The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular season champion Emporia State University Lady Hornets (36-15, 15-3 MIAA) had five players earn first- or second-team recognition on the All-MIAA list as voted by the conference’s coaches.
Senior RHP Samantha Sheeley was one of three unanimous first-team selections and became the second ESU hurler to capture the Pitcher of the Year in the two-year history of the award.
Sheeley, a repeat first-team choice, enters the MIAA Tournament Thursday (May 1) as the conference leader in victories (20) and opponent batting average (.155), second in strikeouts (9.5 K/7IP) and third in earned run average (1.37).
She was joined on the first team by senior SS April Huddleston and sophomore 3B Miranda Campbell.
Campbell enters the postseason second in on-base percentage (.503) and fourth in batting (.409) in the MIAA, and second on the Lady Hornets with 41 runs batted in.
Huddleston is second to Campbell on the team in batting at .338 and on-base percentage at .456.
Second-team selections for ESU include junior 1B Jennifer Dace and freshman DP Abby Smith.
Senior OF Christen Belcher of Truman (22-19, 8-10 MIAA) was named the conference’s Player of the Year after setting the MIAA’s career record for stolen bases (153).
Besides leading the league in steals (42 — 1.02 per game, fourth in NCAA-II), she sets the pace in hits (62 — 1.51 per game) and is second in batting average (.425).
She was joined on the first team by senior UT Katie Noski. Splitting time between the pitcher’s circle, first base and designated player, Noski leads the MIAA in earned run average (1.25) and has a 10-2 pitching record.
Two other schools placed two on the first team. Senior OF Tera Swartslander of Pittsburg State (23-27, 10-8 MIAA) made it for the third time in her four seasons as a Gorilla, and was joined by sophomore DP Jessica Jones.
Swartslander is second to Belcher in hits per game (1.46 — 73 total) and is hitting .386 (seventh in the MIAA).
The conference’s leader in batting average, sophomore C Jessika Anastos, is joined by her senior Fort Hays State (30-24, 7-11 MIAA) teammate, OF Anna Hurl, on the first team.
Anastos, who a one time this season led Division II in hitting, enters the tournament batting .486 (13th in D-II) and is sixth in the nation in slugging percentage at .890.
Joining Sheeley as unanimous selections to the first team are junior LHP Megan Leonard of conference runner-up Central Missouri (32-18, 12-6 MIAA) and sophomore 2B Erin Leslie of Northwest Missouri State (29-18, 11-7 MIAA).
Leonard leads the MIAA in strikeouts (10.07 K/7IP), shutouts (8), saves (5) and complete games (20). Her ERA of 1.29 and opponents batting average of .170 rank her second in the conference.
Leslie is the Bearcats’ second-leading hitter (.377 — 10th in the MIAA). She has drawn a league-best 0.57 walks per game (23 in 40 games) and has a .487 on-base percentage (third in the MIAA).
Junior 1B Dani White of Washburn (28-24, 10-8 MIAA) rounds out the first team. She’s the Lady Blues’ second-leading hitter (.333) and has made just seven errors in 538 chances (.987 fielding percentage).
Missouri Western P Allison Jones was chosen as the league’s Freshman of the Year. She leads the Griffons (26-26, 8-10 MIAA) in victories (14 — 5th in the MIAA), strikeouts (6.69 K/7IP — 4th in the MIAA) and appearances (31 — fifth in the MIAA).
After sharing the MIAA’s Coach of the Year award, Emporia State’s Kristi Bredbenner earned sole possession in 2008 after guiding her Lady Hornets to the regular season title for the third straight year.
First Team
*+Samantha Sheeley, ESU P 5-7 Sr. Coralville, Iowa
*Megan Leonard, UCM P 5-7 Jr. Purdy, Mo.
Jessika Anastos, FHSU C 5-8 So. Broomfield, Colo.
Dani White, WU 1B 5-9 Jr. Berryton, Kan.
*Erin Leslie, NWMSU 2B 5-1 So. Shawnee, Kan.
April Huddleston, ESU SS 5-5 Sr. Topeka, Kan.
Miranda Campbell, ESU 3B 5-1 So. Bogata, Texas
++Christen Belcher, TSU OF 5-4 Sr. Lee's Summit, Mo.
Anna Herl, FHSU OF 5-5 Sr. Hays, Kan.
$$Tera Swartslander, PSU OF 5-8 Sr. Broken Arrow, Okla.
