.782, Sport Administration
Jessica Craft, Senior, 3.325, Accounting
Emily Dabkowski, Junior, 3.434, Nursing
Rachel Houck, Sophomore, 3.333, Business
Kelsey Schifferdecker, Junior, 3.963, Accounting
India Steward, Sophomore, 3.750, Sport Administration
Hanne Stuedemann, Senior, 3.786, Medical Preparation
- BallStateSports.com –
