(LEBANON, Ill., May 4) – The McKendree University softball team had four players named to the American Midwest Conference All-Conference softball team on Sunday. The honorees were named Sunday evening following the conclusion of the AMC Tournament in Jefferson City, Mo.
Senior’s Kayla White (Buncombe, Ill./Vienna) and Amy Quirin (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) and freshmen Autumn Allen (Fairview Heights, Ill./Belleville East) and Lindsay McGuire (Benton, Ill./Benton) were all named First-Team All-Conference.
White, an outfielder, has a batting average of .340 this season with 29 runs scored, nine doubles, two triples and seven RBI. She currently leads the team in hits, runs scored and doubles and is second on the team in batting average and doubles.
Quirin, a pitcher, leads the team with a 1.95 ERA and a record of 14-7. She has a team-high 127 strikeouts and is McKendree’s career leader in strikeouts, wins, innings pitched, and complete games. She has three shutouts this season and is tied for the career mark in shutouts at McKendree with Mindy Jameson.
Allen, also a pitcher, has a 2.16 ERA and is 9-4 on the season. Her ERA is second behind Quirin and she also has 73 strikeouts. In the Bearcats regular season finale, Allen and fellow pitcher Katie Ward combined to throw a perfect game in a 6-0 win at Harris-Stowe State University.
McGuire, a catcher, has a team –high .353 batting average with seven home runs, 14 doubles, one triple, and 34 RBI. She leads the team in batting average, doubles, and home runs and also has a slugging percentage of .625.
Junior Taylee Spicuzza (Dahlgren, Ill./Hamilton County) was also a honorable mention All-Conference selection.
Spicuzza, an outfielder, has a batting average of .333 with seven doubles, one home run and seven RBI with 16 runs scored. She is third on the team in batting average and doubles.
McKendree also had 24 players named Academic All-Conference this weekend. To earn the award, players must have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Honored with the academic award were Ashley Agee (Moberly, Ill./Moberly), Cassi Brown (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin), Jamie Corbier (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon), Liz Dains (Valley Park, Mo./Valley Park), Christine Juehne (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin), Lindsay McGuire (Benton, Ill./Benton), Lindsay Newbold (Herrin, Ill./Herrin), Amber Nikolauzyk (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah), Nicole Ostertag (O'Fallon, Mo./Francis Howell), Natalee Rujawitz (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon), Amanda Snyder (Belleville, Ill./Mascoutah), Katie Ward (White Hall, Ill./North Greene), Cathy Webb (Mascoutah, Ill./Mascoutah), Casey White (Buncombe, Ill./Vienna), Kayla White (Buncombe, Ill./Vienna), Lindsay Christensen (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South), Lyndsey Dothager (Mulberry Grove, Ill./Mulberry Grove), Chelsey Durbin (St. Elmo, Ill./St. Elmo), Stephanie Hoffmeier (Greenville, Ill./Greenville), Ashley Parrott (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West), Erica Reed (St. Jacob, Ill./Triad), Christen Roberts (Minier, Ill./Olympia), Lindsay Toenjes (Fairview Heights, Ill./Belleville East), and Brooke Ulrich (Grand Chain, Ill./Century).
McKendree, 30-14 overall, won their sixth AMC championship on Sunday at the AMC tournament to advance to the NAIA Softball National Championship in Decatur, Ala., on May 14-20. After losing their first game on Friday night at the double-elimination tournament, the Bearcats won six straight games to win the title.
-McK-