Softball places four student-athletes on MVC Scholar-Athlete teams
05/18/2009 | 12:00:00 | Softball
May 18, 2009
By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com
ST LOUIS - The Missouri Valley Conference announced seniors Katie McNamara, Katie Schmidt and Katie Wagner and junior Alicia Garza as members of the MVC Scholar-Athlete teams on Monday.
McNamara, a pitcher from Putnam Valley, N.Y., and Schmidt an outfielder from Millsdat, Ill. were both selected to the 12-member first team, while Wagner and Garza earned honorable mention accolades.
Southern Illinois was one of only four teams to place multiple players on the first team, and earned at least two on the first team for an impressive 12th straight year.
McNamara had a 3.78 grade point average in political science and French and was named MVC Pitcher of the Week three times in 2009, including back-to-back weeks Feb. 16 & 23. She also tossed her first-career no-hitter against Austin Peay and did not allow an earned run in her first 35.1 innings this season.
Schmidt, who held a 3.97 GPA in marketing, finished the season ranked seventh all-time at SIU for career steals with 44. She set a new season career-high with her 24th hit against Creighton and had a game-winning walk-off solo home run to beat Missouri State.
Garza, finished with a 3.29 GPA in diatetics and was selected All-MVC Second Team. She also had a walk-off game-winning grand slam to beat Bradley and set a new career-high for season batting average (.375) which ranked tied for ninth all-time at SIU. She also moved into the top-10 for career batting average (.335) career RBI (95) and career doubles (31) in the program's history.
Wagner, had a 3.45 GPA in elementary education and was also chosen Second Team All-MVC. She finished her successful Saluki career ranked eighth all-time for career home runs with 19, was second on the team with 27 runs batted in and had her third-straight season with more than 20 RBI.
The 2009 MVC Scholar-Athlete First team is voted by the conference's softball sports information directors.
2009 MVC Softball Scholar-Athlete First Team
Katie Armour, Indiana State, Sr., UT, 3.34, Recreation and Sport Management
Alycia Bachkora, Bradley, Sr., IF, 3.57, Cell & Molecular Biology
Brynne Dordel, Drake, So., P, 4.00, Accounting/Management
Casey Gorrell, Illinois State, Sr., C, 3.62, Deaf and Hearing Impaired Education
Jen Larsen, UNI, Jr., P/DP, 3.54, Biology
Katie McNamara, Southern Illinois, Sr., P, 3.78, Political Science/French
Tara Oltman, Creighton, Jr., P, 3.92, English/Secondary Education
Katie Schmidt, Southern Illinois, Sr., OF, 3.97, Marketing
Bridget Shields, Drake, Jr., OF, 3.93, Biology
Meredith Simpson, Indiana State, Sr., SS, 3.62, Athletic Training
Jessica Wakasugi, Creighton, Sr., OF, 3.64, Business Entrepreneurship & Business
Darcy Wood, Indiana State, Sr., P, 3.31, Elementary Education
2009 MVC Softball Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention
Erin Bly, Drake, So., DP, 3.56, Politics
Anne Creighton, Bradley, Sr., OF, 3.50, Journalism
Jenna DeLong, Drake, So., P, 3.44, Journalism
Alicia Garza, Southern Illinois, Jr., 2B, 3.29, Diatectics
Kelsey Kahler, Drake, Jr., OF, 3.77, Elementary Education
Michelle Koch, Creighton, Jr., 2B, 3.58, Nursing
Lauren McGinley, Missouri State, Jr., RHP, 3.86, Physical Education
Jen McKee, Evansville, Jr., P, 3.70, Visual Communication
Janay Mitchell, Bradley, Jr., OF, 3.45, International Business
Kelly Papesh, UNI, Sr., C, 3.60, Elementary Education/Health Education
Katie Wagner, Southern Illinois, Sr., 3B, 3.45, Elementary Education
