The 2018 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Softball All-Conference team has been announced after a vote of league coaches. This year’s GPAC All-Conference Team consists of a first-team, second-team, and an honorable mention list.
Hhana Haro from Concordia was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Player-of-the-Year while Jaylee Hinrichs of Midland, was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Pitcher-of-the-Year. Mike Heard from Midland was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Coach-of-the-Year.
Northwestern College had six players named to the 2018 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) All-Conference team as announced by the league office earlier today. Emma Schnell earned first team accolades, Jensen Boger, Madison Beaver, Kayla Tindall and Emily Bosch were second team selections and Cheyenne Wilcke claimed honorable mention honors.
One of five freshman to be named to the first team, Schnell has had an outstanding first season for head coach Chris Nachtigall’s squad. Schnell is tied for third in the GPAC in wins, posting a 17-4 record with a 1.82 earned run average, second best in the conference. She has 99 strikeouts and just 20 walks in 142 innings pitched while teams hit .252 against the freshman. Schnell has pitched four shutouts and also hit .271 and four home runs in 117 plate appearances.
Four Red Raiders claimed second team honors, including Beaver who earned the honor for the second consecutive year. The junior outfielder is hitting for a .285 average, scoring 24 runs as the team’s leadoff hitter. Beaver accounts for 11 doubles, 10th most in the GPAC, three home runs and 14 RBIs while also ranking third in the league with 13 stolen bases. One of the best defensive outfielders in the GPAC, Beaver notched a fielding percentage of .983, committing one error in 60 chances.
Boger was one of the top hitters for the Red Raiders this season, leading the team with a .345 average in 110 plate appearances. The senior infielder has scored 23 runs, totaling 11 doubles and 18 RBIs in the No.6 spot in the batting order. Boger was outstanding in the field as well, committing just three errors in 135 chances (.978).
Bosch is hitting .339 with five home runs and 25 RBIs in her first season as a Red Raider. The freshman catcher has scored 23 runs, with 10 doubles and stole eight bases this season. Bosch delivered the game-winning hit in the 2-0 win over Midland that clinched the postseason championship for the Red Raiders.
Tindall earns second team accolades after being named honorable mention as a freshman and junior. Tindall matches Schnell with 17 wins, posting a 17-6 record in 23 appearances, and ranks third in the GPAC with a 1.85 ERA. The senior is second in the conference with 139 strikeouts and ranks second all-time at Northwestern with 426 strikeouts, trailing Megan McHugh who recorded 480 from the 2004-07 seasons. Tindall has five shutouts, including two in the final series against Midland that helped the Red Raiders win the GPAC postseason title. At the plate, Tindall is hitting .240 with eight home runs and 19 RBIs.
Wilcke was named honorable mention, claiming the postseason honor for the first time in her two-year career. Wilcke has displayed outstanding power numbers this season, tying for first in the GPAC with 12 home runs to go with 30 RBIs. She is hitting .298 with 29 runs scored and seven doubles.
Dordt’s Rachel Evavold (Sophomore; Bloomington, Minnesota) was named first-team all-GPAC; Marissa VanDenBerg (Sophomore; Wyoming, Michigan) was named second-team and Tianna Top (Junior; Luverne, Minnesota) earned honorable mention accolades.
Evavold batted .391 this season while knocking in 37 runs. She had 54 hits, 16 doubles, three triples and six homeruns. She also pitched in 17 games and compiled a 9-6 record with a 2.97 earned run average and she struck out 66 batters in 103 innings of work. Evavold has 86 career hits with a .337 batting average through two seasons. Her career pitching mark is 13-11 in 25 games played.
VanDenBerg batted .362 and was co-leader on the team with 54 hits and belted nine doubles with two homeruns. She handled 202 chances at shortstop and had a .926 fielding percentage. VanDenBerg has 103 career hits with a career batting average of .349 with 25 doubles. VanDenBerg was a second-team selection in 2017.
Top pitched in 23 games and had a 10-9 record with three saves. Her earned run average was 2.89 and she struck out 72 batters in 133 innings of work. Top has a 37-27 pitching record in 435 innings of work through three seasons and has a career 2.61 earned run average with 224 strikeouts. Top earned honorable mention honors as a freshman and first-team accolades as a sophomore.
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