The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2011 Softball Awards on Tuesday, May 17, recognizing four Gustavus softball players with All-Conference honors. Senior catcher Dani Cattrysse, sophomore outfielder MacKenzie Dalton, junior infielder Lisa Klass, and sophomore pitcher/DH Kate Rentschler were all named to the 2011 MIAC All-Conference Team.
Senior outfielder Jenny Ewert earned a spot on the 2011 MIAC Honorable Mention All-Conference Team, while Amy Lynch was selected to represent the Gusties on the All-Sportsmanship Team.
The Gusties finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 27-14-1 and a MIAC mark of 20-3-1, placing second in the conference for the fifth time in the past six years. Head Coach Jeff Annis’ squad went 2-2 in the MIAC Playoffs, falling to St. Thomas in the championship. The Gustavus softball team recorded over 25 wins in a season for the seventh consecutive year.
Senior Dani Cattrysse makes her first career appearance on the All-MIAC Team, after earning honorable mention honors last season. A catcher from Mankato, Minn., Cattrysse hit .337 (31-92) with a team-high 26 RBI. Within conference play, she hit .406 (3rd/GAC), while ranking third in the MIAC in RBI with 25. Over her four-year career, Cattrysse has hit .318 (90-283) with 90 RBI. In the past two seasons, the senior has struck out just 11 times in 157 at-bats.
MacKenzie Dalton, a sophomore from Edina, Minn., also makes her first appearance on the All-Conference Team. Dalton ranked second on the team in hitting this season with a batting average of .371 (26-70). The right fielder led the squad in outfield assists with 13, registering a fielding percentage of .938. Within league play, Dalton’s .455 batting average ranked seventh in the conference, as she made just one error in 12 chances in 19 games.
Junior infield staple Lisa Klass earns All-Conference honors for the third consecutive season. Klass led the Gusties at the plate with a batting average of .388 (45-116), hitting over .375 for the third time in her career. In 41 games, Klass recorded team-highs in hits (45), doubles (11), triples (2), walks (21), and on-base percentage (.482). In her first full-time season at short, Klass recorded a fielding percentage of .939, making just nine errors in 147 tries. She finished the year on an eight-game hitting-streak, going 13-for-24 within that time. In league play, Klass ranked ninth in hitting at .435 and was fifth in on-base percentage at .536. The junior led the league in runs (28) and walks (15) as Jeff Annis’ leadoff hitter.
Sophomore hurler Kate Rentschler takes home All-MIAC distinction for the first time in her career. Rentschler was Gustavus’ ace this season, recording 135.1 innings and going 17-8 (11-1 MIAC). She finished the year with an ERA of 3.31 and an opponent batting average of .280. Against the MIAC this season, Rentschler finished second in both ERA at 2.17 and wins with 11. At the plate, the Lakefield, Minn. native hit .324 with nine doubles, four home runs, 24 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .620.
Senior center fielder Jenny Ewert makes the All-MIAC Honorable Mention team after hitting .364 (39-107) with 30 runs and 12 RBI. Ewert was one of three Gustavus players to tally over 100 at-bats this season, finishing third on the team in on-base percentage at .425. Ewert finishes her career with a batting average of .311 (133-427) while scroring 99 runs.
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC announced the fifth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team for softball. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition. Senior outfielder Amy Lynch (Watertown, Minn.) was selected for the Sportsmanship Award this season.
