freshman Hannah Klein (, ) was voted Co-Freshman of the Year and also joined seniors Jamie Foote (, ) and Lisa Hill () on the All-Independent First Team as the 2009 Division I Independent Softball Teams were announced Wednesday after voting by the coaches and sports information directors of the Division I independent schools.
Klein capped off her initial collegiate season by earning Most Valuable Player honors at the Independent Softball Tournament April 24-26. She hit 10-of-17 with two doubles, four runs scored, and an RBI as won four straight games to earn the tournament title. In the pitching circle, Klein was the winner in two of those games and came on in relief to earn the save in the title game against . For the season, Klein batted .372, including a grand slam home run against Simon Fraser, and also posted a 9-9 record with a 3.88 ERA as a pitcher.
Foote led with a .381 batting average, nine doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 32 runs batted in, a .732 slugging percentage, and 72 defensive assists. She scored the tying run and drove in the winning run in SeattleU’s 2-1 victory over Cal State Bakersfield in the first round of bracket play at the Independent Tournament. Foote also hit home runs on three consecutive days during the Husky Softball Classic and earned a grand slam home run at .
Hill finished her final collegiate season with a .379 batting average, seven doubles, five home runs, 27 runs batted in, 23 walks, and a team-high .517 on-base percentage. She went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and four runs batted in against Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 14. She also went 3-for-3 with a double, a towering home run, a walk, two runs scored, and three runs batted in during 11-5 win over on March 7. In a couple of weeks, she will head to to play professional softball.
Three other players received at least two votes, earning them honorable mention recognition. Junior pitcher Kelsey Reynolds (, ) went 9-11 with a 3.94 ERA, including a one-hitter against and a no-hitter against Simon Fraser, her second career no-hitter. Jessica Amador (, ) started 37 games as the team’s catcher, finishing with a .281 batting average, including a home run that gave a late lead at . Outfielder Katie Antich () earned a .380 batting average and stole ten bases to increase her school-record career total to 50 stolen bases.
The All-Independent Softball Teams and Awards were nominated and voted on by the coaches and sports information directors of the 13 Division I independent schools: Bryant University, Cal State Bakersfield, Houston Baptist, Idaho State, Longwood University, North Carolina Central, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Savannah State, Seattle University, SIU Edwardsville, South Dakota, and Utah Valley.
capped off the 2009 season by winning the Independent Softball Tournament, completing an 18-20 season. In its first year at the Division I level, the team posted victories over Illinois-Chicago, Loyola Marymount, , Valley, Saint Mary’s, , , , Houston Baptist, Cal State Bakersfield, and . The softball program will join the Pacific Coast Softball Conference beginning in 2010.