Four Belles Earn All-MIAA Softball Honors
Saint Mary's Stories
ROYAL OAK, Mich. - The Saint Mary's softball team was well-represented on the postseason all-conference teams for the 2012 season. Four members of the Belles softball team were named either First Team or Second Team All-MIAA as announced by the league office on Monday.
Sophomore pitcher Callie Selner and freshman first baseman Jordie Wasserman were both selected to the First Team while senior outfielder Kristen Nelson and junior catcher Morgan Bedan got the nod for Second Team accolades.
Selner made 13 appearances in the circle in the Belles' 16 league contests this spring. The sophomore righthander had the third-best ERA among conference pitchers making at least 10 appearances this year. She was tied for the fewest walks (11) among pitchers throwing a minimum of 50 innings in league play and was second in wins with eight. Selner threw more innings (75.2) than any other pitcher in the MIAA in 2012, and her 1.02 walks per seven innings was the best in the conference. Her three shutout victories and eight complete games were both good enough for a share of second place among conference pitchers. Selner was also strong at the plate this season as she boasted a .351 batting average with 20 hits, 12 runs batted in, and a pair of doubles in league play. Coming on the heels of her first-ever MIAA Pitcher of the Week honor, it is the first time in her career she has been named First Team All-MIAA.
Wasserman started each of the Belles' 16 conference games at first base this season. She posted a .407 batting average with a .500 slugging percentage in her first season at Saint Mary's. The freshman first baseman tallied 22 hits and scored 10 runs while adding a pair of doubles and a home run in MIAA play. Her 1.38 hits per game average was fourth-best among conference leaders this season while her batting average was seventh among players averaging two at-bats per game in conference competition. Defensively, she had a .962 fielding percentage and was part of four double plays in MIAA contests. Her 124 putouts were third-highest among all players in the MIAA in 2012.
Nelson started all 16 of Saint Mary's MIAA games in left field in 2012. The senior outfielder had the best season of her career statistically this spring. She hit .348 in league contests this year with 16 hits, 12 runs scored, six walks, six doubles, and a triple. Against Calvin, the Grand Rapids native drove in the lone run of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with an RBI double. In a doubleheader against Albion, Nelson went 5-for-5 in the two games combined with six runs batted in. She safely reached base in 12 of the team's 16 conference games this season. The Second Team All-MIAA honor is the first of her career.
Bedan started each of the team's conference games behind the plate. The junior catcher hit .340 in league play with 17 hits, 15 runs batted in, nine walks, six doubles, and four runs scored. She had either a hit or a walk in 15 of the team's 16 MIAA contests. In a game-one win at Albion this season, she had a career-high six RBIs against the Brits while adding a pair of doubles and a walk. Her nine free passes to first base and 15 runs batted in put her in a tie for fifth-highest among conference players in both categories. Defensively, she was one of just two players to pick off a runner in conference play this spring while putting up a .984 fielding percentage. The all-conference honor is the first of her career.
It is just the third time in program history that four members of the Saint Mary's softball team have earned All-MIAA honors with the other occurrences coming in 2004 and 2010. It is the first time that the four members of the team honored have come from each of the four academic classes (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).
2012 All-MIAA Softball Team
Sophomore pitcher Callie Selner and freshman first baseman Jordie Wasserman were both selected to the First Team while senior outfielder Kristen Nelson and junior catcher Morgan Bedan got the nod for Second Team accolades.
Selner made 13 appearances in the circle in the Belles' 16 league contests this spring. The sophomore righthander had the third-best ERA among conference pitchers making at least 10 appearances this year. She was tied for the fewest walks (11) among pitchers throwing a minimum of 50 innings in league play and was second in wins with eight. Selner threw more innings (75.2) than any other pitcher in the MIAA in 2012, and her 1.02 walks per seven innings was the best in the conference. Her three shutout victories and eight complete games were both good enough for a share of second place among conference pitchers. Selner was also strong at the plate this season as she boasted a .351 batting average with 20 hits, 12 runs batted in, and a pair of doubles in league play. Coming on the heels of her first-ever MIAA Pitcher of the Week honor, it is the first time in her career she has been named First Team All-MIAA.
