INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The No. 4 University of Indianapolis softball team has garnered recognition in the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s four major postseason awards, it was announced by the conference office Thursday evening at the 2012 GLVC Softball Championship Awards Banquet. UIndy junior Jennifer DeMotte was unanimously named by the conference coaches as the league’s Pitcher of the Year and teammate Casey Williamson was tabbed as Player of the Year. Williamson also shared Freshman of the Year honors with Northern Kentucky newcomer Kaylin Steinmetz. Greyhounds’ mentor Melissa Frost-Fisher was honored by her peers as Coach of the Year, while a total of 50 student-athletes from both the GLVC East and West Divisions earned All-Conference accolades.
Williamson is the GLVC’s first-ever Freshman and Player of the Year honoree. The Greyhound rookie led the league in batting average (.459), hits (73), runs scored (54), RBIs (48), doubles (18), triples (5), walks (34), and on-base percentage (.558). She is second in the league in total bases with 122 and boasts a .767 slugging percentage that is also second-best in the GLVC. She has already broken team single-season records for hits and runs scored, and has tied the single-season doubles record. She is on pace to also overtake the single-season steals and RBI marks, and is also nearing the batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage marks. Williamson is UIndy’s first GLVC Player of the Year honoree since Megan Russell earned the conference’s top honor in 2010. She is the Greyhounds’ second-straight Freshman of the Year as Cori Eckerle – a 2012 second-team All-GLVC selection at catcher – was honored last season.
DeMotte, a four-time weekly conference award winner this year, paced all league pitchers in innings pitched (219.1), appearances (40), wins (30), ERA (0.96), and opponent batting average (.164). She threw two perfect games and a third no-hitter this season, all of which came in conference play, including a perfect game and no-hitter coming in back-to-back appearances. DeMotte is the first Indianapolis hurler to earn GLVC Pitcher of the Year since Beth Wendlinger in 2006.
Frost-Fisher, who was named Coach of the Year in 2010, led the Greyhounds to a 45-7 overall record and 28-6 mark in conference play, both of which rank first in school history. UIndy boasted three first-team All-GLVC East Division honorees, including DeMotte, Williamson, and utility player Sydney Russell. Both Williamson and DeMotte were unanimous selections to the league's first team.
Steinmetz prevented a clean sweep in the postseason awards by the Greyhounds after posting impressive numbers in her first season with the Norse. She posted 20 home runs in her rookie campaign, nine more than the closest conference slugger, and also paced the league in total bases (135), while ranking third in RBIs (45) and fourth in runs scored (41). Steinmetz, who also was selected to the All-GLVC East first team, is the first NKU player to earn Freshman of the Year honors since Jessica Farris was tabbed as the conference’s top newcomer in 2009.
In addition to DeMotte and Williamson, five other players were unanimously selected to their respective All-Conference first teams, including Drury’s Betsey Toalson (OF, West) and Monica Villarreal (P, West), Missouri-St. Louis’ Brianna Butler (1B, West) and Leslie Davis (DP, West), and Southern Indiana designated player Kristen O’Haver.
A complete list of the 2012 GLVC All-Conference honorees follows:
FIRST-TEAM EAST DIVISION
1B – Lauren Summe, Sr., BU
2B – Dee Dee Davis, So., NKU
SS – Megan Murdoch, Jr., BU
3B – Meagan Sallee, Jr., KWC
C – Brittnie Boerema, Sr., SJC
OF – Casey Williamson, Fr., UINDY#
OF – Jayme Hefler, Jr., LEWIS
OF – Kaylin Steinmetz, Fr., NKU
DP – Kristen O’Haver, Sr., USI #
UT – Sydney Russell, Fr., UINDY
P – Jennifer DeMotte, Jr., UINDY #
P – Emily Schwaeble, Jr., NKU
P – Sarah Jo Franklin, Jr., SJC
SECOND-TEAM EAST DIVISION
1B – Natalie Papi, So., NKU
2B – Stephanie Winter, Fr., SJC
SS – Amy Varner, Sr., SJC
3B – Shawn Hoskins, So., SJC
C – Cori Eckerle, So., UINDY
OF – Samantha Krcelich, Fr., UINDY
OF – Jessica Rourke, So., LEWIS
OF – Mandi McQueen, So., NKU
DP – Alexis Munaco, Jr., LEWIS
UT – Kayla Padgett, Fr., BU
*P – Alicia Miller, Fr., BU
*P – Ashlee Winstead, Jr., KWC
*P – Megan Ramey, Jr., SJC
*P – Brooke Harmening, Fr., USI
*4 due to tie
FIRST-TEAM WEST DIVISION
1B – Brianna Butler, Fr., UMSL #
2B – Sarah Gray, Jr., UIS
SS – Rachel Wood, Sr., UIS
3B – Amber Hayden, Sr., DU
C – Madison Zbaraschuk, Fr., UMSL
OF – Betsey Toalson, So., DU #
OF – Stacy Razo, Jr., DU
OF – Erin Driskell, Sr., UMSL
DP – Leslie Davis, Jr., UMSL #
UT – No Selection
P – Kelsea Garthoff, Sr., DU
P – Monica Villarreal, Jr., DU #
P – Heather Gradishar, Sr., UIS
SECOND-TEAM WEST DVISION
1B – Ashleigh Roscetti, Jr., QU
2B – Marissa Valdez, Jr., DU
SS – Kelsey Kapitzke, So., MU
3B – Alex Jacobson, So., RU
C – Kaitlyn Bowles, So., DU
OF – Regina Norris, Jr., DU
OF – Mandy Smith, So., UIS
OF – Rachel Hayden, So., WJC
DP – No Selection
UT – No Selection
P – Wendy Macias, Fr., QU
P – Kayla Hoyer, Jr., RU
P – Maria Buckingham, Sr., WJC
2012 GLVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Casey Williamson, Indianapolis
2012 GLVC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Jennifer DeMotte, Indianapolis #
2012 GLVC CO-FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Kaylin Steinmetz, Northern Kentucky & Casey Williamson, Indianapolis
2012 GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Melissa Frost-Fisher, Indianapolis
# Indicates Unanimous Selection