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GRINNELL, Iowa – Lake Forest College’s Jessi Werner, one of eight Foresters named to the Midwest Conference (MWC) All-Conference Softball Team, was named the Midwest Conference Pitcher of the Year on Saturday. Lawrence University’s Amanda Jaskolski has also been named Player of the Year.
Complete All-Conference Team
Werner went 16-3 in the regular season with a 2.32 earned run average and stuck out a league-high 149 batters in 123 2/3 innings pitched. The junior also held batters to just a .225 batting average.
Jaskolski led the Midwest Conference in a number of offensive categories including on-base percentage (.588), RBI (40), home runs (12) and walks while hitting .472 and slugging .906. The senior also led the MWC in assists from her shortstop position.
Jaskolski’s teammate Samantha Bellitini was also named to the First Team as an at-large selection. The sophomore catcher hit .388 for the regular season, and delivered even more in conference play, sporting a .551 average with 27 hits and 13 RBI.
Joining Werner on the First Team, were four of her teammates. Fellow pitcher Jenny McTague was an at-large selection as was Sally Snarksi, while Alex Hemmer was selected as a utility player and Kaleigh Ambrose was named the top third basemen. McTague went 12-5 this year with 11 complete games and 85 strikeouts in 110 innings pitched. Snarski tied for the team-lead with Second Team selections Kat Beall and Sydney Gardner with a .400 average. The first basemen also blasted eight home runs and drove in a team-best 34.
Ambrose manned the hot corner for the Foresters and hit .346, pounding out 37 hits in 36 games with nine round trippers. Hemmer led the team with 10 doubles, tied for the team lead with 40 hits and scored 32 runs.
Cornell College placed four players on the First Team after finishing just one game back of Lake Forest in the MWC South Division. Jesse Applehans had a record of 18-3 in the regular season, tossing 18 complete games and had a 1.33 ERA. Leadoff hitter and outfielder Kylea Weber was an at-large selection after hitting .365 in conference play and reaching base nearly half the time (.452). Senior Sabrina Hargis was named the league’s top second basemen after hitting .405 on the season and made just one error in the field. Sophomore Kendra Christensen posted a perfect fielding percentage and was chosen as the league’s top catcher. Christensen also blasted 10 home runs and had a .917 slugging percentage in conference play.
Beloit College’s stellar outfield had two selections to the First Team. Tala Cornell led the conference in batting average (.478), slugging percentage (.913) and total bases (105) with 14 doubles and eight home runs. Center fielder Bethany Stavrakas hit an astounding .610 in conference play and .470 for the season. The junior also had 48 hits in just 35 games played. The final outfield spot was awarded to St. Norbert College’s Codi Jenshak. Jenshak did not make an error in league play and was on base 50% of the time. The sophomore left fielder hit .423 for the season.
Finishing the First Team roster is Illinois College’s Sierra McDonald. McDonald led all first basemen with a .410 batting average and boasted a .510 on-base percentage in conference play. Her eight doubles were also the most by any player at that position.
The Second Team was headlined by pitchers Liz Barthels of Lawrence and Jen Zucker of Beloit. Carroll had four selections to the second squad including Kelly Strasser, Micah Clutter, Natalie Reuchel and Abigail Herling. Kayla Borgra, Kat Beall and Sydney Gardner of Lake Forest all were named to the Second Team. Elizabeth Hippen was Monmouth College’s lone selection to the all-conference teams, while Kayla Morrissey represents Grinnell College. MacKenzie Hazen of St. Norbert was the Second Team pick at third base, while Illinois College’s Courtney Kwasnitza was chosen at catcher. Outfielder Kelsey Boss of Cornell and her teammate Bri Carney were also chosen.