LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In all 45 players from 35 different institutions have been chosen to one of three 2014 NFCA Division II All-American teams, the Association announced on Wednesday.

No. 1 West Texas A&M and seventh-ranked Angelo State led all schools with three total All-Americans, while the No. 20 Rambelles and Pittsburg State boasted the most first-team selections with two each. No. 11 Minnesota State Mankato, No. 12 California (Pa.), No. 16 Valdosta State, No. 19 Armstrong Atlantic, Cal State San Bernardino and Pittsburg State all garnered a pair of All-American nods. Of the eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship to be held over May 22-26 in Salem, Va., four of those, Armstrong Atlantic, No. 20 LIU Post, West Texas A&M and Valdosta State, had representation among this year’s NFCA All-American squads.

To view the complete NFCA Division II All-American Teams, please click HERE.

Four of this year’s first-team selections will be in action this upcoming week in Salem, Va., as West Texas A&M pitcher Rita Hokianga, LIU Post catcher Aly Dzierzynski, Armstrong Atlantic shortstop Alexis Mercer and Valdosta State outfielder Courtney Albritton will each try to lead their respective teams to the NCAA Division II National Championship.

In her first campaign at top-ranked West Texas A&M, Hokianga earned both Lone Star Conference Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year accolades after posting an outstanding 25-3 overall record with a 2.25 ERA, eight solo shutouts and the ninth-most strikeouts in the nation with 262 K’s over 186.2 innings.

The player of the year in the East Coast Conference, Dzierzynski put forth one of the best offensive performances in LIU Post history. The junior catcher ranked fifth in the nation in HR’s per game, blasting 25 big flies over 59 total games. She hit .429 overall to lead her squad, plating 48 runs and registering 75 RBIs while slugging .925. 

Mercer, the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year and the national co-leader in HR’s-per-game with 22 big flies over just 44 contests, put up a stellar .425 batting average with 57 runs scored, 15 doubles, 11 stolen bases and 49 RBIs all while slugging at an impressive 1.045 clip, the second-best total in the nation. In all she led the Pirates in six major offensive categories, runs scored, doubles, HR’s, slugging, on-base percentage and steals.

Now a three-time NFCA All-American selection as well as a three-time Gulf South Conference (GSC) Player of the year as a junior, Albritton is ranked among the top five in the NCAA Division II in both HR’s-per-game and runs-per-game. She powered the Blazer offense with a team-best .443 batting average, 80 runs scored, 17 doubles, a staggering 26 HR’s and knocked in 65 tallies. 

Finishing off the pitcher’s position as first-team All-Americans were Indianapolis’ Morgan Foley and Missouri Western’s Jackie Bishop. Foley, a two-time All-Great Lakes Valley Conference choice, led the nation and broke her own school mark with a remarkable 386 strikeouts over 252.2 innings while registering a 33-8 overall record and a 1.36 ERA. Named to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association First Team all four years of her career, Bishop finished the 2014 campaign with a 26-10 overall record, a 1.36 ERA, three no-hitters, 31 complete games, 12 shutouts and led the league with 291 strikeouts over 247.2 frames.

Joining Dzierzynski at the catcher position was California (Pa.) backstop Natalie Wideman. As a senior, she set career highs and led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference with a .454 average (59-for-130), 49 runs scored and a .535 on-base percentage. She also ranked fourth in the league with 22 stolen bases and a .692 slugging percentage while catching every inning this season. Wideman, who became the 11th player in school history with 200 hits, finished her career among the top 10 in program history in batting average, runs scored and stolen bases. 

Rounding out the infield were first baseman Anna Shartzer of West Alabama, second baseman Jenny Nelson of Winona State and Nicole Yancey from West Georgia. Shartzer led UWA hitters and was fifth in the GSC with a .404 batting average in her 171 at bats. During the regular season, she struck out only on three occasions making her the 18th toughest batter to strike out in the country, She led the team with 45 runs and 69 hits and was second with 13 doubles and nine home runs. Nelson set Winona State single-season records for home runs (20) and RBI (74) while batting .421. The senior led the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in slugging percentage (.974), on base percentage (.571), RBIs, home runs and walks (38) while finishing second in the league in runs scored (56) and triples (five). Yancey became the first UWG player to break the .400 mark, hitting .403 overall with a school-record 24 HR’s, a 1.021 slugging percentage and 66 RBIs.

Angelo State’s Morgan Spearman and Pittsburg State’s Tiffany Brown held down the final two outfield slots on the NFCA All-American First Team. Spearman, the LSC Player of the Year, scored 80 runs, setting the ASU and LSC single-season record and marking the fifth most runs plated in a single season in NCAA Division II history. The senior hit .506 with 19 doubles and 10 home runs. She drew 47 walks and swiped 20 bases while leading NCAA Division II in on-base percentage at .622. Brown, the MIAA Player of the Year, set school and league records for single-season home runs with 27, just one away from tying the national record. She also set school marks for career home runs (56), season slugging percentage (.924), career slugging percentage (.773), season RBI (74), career RBI (172) and season runs scored (61). She finished 2014 with a .413 batting average with 61 tallies, 74 RBI, seven doubles, 27 home runs and 32 walks.

Brown’s Pittsburg State teammate McKenzie Rynard was the first-team selection at designated player after batting .436 as a junior, while hitting 17 home runs and adding 11 doubles. She was one of the toughest batters to strikeout in the MIAA with only nine strikeouts in 156 at bats and finished the year on a 19-game hitting streak.

Cori Reinhardt of Cal State Monterey Bay was tabbed as the NFCA First-Team All-American at the utility-pitcher position. She registered a 21-9 pitching mark with a 2.20 ERA and 139 strikeouts over 219.1 innings, while also hitting .327 with 14 extra-base hits and 35 RBIs, splitting time between the circle, first base, second base, third base, shortstop and left field during the year.

The NCAA Division II leader in RBIs-per-game at 1.72, this year’s utility-non-pitcher first-team choice was Darian Dunn of Angelo State. Her 95 total RBIs marked an ASU and LSC single-season record as well as the fifth most in a single campaign in NCAA Division II history. Dunn completed the year with a .411 average while recording 13 doubles and 17 home runs. 

Last but certainly not least on this year’s first squad as an at-large selection at utility-pitcher was Ally Foster of Bellarmine. The sophomore center fielder/pitcher hit .372 with 12 homers, 15 doubles, 37 RBIs and 42 runs scored along with carrying a .683 slugging percentage and a .490 on-base percentage. In the circle, the GLVC Player of the Year accumulated an 18-7 record and four saves behind a 1.04 ERA and a single-season school record of 204 strikeouts.

Lindsay Erickson*$#<td