EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Northern Kentucky University's
April Ehlers was honored as a member of the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference softball first team, the conference announced on Thursday night at its annual awards banquet. Ehlers' selection headlined an All-GLVC team which included five NKU players.
Rose Broderick,
Jessica Farris and
Stephanie West were named to the All-GLVC second team, while
Emily Schwaeble took third-team honors.
Ehlers, a junior from Greenville, Ind., has been one of the GLVC's most dominant pitchers over the last three seasons, including an All-GLVC honor in 2008. This year, she has amassed a 14-11 record with a 1.66 earned run average and 241 strikeouts. On March 13 at Drury, Ehlers set an NKU single-game strikeout record by fanning 20 Lady Panther batters in 11 1/3 innings of work, besting her own mark of 18 strikeouts, set in 2009 against Dowling.
Broderick, a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of NKU's most consistent power hitters, leading the team in doubles (12), runs batted in (38) and slugging percentage (.560). Her 21 career home runs stand as an all-time record at NKU, and with 197 starts under her belt entering the GLVC Tournament, Broderick has only missed one game in her four seasons at NKU. The award marked Broderick's first All-GLVC award.
Farris, a sophomore from Independence, Ky., earned her second consecutive second-team award after also earning the GLVC Freshman of the Year award last season. Farris is a consummate lead-off hitter, leading the team in batting average (.379), runs scored (40) and triples (4). Farris has grown into an extremely disciplined hitter, drawing 14 walks this year as her strikeouts at the plate have dropped by more than half from her 2009 total.
West, a senior from Crestwood, Ky., garnered her first All-GLVC nod after posting a solid .308 batting average with 27 runs scored and leading the GLVC with 18 sacrifices. West's ability to move runners into scoring position, or move herself into scoring position with her speed on the base paths, has proven an invaluable asset to the Norse this season.
Schwaeble, a freshman from Cincinnati, Ohio, burst onto the scene this season as a force to be reckoned with. Opening the season in the outfield, Schwaeble has posted a .311 batting average with four home runs, 10 doubles and 35 RBIs. As Schwaeble transitioned into the pitching rotation, she continued to dominate, posting an 8-1 record with a 1.45 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings of work, including a one-hit, nine-strikeout performance in a 6-0 win over Quincy just last week.
The Norse (31-16) finished the GLVC regular season with a 19-8 conference record, earning the No. 4 seed in this weekend's GLVC Tournament. NKU opens tournament play at 11 a.m. on Thursday against Missouri-St. Louis. The Norse are seeking their second consecutive GLVC championship and the third in program history.
2010 All-GLVC SOFTBALL TEAMS
Freshman of the Year – Jayme Hefler, Lewis
Player of the Year – Megan Russell, Indianapolis
Pitcher of the Year – Torie Bunzell, Quincy
Coach of the Year – Missy Frost-Fisher, Indianapolis
FIRST TEAM
C – Brittnie Boerema, Saint Joseph's
1B – Kristin Drage, Missouri S&T
2B – Jamie Keltz, Indianapolis
3B – Meaghan Bauer, Missouri-St. Louis
SS – Michelle Vucsko, Lewis
DP – JaCee Ellis, Missouri-St. Louis
UT – Krista Kelly, UW-Parkside
OF – Erin Gregory, Quincy
OF – Jayme Hefler, Lewis
OF – Christine Holthus, UW-Parkside
P – Torie Bunzell, Quincy
P –
April Ehlers, Northern Kentucky
P – Megan Russell, Indianapolis
SECOND TEAM
C – Jessica Matlock, Drury
1B – Brittany DeWeese, Southern Indiana
2B –
Rose Broderick, Northern Kentucky
3B – LeAnn Collins, Southern Indiana
SS –
Jessica Farris, Northern Kentucky
DP – Kassi Deibert, Missouri S&T
UT – Sadie Ball, Drury
OF – Karey Kruse, Missouri-St. Louis
OF – Reva LeDune-Bourgasser, Southern Ind.
OF –
Stephanie West, Northern Kentucky
P – Karissa Habel, Lewis
P – Kallie Walczak, UW-Parkside
P – Ashley Wallingford, Missouri S&T
THIRD TEAM
C – Ashley Boxley, Indianapolis
1B – Lisa Casey, UW-Parkside
2B – Leah Emmerick, Kentucky Wesleyan
3B – Tiffany Brakeville, Quincy
SS – Megan Murdoch, Bellarmine
DP – Sara Loete, Southern Indiana
UT –
Emily Schwaeble, Northern Kentucky
OF – Katherine Belsito, Southern Indiana
OF – Megan Corey, Quincy
OF – Kristin Parris, Saint Joseph's
P – Kelsea Garthoff, Drury
P – Taylor Keal, Missouri S&T
P – Casey Willard, Bellarmine