Jessica Jones, PSU DP 5-8 So. Osawatomie, Kan.
Katie Noski, TSU UT 5-7 Sr. Columbia, Ill.
*=unanimous choice
Ý=First-team All-MIAA choice in 2007
++=First-team All-MIAA choice in 2006 & 2007
$$=First-team All-MIAA choice in 2005 & 2007
Second Team
(Two shortstops selected due to a tie in voting)
Allison Jones, MWSU P 5-7 Fr. Mitchellville, Iowa
Kelly Morris, NWMSU P 5-10 Sr. Blue Springs, Mo.
Angie Turner, MSSU C 5-5 Jr. Springdale, Ark.
Jennifer Dace, ESU 1B 5-4 Jr. Olathe, Kan.
Emily Herl, FHSU 2B 5-5 Sr. Hays, Kan.
Cortney Channell, NWMSU SS 5-4 Sr. Kansas City, Kan.
Brooke DeVader, WU SS 5-8 Sr. St. Marys, Kan.
Tish Williams, WU 3B 5-6 So. Norman, Okla.
Casey Carper, NWMSU OF 5-4 Jr. Sulphur Springs, Texas
Tarese Ely-Myers, UCM OF 5-7 So. Richmond, Mo.
McKenzie Mortimer, SBU OF 5-6 So. Pleasant Hope, Mo.
Abby Smith, ESU DP 5-6 Fr. Liberty, Mo.
Tiffany Swanson, PSU UT 5-4 So. Coweta, Okla.
Honorable Mention
Megan Dennis, ESU P 5-6 Jr. Liberty, Mo.
Kristal Holland, UCM P 5-10 So. Basehor, Kan.
Stephanie Moore, PSU P 5-6 Sr. Pawhuska, Okla.
Josie Rose, SBU P 5-11 Fr. Belton, Mo.
Kelly Swygert, WU P 5-8 Sr. Topeka, Kan.
Lindsay Birchfield, PSU C 5-6 So. Peculiar, Mo.
Aubree Brattin, ESU C 5-8 Jr. Lee's Summit, Mo.
Tiffany Carter, NWMSU C 5-7 Jr. Lenexa, Kan.
Kherri-Dean Hummer, UCM C 5-9 Jr. Clarksdale, Mo.
Erica LaCombe, TSU C 5-7 So. Adrian, Mo.
Whiteny Tapp, WU C 5-2 So. Blue Springs, Mo.
Alyson Garmatz, FHSU 1B 5-7 Sr. Wheat Ridge, Colo.
Marisha Branson, UCM 2B 5-5 Fr. Keller, Texas
Lori Lockhart, PSU 2B 5-8 So. Skiatook, Okla.
Shannon Pivovar, MWSU 2B 5-5 So. Omaha, Neb.
Tracy Anderson, UCM SS 5-6 Jr. Lenexa, Kan.
Katie Bruce, MWSU SS 5-6 Fr. Peculiar, Mo.
Teressa Gomez, SBU SS 5-8 Jr. Lincoln, Calif.
Maria Bernal, PSU 3B 5-3 Jr. Tulsa, Okla.
Hallie McMillen, FHSU 3B 5-7 Jr. Topeka, Kan.
Mandie Nocita, MWSU 3B 5-3 Jr. Omaha, Neb.
Dani Mayer, TSU OF 5-5 Jr. Lee's Summit, Mo.
Melissa Palmer, UCM OF 5-5 Sr. St. Joseph, Mo.
Jenna Potter, ESU OF 5-6 So. Emporia, Kan.
Megan Simpson, NWMSU OF 5-7 Jr. Blue Springs, Mo.
Mandy Tarbutton, WU OF 5-7 Sr. Maple Hill, Kan.
Jessie Wiard, ESU OF 5-4 Sr. Overland Park, Kan.
Kaila Ballard, NWMSU UT 5-5 So. Norwalk, Iowa
Sarah Brison, SBU UT 5-5 Fr. Citrus Heights, Calif.
Terra Fraser, FHSU UT 5-7 Jr. Valley Springs, Calif.
Player of the Year: Christen Belcher, OF, TSU
Pitcher of the Year: Samantha Sheeley, RHP, ESU
Freshman of the Year: Allison Jones, P, MWSU
Coach of the Year: Kristi Bredbenner, ESU
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