Skinner, Barney Lead 6 UU All-OIC Selections

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio (May 7, 2012) - Just 3 days after the Urbana University softball team swept through the D-II Ohio Independents' Championship, 6 Blue Knights landed on the All-OIC squads.  Sophomore Ashley Skinner (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek HS) and junior Bridgette Barney (Medway, Ohio/Tecumseh HS) were named First Team All-OIC at utility position and right field, respectively.  Four more Blue Knights, including senior catcher Megan Risner, junior shortstop Heather Hakola, junior second baseman Brooke Shultz, and sophomore pitcher Lauren Anderson, earned Honorable Mention All-OIC honors.

Skinner took the OIC by storm in her first season at UU.  Splitting her time between third base and catcher, Skinner hit .367 in 10 regular season starts against OIC opponents.  She slugged a team-best .733 over those 10 games, adding 4 doubles, 2 triples and a home run to her tally.  She also finished with a team-best 13 RBIs and 2 stolen bases, helping the Blue Knights land the #3 seed in the 6-team tournament with a 5-5 mark.  Her home run and 2 RBIs helped the Blue Knights defeat 2-seed Walsh 2-0 in Game 1 of the OIC Tournament on Thursday afternoon.

Barney also turned up the heat in OIC play.  A .243 hitter over the course of the season, Barney stepped her average up to .320 in 9 regular season games against OIC opponents.  She slugged an even .400, adding 2 doubles, 3 RBIs and a stolen base in OIC play.  Down the stretch, Barney raised her batting average 100 points over a 2 week span, picking up 13 hits over an 8-game stretch.  In the OIC Championship Game, she drove in the go-ahead runs late on a 2-out, 2-run double.

Shultz hit a team-best .419 vs. the OIC.  Her on-base percentage was over .500 in 10 starts, and she scored a team-high 8 runs in the 10 contests. Shultz reached 6 times in 10 games via a walk or hit-by-pitch.  She also doubled twice, stole a base and drove in 4 runs.

Risner and Hakola struggled, by their standards, in the 10 games against OIC opponents.  The Blue Knights' #4 and #5 hitters managed batting averages of just .241 and .226, but each played a pivotal role in carrying the team to an OIC Championship last week.  The OIC coaches, who voted on the all-OIC teams, respected each hitters abilities enough to look past their low averages in the 10 OIC games to vote them Honorable Mention.  Over the course of the entire season, Hakola hit .331, slugged .543 and drove in 32 runs on 10 doubles, a triple and 5 home runs.  Risner, the 2012 Female Blue Knight of the Year, hit .325 while making a school-record 50 starts.  She slugged .561, finishing with 13 doubles, 3 triples and 6 home runs.  She fell a homer shy of the career record, but she owns the career doubles record despite playing just 3 seasons at UU.

Anderson surprised with a superb sophomore season.  After winning just 1 game as a true freshman, the righty led the team in wins (12), ERA (2.94), appearances (30), starts (23), complete games (13), and innings pitched (150.0).  In 6 appearances vs. OIC opponents in the regular season, she finished 3-2 with a 3.23 ERA.

The remaining All-OIC selections are below:
Freshman of the Year: Desi Givens (Malone)
Coach of the Year: Amy Kyler (Notre Dame)
1st Team: P Cecelia DeBartolo (Cedarville), C Nicole Spehar (Notre Dame), 1B Lauren Hershberger (Malone), 2B Desi Givens (Malone), SS Felisha Jones (Notre Dame), 3B Christine Kasidonis (Notre Dame), LF Megan Turner (Notre Dame), CF Kelsey Wilson (Cedarville), RF Bridgette Barney (Urbana), DP Calee Ruppel (Walsh), UT Ashley Skinner (Urbana)
2nd Team: P Erin Ebert (Walsh), C Kelsey Warrington (Cedarville), 1B Jessica Bequette (Notre Dame), 2B Kelsey Coleman (Notre Dame), SS Kristen Atzenhoefer (Malone), LF Sara Samblanet (Malone), CF Jenna Rosso (Walsh), DP Kenleigh Ludlow (Cedarville), UT Samantha Roberts (Ursuline)
Honorable Mention: Megan Passwaiter (Ursuline), Megan Risner (Urbana), Natalie Huggins (Ursuline), Dana Brown (Walsh), Lauran Grana (Ursuline), Missy Murphy (Cedarville), Brooke Shultz (Urbana), Miranda Boggs (Ursuline), Heather Hakola (Urbana), Chelsea Testa (Walsh), Shelby Young (Cedarville), Megan Lane (Malone), Elizabeth Maher (Ursuline), Kelsey Ford (Walsh), Shelby Snyder (Malone), Lauren Anderson (Urbana)