Wasserman started each of the Belles' 16 conference games at first base this season. She posted a .407 batting average with a .500 slugging percentage in her first season at Saint Mary's. The freshman first baseman tallied 22 hits and scored 10 runs while adding a pair of doubles and a home run in MIAA play. Her 1.38 hits per game average was fourth-best among conference leaders this season while her batting average was seventh among players averaging two at-bats per game in conference competition. Defensively, she had a .962 fielding percentage and was part of four double plays in MIAA contests. Her 124 putouts were third-highest among all players in the MIAA in 2012.
Nelson started all 16 of Saint Mary's MIAA games in left field in 2012. The senior outfielder had the best season of her career statistically this spring. She hit .348 in league contests this year with 16 hits, 12 runs scored, six walks, six doubles, and a triple. Against Calvin, the Grand Rapids native drove in the lone run of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with an RBI double. In a doubleheader against Albion, Nelson went 5-for-5 in the two games combined with six runs batted in. She safely reached base in 12 of the team's 16 conference games this season. The Second Team All-MIAA honor is the first of her career.
Bedan started each of the team's conference games behind the plate. The junior catcher hit .340 in league play with 17 hits, 15 runs batted in, nine walks, six doubles, and four runs scored. She had either a hit or a walk in 15 of the team's 16 MIAA contests. In a game-one win at Albion this season, she had a career-high six RBIs against the Brits while adding a pair of doubles and a walk. Her nine free passes to first base and 15 runs batted in put her in a tie for fifth-highest among conference players in both categories. Defensively, she was one of just two players to pick off a runner in conference play this spring while putting up a .984 fielding percentage. The all-conference honor is the first of her career.
It is just the third time in program history that four members of the Saint Mary's softball team have earned All-MIAA honors with the other occurrences coming in 2004 and 2010. It is the first time that the four members of the team honored have come from each of the four academic classes (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).
2012 All-MIAA Softball Team
Most Valuable Player
Andi Gasco, Trine (junior from Levering, Mich./Petoskey HS)
Most Valuable Pitcher
Andi Gasco, Trine (junior from Levering, Mich./Petoskey HS)
First Team All-MIAA
Sarah Belote, Trine* (junior from Bronson, Mich./Bronson HS)
Tori Cuebas, Trine* (freshman from Greenfield, Ind./Greenfield HS)
Christine Daub, Olivet* (senior from Hudson, Mich./Hudson HS)
Kelly Eberhardt, Adrian*** (senior from Wellington, Ohio/Black River HS)
Andi Gasco, Trine*** (junior from Levering, Mich./Petoskey HS)
Sarah Hall, Adrian* (senior from Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon HS)
Brooke Nienhuis, Hope* (senior from Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland West HS)
Louise Rezmer, Alma* (junior from Essexville, Mich./Bay City All Saints HS)
Callie Selner, Saint Mary's* (sophomore from Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial HS)
Kayla Smart, Alma* (junior from Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS)
Laura Tjepkema, Hope* (junior from Dorr, Mich./South Christian HS)
Jordie Wasserman, Saint Mary's* (freshman from St. Joseph, Mich./Stevensville Lakeshore HS)
Second Team All-MIAA
Lina Avila, Calvin (sophomore from Lakewood, Calif./Valley Christian)
Morgan Bedan, Saint Mary's (junior Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Grosse Pointe South HS)
Kaitlyn Hinojosa, Adrian (freshman from New Boston, Mich./New Boston Huron HS)
Kristen Nelson, Saint Mary's (senior from Grand Rapids, Mich./West Catholic HS)
Marlene Packer, Olivet (junior from Grand Rapids, Mich./Creston HS)
Emma Page, Hope (sophomore from Portage, Mich./Portage Central HS)
Marie Prins, Calvin (senior from Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS)
Erin Rodes, Alma (junior from Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth HS)
Emily Ross, Alma (senior from Buchanan, Mich./Buchanan HS)
Amanda Schneider, Alma (junior from New Baltimore, Mich./Anchor Bay HS)
Carly Searles, Trine (Levering, Mich./Petoskey HS)
Peyton Wells, Hope (freshman from Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS)