ST. LOUIS – Illinois State softball's Mack Leonard and Morgan Day have been placed on the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team, while Andrea Coursey and Emme Olson have collected honorable mention nods.
For the second-consecutive year, Leonard lands a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, as the junior holds a 3.95 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) as an exercise science major. Leonard finished in the top five in the Valley in all major statistical categories (batting average, runs scored, hits, RBIs, home runs and total bases) this season. The Normal, Illinois, native leads the ISU career charts in batting average (.405), slugging percentage (.709) and on base percentage (.491). Leonard finished her junior campaign on a 26-game reached base streak, while turning in a team-leading 18 multi-hit and 10 multi-RBI games.
Day is earning her first career academic accolade from the league with a selection to the first team as a public relations major. The senior finished the season with 10 double-digit strikeout performances and was named MVC Pitcher of the Week six times. Day's Valley-leading 247 strikeouts are the 10th most turned in by a pitcher in NCAA Division I this season, while her strikeouts per seven innings (10.6) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.06) also rank among the best nationally. The right-handed hurler became just the fourth player in program history to eclipse 200 strikeouts in a single season and third player to accumulate 600 career strikeouts, finishing with 620.
A three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention, Coursey holds an impressive 3.97 GPA as a business management major. Coursey added her first career postseason accolade to her resume with a spot on the All-Valley First Team. The senior was honored with Illinois State's Laurie Mabry Award, which is given to a female student-athlete who exemplifies the positive values and attitudes that can be learned through athletics and is a person who appreciates the opportunity she has received through participation in the athletic program. Coursey ranked second on the team in batting average (.404) during MVC contests and finished her career on a nine-game hitting streak. The two-time team captain was also selected to the 2021 MVC All-Tournament Team.
A leader on the field and in the classroom, Olson is earning her second-straight scholar-athlete team nod as a business major with an impressive 3.96 GPA. The junior infielder finished this season third on the team in batting average (.318), while ranking second in RBIs (28) and first in doubles (8). The all-conference second-team selection turned in the second-most multi-hit (11) and multi-RBI (8) games this season and reached base safely in all but seven of ISU's 41 contests.
In order to be eligible, student-athletes must have at 3.3 GPA or higher, be at least a sophomore in athletic and academic standing and meet certain playing requirements.
For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB) and Instagram (@redbirdsoftball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
"four" - Google News
May 21, 2021 at 09:03PM
https://ift.tt/3fDGt5s
Four Redbirds Land Spots on MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams - Illinois State University Athletics - Illinois State Athletics
"four" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ZSDCx7
https://ift.tt/3fdGID3
No comments:
Post a Comment