LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In all 46 players from 27 different institutions have been chosen to one of three 2015 NFCA Division II All-American teams, the Association announced on Wednesday.
To view the complete NFCA Division II All-American Teams, please click here.
No. 2 West Texas A&M and fourth-ranked Dixie State led all schools with four total All-Americans, while No. 10 Indianapolis, No. 5 Cal State Monterey Bay and No. 9 Augustana took home three first-team nods. Five institutions, the second-ranked Lady Buff, fourth-ranked Red Storm, fifth-ranked Otters, No. 7 North Georgia and the 10th-ranked Greyhounds boasted the most first-team selections with two each. Of the eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship to be held over May 21-25 in Oklahoma City, six of those, California (Pa.), Dixie State, Indianapolis, Shorter, St Mary’s (Texas) and North Georgia, had representation among this year’s NFCA All-American squads.
Five of this year’s first-team selections will be in action this upcoming week in Oklahoma City as North Georgia’s Courtney Poole and Kim McMillan, Dixie State’s Marla Reiter and Janessa Bassett and Indianapolis’ Morgan Foley lead their squads into action looking for a 2015 national championship.
The duo of McMillan and Poole, provided the spark at the plate and in the circle, helping the Nighthawks reach Oklahoma City. A senior first baseman, McMillan clubbed a school-record 17 home runs and leads the Peach Belt with a .446 batting average and .872 slugging percentage to earn league player of the year honors. On top of that, the smooth lefty has a good eye, drawing 51 free passes and posting a .584 on base percentage.
Poole leads the NCAA – in all divisions – in victories (42), is second in Division II in ERA (0.95) and is third in shutouts (15) and fifth in strikeouts (335). The Peach Belt Pitcher of the Year is 42-3 in 50 appearances (45 starts) and has logged 300.2 innings in the Nighthawks’ 56 games this season.
The senior/freshman duo of Reiter and Bassett are half of Dixie State’s All-American quartet. Reiter, a senior catcher, is earning her first All-American selection after being named to the PacWest All-Conference team. Known for her strong arm behind the plate, Reiter threw out seven of 11 would be base stealers as teams rarely attempt to steal because of her reputation of throwing runners out. In her career she threw out 57 of 112. At the plate she batted .381 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 39 RBI and 28 runs scored.
Bassett has burst onto the seen in her first season of collegiate softball. The rookie outfielder leads the fourth-ranked Red Storm and the PacWest in batting average (.468), runs (78), triples (11) and stolen bases (44). She also tops the team with 32 walks and a .551 on base percentage. Named the PacWest Freshman of the Year, Bassett leads the NCAA in triples, ranks third in runs scored and is tied for ninth in stolen bases per game (.81).
Another first-team pitcher playing later this week is the hard throwing Foley out of Indianapolis. The junior hurler has amassed over 400 strikeouts, tops in the NCAA and is ranked second in the Division II in strikeouts per seven innings. Logging 278.2 innings, Foley is the Greyhounds workhorse in the circle posting eight shutouts and holding opponents to a .150 batting average. She has recorded 38 wins on the season and along with her 438 strikeouts, Foley owns both single-season program records respectively. This is the junior’s second straight first-team selection and third All-American nod in three seasons.
Joining Poole and Foley is NFCA Player of the Year Finalist Hannah Perryman of top-ranked Missouri, St. Louis. The junior lefty has dazzled opponents all season, recording an NCAA-record six perfect games and matching the NCAA record for career perfect games with seven. Garnering her first, first-team recognition and third overall All-American nod, Perryman went 30-5 with a 1.33 ERA and 398 strikeouts in 220.1 innings. In addition, the GLVC Pitcher of the Year tallied 17 shutouts and held her opposition to a .134 batting average.
Also being recognized as a first-team catcher is West Texas A&M’s Lacey Taylor. The junior enjoyed a breakout season behind the plate for the Lady Buffs. She led the team with a .458 average and also registered 11 doubles, 12 home runs, 63 RBI a .813 slugging percentage and a .584 on base percentage with 40 walks. A First-Team All-Lone Star Conference selection, Taylor made just two miscues defensively and finished with a .993 fielding percentage.
Rounding out the infield is West Virginia Wesleyan’s second baseman Brooklyn Waddell, Azusa Pacific’s third baseman Nicki Sprague and Augustana shortstop Sarah Kennedy. Waddell was tabbed Mount East Player of the Year and was amongst the NCAA’s leaders in batting average (.483). Waddell led the MEC in batting and slugging (.864), was second in OBP (.513), home runs (15) and hits (85) and tied for third in runs scored (49). Sprague, a first-team All PacWest selection, finished second the league in batting average (.453). Selected to the third team a season ago, Sprague also posted 16 doubles, 10 long balls, 44 RBI, 49 runs scored and was 14-for-16 in stolen bases. Kennedy put on an offensive show this season for the Vikings. The sophomore leads the NCAA with 101 hits and has posted a team-best .470 average with a NCAA-best 25 doubles. The Northern Sun Player of the Year and NFCA Player of the Year Top-10 finalist left the yard 17 times, knocked in 70 runs and slugged .842 for the season.
Moving to the outfield where a pair of conference Player of the Years and two-time All-Americans, Renee Erwin of West Texas A&M (Lone Star) and Stephanie Goodwin of Emporia State (MIAA) reside along with the rookie Bassett. Erwin, second-team honoree in 2014, was named the LSC’s Gold Glove winner for the outfield after tallying 41 putouts and two assists with zero error in rightfield. She also produced at the plate with a senior offensive outburst. Erwin hit .424 with nine doubles, three triples and 23 homeruns, along with 71 RBI, a LSC single-season record, a NCAA-best 83 runs scored and a monstrous 1.077 slugging percentage. She set the LSC career mark in homeruns (62) and RBI (244).
Goodwin returns to All-American status as a senior after garnering her first recognition as a freshman. Goodwin, the only unanimous first-team All-MIAA selection and a top 25 finalist for the NFCA Player of the Year, finished her career the MIAA record holder with 71 doubles which is 12th all-time in Division II and second amongst active players. Her 22 doubles and 58 RBI ranked 15th and 22nd in the NCAA.
Kennedy’s teammate, senior Jenelle Trautmann was named First-Team All-American at the utility-pitcher position to wrap up an illustrious career at Augustana. The pitcher/infielder does it with both her bat and arm. She compiled a 32-3 record and an ERA of 1.80 in 43 appearances and 34 starts this season. A three-time NFCA All-American, Trautmann struck out a single-season record 301 batters, while holding opponents to a .200 batting average. She currently ranks third in Division II in wins, ranks first amongst active players in Division II and third across all divisions with 104 career victories (104-28). She also ranks fifth amongst active players with 813 career strikeouts. At the plate, she hit .414 with 10 doubles, 20 home runs and 72 RBI this season. Trautmann ranks tied for second all-time in NCAA Division II history with 75 career home runs and is Augustana's all-time leader in career RBI with 237, eighth in the NCAA.
Sonoma State’s Ancia Purdy took home the utility/non-pitcher position and her first All-American plaudit. A First-Team All-CCAA selection as a senior, Purdy led the league with a .458 batting average and 11 triples, and was second with 42 stolen bases. She is tied for the NCAA lead in triples with another freshman All-American (Bassett). In addition, she was just two hits shy of the century mark with 98, which is second in Division II, scored 53 runs and drove in 34.
A pair of Otters, Cal State Monterey Bay’s designated player Bianca Noriega and pitcher/utility, Cori Reinhardt round out the first team selections. Noriega hit .411 while leading the team with nine homers and 53 RBI to earn First-Team All-CCAA honors for the second season in a row. She also becomes the first player in school history to record 50 or more RBIs in a season twice.
