Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Three Salukis earn All-MVC honors
05/06/2015 | 12:00:00 | Softball
WICHITA, Kan. - The Southern Illinois softball players were named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference teams for the 2015 season, the league announced Wednesday night at the annual conference banquet. Kalyn Harker was a first-team selection, while Merri Anne Patterson and Meredith Wilson were second-team honorees. Patterson was also named to the conference's All-Defensive team.
Harker led the league in batting average in conference play, hitting .466 against MVC competition in 2015. She hit safely in 21 of 26 MVC games and became Southern's first MVC batting champ since Lauren Haas in 2008. Krystal Stein (2005) is the only other SIU player to lead the conference in batting average vs. MVC teams. Harker was also a second-team All-MVC honoree in 2013 and is a two-time first-team MVC Scholar-Athlete Team selection.
Patterson hit .321 overall this year and .384 in MVC play. She led SIU with a .534 slugging percentage overall, and her .726 slugging percentage in MVC play ranked her fifth in the conference. She was second on the team in doubles with 10, second in home runs with six and third in RBIs with 23. She was a perfect 7-for-7 stealing bases in the regular season. Patterson was an All-Tournament selection last season.
Patterson was also named to the conference's All-Defensive team. Patterson only committed one error in MVC play and had a .978 fielding percentage, and she threw out three base runners from her spot in left field.
Wilson earned her third All-Conference honor, having also earned second-team All-MVC honors in 2012 and 2013. Wilson hit .277 in MVC play with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs. After missing two weeks with an injury, she returned by reaching in 17 of her next 19 games. She also hit the game-winning RBI single in the top of the eighth to cap a seven-run comeback at Indiana State.
Southern Illinois plays Indiana State in the opening game of the MVC Tournament at 9:30 a.m. CT on Thursday, May 7. The winner of the SIU-INS game plays Wichita State at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.
