Lake Forest College softball player Alex Hemmer was named Midwest Conference Player of the Year while teammates Sally Snarski, Jessi Werner, Jenny McTague, and Kaleigh Ambrose joined her on the 2016 All-MWC Teams. All but Ambrose were first team selections.
Hemmer, a senior catcher, entered this weekend's MWC Tournament ranked eighth in the league with a .388 batting average, fifth with a .641 slugging percentage, fourth with a .472 on-base percentage, tied-for-fourth with 30 runs scored, and tied-for-fifth with 10 doubles. She also had 40 hits, two triples, four home runs, and 18 runs batted in on the year. She was also a First Team All-MWC selection last season.
Snarski, a senoir first baseman, led the conference with a .504 on-base percentage and ranked seventh in hitting (.398), fourth in slugging (.663), and tied-for-third in home runs (6). She also had 39 hits and 24 runs batted in. It was Snarski's second straight First Team All-MWC selection after being named All-MWC South Division in 2014.
Werner, a senior pitcher, had a league-high 14 victories against just four defeats and ranked third in the conference with 131 strikeouts and fourth with a 2.32 earned run average. She also had three shutouts and a save on the year. Werner was the league's Pitcher of the Year a season ago and the Co-MWC South Pitcher of the Year as a freshman.
McTague, a junior pitcher, was also among the league leaders with 82 strikeouts (fifth), 10 wins (tied-for-fifth), and a 2.89 ERA (sixth). She also had three shutouts, a pair of saves, and a .271 batting average at the plate with a two home runs. McTague is also a repeat First Team All-MWC honoree and an All-MWC South selection as a freshman.
Ambrose, a senior third baseman, entered the weekend with a .387 batting average with two homers and 22 RBI in 24 games played. She was named to the league's second team after earning first team honors last season.
The 2016 All-MWC Softball Teams were announced following the completion of the MWC Tournament on Saturday. After falling once on Friday in the double-elimination event, Lake Forest defeated Carroll University 13-4 in six innings and posted 5-0 and 6-2 victories over previously unbeaten Monmouth College to claim the program's third straight tourney title and the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Scots matched the Foresters with a league-high five selections and also had four first team honorees.
Hemmer, Snarski, and Ambrose combined to bat .348 and slug .696 during the tournament. They also had seven doubles and three home runs while scoring 12 times and driving in 11. Werner and McTague went 4-1 with a 3.16 earned run average and struck out 26 batters while walking just six in 31 innings of work.
Lake Forest is now 28-12 on the season. The Foresters had already captured the regular season conference championship with an 18-2 record in the league.
