Softball places six on MVC All-Centennial Team
05/12/2007 | 12:00:00 | Softball
May 12, 2007
By Matt Crouch
www.SIUSalukis.com
ST. LOUIS - As the Missouri Valley Conference celebrates a century of excellence as the nation's oldest NCAA Division I conference, the Valley announced the selection of its Softball Centennial Team Friday at the State Farm/MVC Softball Tournament.
Nearly 1,000 votes were cast for softball with Southern Illinois garnering six All-Centennial Team honorees on the team of 47.
Of SIU's six honorees, one is in the infield, one in the outfield, a utility player and three pitchers.
Becky Lis, a third-baseman that played at Southern from 1994-97, earns a spot on the team. She was a two-time All-MVC First Team selection and was twice picked as a member of the MVC All-Tournament Team. She leads SIU in career doubles (47) and career batting average (.362).
Next on the list is utility player Katie Jordan. She played at Southern Illinois from 2002-05 and was a two-time All-MVC First Team selection while holding the Valley record for career home runs (39). She also holds the SIU record for career home runs while snagging the single-season home run record (14) and single-season RBI record (46).
Colleen Holloway, a Saluki from 1990-93, was named an All-American in 1991 while earning MVC Most Valuable Player honors in 1993. She is a two-time All-MVC First Team selection and holds the Valley record in career runs (159) and career triples (34).
The first of SIU's three pitchers on the list is Jamie Schuttek. A member of the SIU softball team from 1994-97, she is a three-time All-MVC First Team selection and a two-time All-MVC Tournament honoree. She was also picked as an All-American in 2002 while also earning Valley MVP honors that season.
Next on the list is Amy Harre, a Saluki from 2002-05, and one of only three players to be a four-time All-MVC First Team selection. She was the 2002 Rookie of the Year and 2005 MVC Pitcher of the Year and holds the MVC records for career wins (84) and shut outs (49). At SIU, Harre holds almost every career pitching record, taking top honors in appearances, complete games, innings pitched, shut outs and wins.
Rounding out the list for Southern Illinois is the team's third pitcher, Erin Stremsterfer. She was a Saluki from 1998-2001 and was a three-time All-MVC First Team and All-Tournament Team selection. Stremsterfer was also an All-American in 2001 and the 2002 MVC Pitcher of the Year. She holds both the Valley and SIU record in single-season strikeouts with 364.
In the Valley's history, 22 MVC softball players have earned All-American honors in the league's 24 completed seasons with teams competing in the Gateway Conference from 1983-92 before beginning play under the Valley umbrella in 1993. MVC softball has ascended among the nation's premier softball leagues, having earned multiple bids into the NCAA Tournament in each of the past four seasons with three teams capturing berths the past two years.