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Issued: July 3, 2007

SOFTBALL ANNOUNCES TEAM AWARD WINNERS

EAU CLAIRE – UW-Eau Claire head softball coach Leslie Huntington recently announced the team award winners for the 2007 season.

Pitcher Mallory McKinney (Sr.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) earned the team’s Most Valuable Award. McKinney tallied a 20-10 record from the mound posting a 1.54 earned-run average to along with a team-best three saves. In 39 appearances McKinney pitched 17 complete games including four shutouts. In 195 innings opponents batted just .235 against McKinney who struck out 182 batters while walking just 40 batters. From the plate McKinney knocked in a team-best 43 runs-batted in while finishing second with one triple and fourth in slugging percentage (.474), batting average (.338), hits (52) and doubles (7).

Infielder Casey Leisgang (Jr.-Seymour) received the Big Stick Award. Leisgang led the Blugolds in several offensive categories including slugging percentage (.588), batting average (.370), hits (61), runs (43), walks (19), doubles (12) and home runs (8) while finishing second in on-base percentage (.434).

The Golden Glove Award went to infielder Jill Janke (Jr.-Black River Falls). Janke posted a team-best .995 fielding percentage committing just two errors in 52 games to go along with 375 putouts. From the plate Janke led the team in on-base percentage (.443) and batting percentage (.374) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.574), hits (58), walks (15), doubles (10) and home runs (7).

Catcher Bekki Kidnie (Fr.-St. Paul, MN/Johnson) was named Rookie of the Year. Kidnie started 50 of 51 games posting a .983 fielding percentage. At the plate Kidnie batted .279 with a .414 slugging percentage recording five home runs and four doubles with 14 walks.

The Most Improved Award was presented to pitcher Bri Sturm (So.-Zumbrota, MN/Zumbrota-Mazeppa). Sturm nearly doubled her win total from a season ago improving from 8-1 in 2006 to 15-4 in 2007. Sturm appeared in 31 games throwing 129 innings while posting an earned-run average of 3.09 recording 62 strike outs. In 23 starts Sturm threw 10 complete games with two shutouts.

The Blugold Award was awarded to infielder Shannon Barone (Sr.-De Pere). Barone appeared in 39 games in which she started 33 games. From the plate Barone batted .299 and scored 11 runs.

The Blugolds finished the 2007 season with a 38-14 overall record winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and NCAA Regional Tournament Championships while finishing third at the NCAA National Championships. The national tournament appearance marked the first time the Blugolds had advanced to the NCAA Championships since the 2000 season while the 38 wins was the second-most single season wins in school history eclipsing the 37 games won by the 2006 Blugold squad.

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