Willamette University

Softball | Friday, May 6, 2005

Barnes Named First Team All-NWC; Six Bearcats Earn Conference Honors

SALEM, OR- After an impressive second place finish in the competitive Northwest Conference, six Willamette softball players were named to the
All-NWC teams this week.

Sophomore third baseman Molly Barnes was selected as a member of the All-NWC First Team for infield. Barnes, of Salem, OR, finished the season batting .301, .376 SLG%, with 93 at bats. She totaled 28 hits, 14 runs and seven doubles. Barnes (pictured left) defended the hot corner, leading the league with 81 assists.

Bearcats Lindsey Braun, Kelsey Stolz, Cari Schruth, and Brittney Tachara
were all named to the All-NWC Second Team. Senior April Greer received NWC Honorable Mentions.

Braun, senior first baseman from Salem, OR, earned Second Team infield
honors. Braun ranked fifth in the conference in putouts, digging up 246.
She started in all 32 games for Willamette, bringing in a total of 14 runs, totaling 22 hits, one homerun and seven doubles.

Receiving the vote for Second Team catcher is sophomore Cari Schruth.
Schruth came to the Bearcats from Roseburg, OR, adding more than just a
competitive edge to the game. Schruth played in every competition, recording 28 hits, 23 runs, 17 BB, 12 RBI and 19 stolen bases. Schruth stepped up to the plate 90 times for Willamette finishing the season with a batting average of .311 and an on base percentage of .432.

Stolz and Tachara, two Bearcat freshmen, received the prestigious honor of
being named Second Team outfield and pitcher.

Stolz, of Bandon OR, covered the green playing center field for Willamette. From center, Stolz had 18 putouts. At the plate she totaled in 23 hits, 12 runs, and three doubles. Stolz also competes on the Bearcat track and field team and won the Northwest Conference championship in the javelin throw.

Tachara dominated the mound, totaling ten wins for the Bearcats. Tachara, from Manteca, CA, was fourth in the conference for strikeouts with 101. Tachara pitched a total of 104.2 innings, allowing only 81 hits and 45 runs for an era of 2.61.

Senior April Greer earned NWC Honorable Mentions for her success at the
plate. Greer, a designated hitter for Willamette, had 62 at bats, many of
which were crucial game changing appearances. Greer totaled 17 hits, 12
RBI, and a double.

The Bearcats completed their season 21-11 overall and 19-7 NWC.