Reinhardt capped off a stellar collegiate career by earning her second straight first-team All-American plaudit and third overall. She ended 2015 with a 30-4 mark and a 1.81 ERA. The 30 wins and 86 over her four years are both school records. As good as she has been as a pitcher, she's been even better as a hitter. She finished 2015 with a .417 batting average, the third time in her collegiate career above .400, and ended her career hitting at a .409 clip, fifth in CCAA history. She also finished her career ranked among the CCAA all-time leader in hits (No. 10, 260), doubles (No. 4, 54), on-base percentage (No. 4, .494), RBI (No. 3, 168) and walks (No. 5, 108).
2015 NFCA Division II All-American Teams |
||
First Team |
||
Pos. |
Player |
School |
P |
Morgan Foley*~ |
University of Indianapolis |
P |
Courtney Poole |
University of North Georgia |
P |
Hannah Perryman%# |
University of Missouri, St. Louis |
C |
Lacey Taylor |
West Texas A&M University |
C |
Marla Reiter |
Dixie State University |
1B |
Kim McMillan |
University of North Georgia |
2B |
Brooklyn Waddell |
West Virginia Wesleyan College |
3B |
Nicki Sprague! |
Azusa Pacific University |
SS |
Sarah Kennedy |
Augustana College (S.D.) |
OF |
Janessa Bassett |
Dixie State University |
OF |
Renee Erwin# |
West Texas A&M University |
OF |
Stephanie Goodwin$ |
Emporia State University |
DP |
Bianca Noriega |
Cal State University, Monterey Bay |
UT/P |
Jenelle Trautmann$# |
Augustana College (S.D.) |
UT/Non-P |
Ancia Purdy |
Sonoma State University |
At-Large/UT-P |
Cori Reinhardt+~ |
Cal State University Monterey Bay |
Second Team |
||
Pos. |
Player |
School |
P |
Michelle Duncan |
Dixie State University |
P |
Caitlyn Calhoun |
Valdosta State University |
P |
Vianna Gutierrez Touchtone |
St. Mary’s University (Texas) |
C |
Cailah Niles |
Anderson University (S.C.) |
C |
Dee Espinosa |
Barry University |
1B |
Madison Casto |
Cal State University Monterey Bay |
2B |
Peyton Roth |
Armstrong State University |
3B |
Caitlin Nichol |
Augustana College (S.D.) |
SS |
Alexis Mercer~ |
Armstrong State University |
OF |
Casey Williamson+^ |
University of Indianapolis |
OF |
Kelsey Coleman |
Notre Dame College of Ohio |
OF |
Courtney Albritton*$~ |
Valdosta State University |
DP |
Taylor Russell |
University of Indianapolis |
DP |
Paige Daino |
Cameron University |
UT/P |
Lyndsay Butler |
Wayne State University (Mich.) |
UT/Non-P |
Taylor Davis |
East Central University |
At-Large/SS |
Nicole Nobbe! |
Cal State University, San Bernardino |
Third Team |
||
Pos. |
Player |
School |
P |
Alex Sagl! |
California University of Pennsylvania |
C |
Alyssa Morris |
Concord University |
1B |
Lindsay Reicoff |
California University of Pennsylvania |
2B |
Tiffany Gillaspy |
Missouri Western State University |
3B |
Nicole Sardelich |
St. Mary’s University (Texas) |
SS |
Stacey Ramirez |
West Texas A&M University |
OF |
Keeley Ray |
Sonoma State University |
At-Large/OF |
Niki Cook |
Shorter University |
At-Large/1B |
Brianna Butler |
University of Missouri, St. Louis |
At-Large/2B |
Nicole Chavez |
Dixie State University |
At-Large/2B |
MacKenzi Dorsam! |
University of Southern Indiana |
At-Large/DP |
Allie Smith |
West Texas A&M University |
At-Large/2B |
Brittany Johnson |
Rollins College |
~ 2014 NFCA Division II First-Team All-American
# 2014 NFCA Division II Second-Team All-American
! 2014 NFCA Division II Third-Team All-American
^2013 NFCA Division II First-Team All-America
*2013 NFCA Division II Second-Team All-America
%2013 NFCA Division II Third-Team All-America
+2012 NFCA Division II First-Team All-America
$2012 NFCA Division II Second-Team All-America
&2012 NFCA Division II Third-Team All-America