University of Southern Indiana Softball freshman pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt (Louisville, Kentucky) has been named the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year in a vote by the region’s sports information directors.
Leonhardt is joined on the D2CCA All-Midwest Region first team by junior first baseman Marleah Fossett (Brownsburg, Indiana), while senior catcher Haley Hodges (Portage, Indiana) was named second team.
In her first year of collegiate softball, Leonhardt (27-2) set the single-season school record with 27 wins. She is currently sporting a 1.49 ERA, .201 opponent batting average and 179 strikeouts in 202.1 innings of work.
Leonhardt, the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, was named GLVC Player of the Week three times in 2017 and has recorded 10 shutouts on the year.
Fossett is earning her second first-team All-Region award in the last week after netting first-team NFCA honors a week ago.
In 2017, Fossett has amassed a .408 batting average, 14 doubles, five home runs and 30 RBIs. She currently leads the GLVC with a school-record 20 hit-by-pitches and is sporting a team-best .530 on-base percentage.
Hodges is earning D2CCA All-Midwest Region honors for the second straight season after collecting first-team accolades a year ago. An NFCA first-team All-Region honoree this season, Hodges has a .409 batting average, 13 doubles, 11 home runs and 51 RBIs on the year. She is the second player in program history to record 10 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons and the first player in program history to post two seasons with 50-plus RBIs.
With the first-team honors, both Leonhardt and Fossett advance to the national ballot, where they will be considered for All-America honors.
USI (44-12) hosts Wayne State University (40-14) in game one of the best-of-three NCAA II Midwest Super Regional Thursday at noon at the USI Softball Field. Wayne State’s Lynsday Butler was named the D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year for her efforts in the field, at the plate and in the pitching circle.
2017 D2CCA Softball All-Midwest Region Teams
Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year: Jennifer Leonhardt, Fr., Southern Indiana
Midwest Region Player of the Year: Lyndsay Butler, Sr., Wayne State
First Team
Pitcher: Jennifer Leonhardt, Fr., Southern Indiana
Pitcher: Carly Kingery, So., Missouri-St. Louis
Pitcher: Bridgette Sappington, Sr., Rockhurst
First Base: Marleah Fossett, Jr., Southern Indiana
Second Base: Jenna Lenza, Sr., Grand Valley State
Shortstop: Alex Stupek, Sr., Missouri-St. Louis
Third Base: Alyssa Rivera, Fr., Truman State
Catcher: Lex Van Nostrand, Sr., Truman State
Outfield: Christa Reisinger, So., Truman State
Outfield: Bekah Kastning, Sr., Hillsdale
Outfield: Meredith Daunhauer, So., Kentucky Wesleyan
Designated Player: Courtney Reeves, Jr., Saginaw Valley State
Utility Player (non-pitcher): Brianne O’Dell, Jr., Cedarville
Utility player (pitcher): Lyndsay Butler, Sr., Wayne State
Second Team
Pitcher: Allison Lipovsky, So., Grand Valley State
Pitcher: Samantha Willman, Sr., Saginaw Valley State
Pitcher: Lauren Dale, So., Truman State
First Base: Rachel Hastings, Sr., McKendree
Second Base: Meredith Rousse, Jr., Saginaw Valley State
Shortstop: Jaylin Tidwell, Fr., Kentucky Wesleyan
Third Base:Â Dayna Denner, Fr., Ashland
Catcher: Haley Hodges, Sr., Southern Indiana
Outfield: Ally Farrah, Sr., Ashland
Outfield: Kaylee Prieto, Jr., Lewis
Outfield: Lauren Cairo, Sr., Rockhurst
Designated Player: Ellie Balbach, Sr., Grand Valley State
Utility Player (non-pitcher): Natalie Lalich, Sr., Indianapolis
Utility Player (pitcher): Carly Dundee, Sr., Wisconsin-Parkside
