Courtesy of the Summit League
FARGO, N.D. – The Summit League announced its individual softball award winners and all-league teams Tuesday evening, as voted on by the league’s head coaches. Cheyenne Garcia of North Dakota State was selected as Player of the Year while teammate Krista Menke earned her second career Pitcher of the Year award. Omaha’s Megan May was named the league’s Freshman of the Year and NDSU head coach Darren Mueller was voted Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Garcia finished the season in the league’s top five in batting average (.416), slugging percentage (.753), home runs (13), RBI (51), runs (60), hits (69), doubles (15), stolen bases (19) and total bases (125). The junior second baseman also finished the regular season ranked tenth in the NCAA with 1.22 runs per game.
Menke was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week a record nine times this season. She tossed four no-hitters, including one perfect game, on her way to winning 29 games and moving one win shy of tying the league’s career win record of 93. Her 339 strikeouts are best in the league and second in the NCAA. The senior reached double-figure strikeouts in 21 games this season and moved into third place on the league’s all-time strikeout list.
In her freshman season, May put up a league batting average of .342 to go along with five home runs and 24 RBI. The Lincoln, Neb., native posted five 3-RBI games for the Mavericks and had a .979 fielding percentage at first base.
In his 14th season at the helm, Mueller guided his team to its fourth straight regular-season title and fifth in school history. His squad posted a 16-2 league record and an overall mark of 40-9, the program’s highest number of wins since transitioning to Division I.
North Dakota State and South Dakota each placed eight on the all-league teams, most in the league, with NDSU having a league-high five first-team selections.
Joining Garcia and Menke on the first team are third baseman Amanda Grable, outfielder Alex Sobrero and outfielder Maritza Lopez-Portillo. Grable collected her second first-team honor and hit .404 this season with 44 RBI and 12 doubles. The senior Sobrero was named Player of the Week twice this season and was named to the first team for the second year in a row.
The Coyotes placed Summit League RBI-leading catcher Allie Daly on the first team along with first baseman Yvon Minogue and senior outfielder Katie Dinning. Minogue broke The Summit League’s single-season hit record with 87 and also set the season doubles mark with 26, most in the NCAA this season. Dinning led USD with 54 runs to go along with a .352 average and 10 home runs.
IUPUI had six honorees, including two first team selections in starting pitcher Emili Escamalia and shortstop Roni Patterson. Escamalia finished second in the league in strikeouts (115) and third in ERA (2.84). Patterson led the Jaguars in batting average (.370), on-base percentage (.467) and hits (51).
Both Western Illinois selections were placed on the first team. Joining junior outfielder Tierney Bottino is two-time Summit League Player of the Year Sammy Marshall. Marshall has been named to the first team four times and owns the league’s career batting average record. The senior also added a league-leading 25 swiped bags to her career stolen bases record.
Omaha rounded out the first team with two student-athletes honored in outfielder Allie Mathewson and designated player Lizzie Noble. It is Mathewson’s third consecutive first team selection. The senior led the Mavericks with a .308 average, 13 home runs and 52 base hits.
The 2015 Summit League Softball Championship begins on Wednesday as No. 4 Western Illinois faces No. 5 South Dakota State at 3 p.m and No. 3 IUPUI meets No. 6 Fort Wayne at 5:30 p.m. CT. After earning first round byes, No. 1 seed and host North Dakota State takes on the winner of Western Illinois/South Dakota State on Thursday, at noon CT and No. 2 South Dakota awaits the winner of IUPUI/Fort Wayne at 2:30 p.m. CT. Double elimination play continues through Saturday’s championship game at the Ellig Sports Complex in Fargo, N.D.
2015 All-Summit League Awards
FIRST TEAM
C: Allie Daly, South Dakota
1B: Yvon Minogue, South Dakota
2B: Cheyenne Garcia, North Dakota State
SS: Sammy Marshall, Western Illinois
SS: Roni Patterson, IUPUI
3B: Amanda Grable, North Dakota State
OF: Tierney Bottino, Western Illinois
OF: Katie Dinning, South Dakota
OF: Maritza Lopez-Portillo, North Dakota State
OF: Allie Mathewson, Omaha
OF: Alex Sobrero, North Dakota State
DP: Lizzie Noble, Omaha
P: Emili Escamilla, IUPUI
P: Krista Menke, North Dakota State
SECOND TEAM
C: Alyssa Reina, North Dakota State
1B: Jackie Stifter, North Dakota State
2B: Alyssa D’Agostino, South Dakota State
2B: Ali Mosier, IUPUI
SS: Matley Jones, South Dakota
SS: Logan Moreland, North Dakota State
3B: Elyse Eitel, South Dakota State
OF: Katie Cochran, South Dakota
OF: Megan Cory, IUPUI
OF: Morgan Hancock, South Dakota
DP: Maggie Good, IUPUI
P: Brooke Boetjer, IUPUI
P: Rachel Cue, South Dakota
P: Madison Frain, South Dakota
Player of the Year: Cheyenne Garcia, North Dakota State
Pitcher of the Year: Krista Menke, North Dakota State
Freshman of the Year: Megan May, Omaha
Coach of the Year: Darren Mueller, North Dakota State
