Four Gustavus Adolphus College softball players were honored Monday as the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2006 MIAC softball awards. Senior Audrey Lenoch (Pine Island, Minn.) was named all-conference team at first base, while junior Joyce DeWitz (Good Thunder, Minn.) was named to the all-conference team as a pitcher. Sophomore second baseman Julie Mahre (White Bear Lake, Minn.) and first-year shortstop Rachael Click (Rochester, Minn.), who was also selected as MIAC Rookie of the Year, were named all-conference as well.
Senior Audrey Lenoch led the Gusties offensively, hitting .510 at the plate with 11 doubles, three home runs and single-season school records in triples (8) and RBI (46). Lenoch also walked 23 times, one shy of tying a single-season school record. Lenoch’s .856 slugging percentage this season is second only to the .872 mark she posted in 2004. She also finished the season without an error in the field in 279 chances at first base. Lenoch finished the season ranked in the top-50 in NCAA Division III in five statistical categories: batting average (ninth, 0.510), triples per game (tenth, 0.2/gm), slugging percentage (18th, 0.856), RBI per game (23rd, 1.2/gm) and walks per game (44th, 0.58/gm).
Junior Joyce DeWitz led the Gusties this season with a 21-6 overall record and a 1.59 earned run average in 163.1 innings of work. With 21 wins, DeWitz broke the record of 20 she already shared with Laura LeVander (1994) and fell one short of tying her own single-season school records for appearances (34 in 2005) and most games started (31 in 2005). Her 175 strikeouts ranked second in the MIAC. DeWitz finished the season ranked in the top-75 in NCAA Division III in three statistical categories: wins (12th, 21), strikeouts per seven innings (47th, 7.5/7 inn.) and earned run average (73rd, 1.59). Historically, DeWitz now ranks first at Gustavus in appearances (77), second in career victories (41) and is within 13 of Laura LeVander’s school-record of 396 strikeouts.
Sophomore Julie Mahre led the team in at bats (127) runs scored (47 – school record) and home runs (9), while striking out only once all season. Mahre also had 50 hits, nine doubles, six triples, 28 RBI and 13 stolen bases. She committed only four errors in 131 chances at second base to finish with a .969 fielding average. Mahre finished the season ranked in the top-50 in NCAA Division III in three statistical categories: toughest to strike out (third, 1 K in 127 AB), runs per game (26th, 1.18/gm) and triples per game (34th, 0.15/gm).
First-year Rachael Click was second on the team in on-base percentage (.441) and runs batted in (30). She ranked third on the team in batting average (.356), slugging percentage (.446), runs scored (28), and total bases (45). Click managed only eight strikeouts in 121 plate appearances this season. She had five errors in 110 chances on the season with a fielding percentage of .955. Click stole nine bases in her ten attempts this season. Click is the second consecutive Gustavus to be named MIAC Rookie of the Year following Julie Mahre who was honored last year.
Mary Furlong, a senior outfielder, received honorable mention all-conference honors. She was one of four captains for the Gusties this season, and had a batting average of .320. Furlong scored the second most runs for Gustavus with 38 and was tied for the team lead with 15 stolen bases this season.
Lenoch, DeWitz, Mahre, Click, and Furlong helped the Gusties finish the season with a 31-9 overall record and a second-place 19-3 mark in the MIAC. Gustavus also finished second in the MIAC Postseason Tournament. The 31 wins is a school record, breaking the mark of 29 set two seasons ago.