Monday, April 27, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore.  – Montana State Billings shortstop Taylor Hoke and Saint Martin’s Sam Munger have been selected the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Softball Co-Players of the Year.

Munger, who split her playing time between shortstop and the circle, was also chosen as the GNAC Pitcher of the Year by the conference coaches.

Hoke batted .390 and also had 10 home runs and 46 RBI.  She led the Yellowjackets, who were chosen to finish sixth in the coaches’ pre-season poll, to a 26-21 record and a third-place finish.

Munger, meanwhile, was one of the GNAC’s top hitters and pitchers.  She finished the regular-season ranked second in batting with a .431 average and second in wins with 22.  Her 2.24 earned run average led the league.

In addition to sharing the Player of the Year award with Hoke, Munger was also voted the GNAC Pitcher of the Year.  

Two Western Washington players also won special awards.  Portland State transfer Alicia Fine was selected as the GNAC Newcomer of the Year.  The WWU Viking shortstop batted .373 and also had six home runs and 37 RBI.  

WWU rookie pitcher Makinlee Sellevold earned GNAC Freshman of the Year honors after leading the GNAC in wins.  Her 2.32 ERA was the second best in the conference.

Saint Martin’s head coach Rick Noren, who guided the Saints to a 40-16 record and the GNAC regular-season title, was voted the GNAC Coach of the Year for the third time in four seasons.  The 1987 graduate of Western Washington also won the award in 2012 and in 2013.  He led the Saints to their first-ever GNAC title and a school-record 41 wins in the latter season.

With this year’s 40 wins, Noren now has a 150-102-1 record in five seasons at Lacey.  His overall collegiate coaching record in 19 campaigns his 552-247-1.

Munger, Fine and Sellevold were among seven players who were unanimous selections to the GNAC all-conference team by being ranked among the top 13 players by all six opposing coaches.

Other unanimous choices were Northwest Nazarene first baseman Whitney Carlton, Western Oregon second baseman Kelsie Gardner  and outfielders Amanda Evola  of Western Oregon and Taviah Jenkins of Saint Martin’s.

Munger and Evola joined a select group of players who were named to the first team for the fourth time.  They are the sixth and seventh players in GNAC history to accomplish that feat.

Western Washington outfielder Alexie Levin could join them next year as the junior outfielder was voted to the first team for the third year in a row. Another repeater from a year ago included Saint Martin’s outfielder Taviah Jenkins.

A total of 15 players were named to the first team all-conference team.  Western Washington, which is the No. 2 seed in this week’s conference tournament at Yakima, and fourth-seed Western Oregon, which won last year’s tournament, each put three players on the team.

Saint Martin’s, MSU Billings, Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene each had two first team selections and Simon Fraser had one.

Players of the Year – Sam Munger, Saint Martin’s (5-5, Sr., Everett, WA) and Taylor Hoke, MSU Billings (5-5, Sr., Chehalis, WA). Pitcher of the Year – Sam Munger, Saint Martin’s (5-5, Sr., Everett, WA).  Newcomer of the Year – Alicia Fine, Western Washington (5-6, Sr., Mount Vernon, WA).  Freshman of the Year – Makinlee Sellevold, Western Washington (5-4, Fr., Everett, WA).  Coach of the Year – Rick Noren, Saint Martin’s.

First Team:  Pitchers - *+++Sam Munger, SMU (P-Utility, 5-5, Sr., Everett, WA); *Makinlee Sellevold, WWU (P, 5-4, Fr., Everett, WA); Jesskya MacDonald, MSUB (P, 5-7, Sr., Billings, MT). Catcher - Austin Wilkerson, CWU (C, 5-5, Jr., Ferndale, WA).  First Base - *Whitney Carlton, NNU (1B, 5-5, Sr., Kimberly, ID); Kailyn Campbell, CWU (1B, 6-0, So., Duvall, WA).  Second Base - *Kelsie Gardner, WOU (2B, So., Salem, OR).  Shortstop - Taylor Hoke, MSUB (SS, 5-5, Sr., Chehalis, WA). Infield -  *Alicia Fine, WWU (SS, 5-6, Sr., Mount Vernon, WA).  Third Base - Destiny Kuehl, WOU (3B, So., Portland, OR). Outfield - *+Taviah Jenkins, SMU (OF, 5-7, Sr., Castle Rock, WA); *+++Amanda Evola, WOU (OF, Sr., Beaverton, OR); Rachel Proctor, SFU (OF, 5-9, Jr., Surrey, BC); ++Alexie Levin, WWU (OF, 5-7, Jr., Everett, WA). Designated Player - Ashley Pesek, NNU (DP, 5-9, So., Redmond, OR).  *Unanimous +++Three-time repeater  ++Two-time repeater +Repeater

Second Team: Pitchers - Jourdan Williams, WOU (P, Sr., McMinnville, OR); Kelsie Hawkins, SFU (P, 5-8, Sr., Victoria, BC).  Catcher -  Brittney Sanders, MSUB (C, 5-5, Sr., Kelso, WA).  First Base -  Emily Osborn, MSUB (1B, 5-7, Sr., Las Vegas, NV).  Second Base - Sammy Morris, CWU (2B, 5-3, So., Bothell, WA).  Shortstop – Danielle Raison, SFU (5-7, Sr., Langley, BC).  Third Base -   Megan Miller, SMU (3B, 5-3, Jr., Everett, WA).  Outfield - Lindsay Miller, SMU (OF, 5-7, Fr., Damascus, OR); Bella Rovens, MSUB (OF, 5-6, So., Sparks, NV); Autumn Isaacson, WWU (OF, 5-5, Sr., Lake Stevens, WA); Mary Dettling, SMU (OF, 5-2, So., Reno, NV).

Honorable Mention: Catcher -  Jackie Schmaeling, SMU (C, 5-5, So., El Dorado Hills, CA). First Base -  Dani Wall, SMU (1B, 5-9, Sr., Bucoda, WA). Second Base -   Aubrey Conceicao, MSUB (2B, 5-2, Sr., Temecula, CA);  Taylor Lundrigan, SFU (2B, 5-8, Fr., Abbotsford, BC); Kali Patterson, WWU (2B, 5-7, So., Bonney Lake, WA); Alyssa Slate, SMU (2B, 5-4, So., Antoich, CA).  Outfield - Katie Focher, CWU (OF, 5-8, Sr., Missoula, MT).