Big Ten Announces 2018 Softball Postseason Honors

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced the 2018 All-Big Ten Softball Teams and individual awards Wednesday, with Big Ten Champion Michigan earning three of the four individual accolades through a vote of the conference’s 14 head coaches. Minnesota sophomore catcher Kendyl Lindaman was selected as the Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Michigan’s Meghan Beaubien was chosen as the Pitcher and Freshman of the Year (receiving the latter award unanimously), and the Wolverines’ Carol Hutchins earned Coach of the Year honors.

Lindaman is the eighth student in Big Ten softball history to earn the Big Ten Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons, and the first since Michigan’s Sierra Romero in 2013 and 2014. Beaubien is the fourth freshman to collect Big Ten Pitcher of the Year plaudits and the first since Minnesota’s Sara Groenewegen in 2014 — Groenewegen also was the last to pair the Pitcher and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season. Hutchins is no stranger to conference honors, collecting her 17th Big Ten Coach of the Year citation and eighth in the past 11 seasons.

 

A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Lindaman ranks among the top 10 in the Big Ten in home runs (tied-first – 19; five shy of the Big Ten record set by Illinois’ Angelena Mexicano in 2008), walks (first – 50), on-base percentage (second - .547), slugging percentage (second - .850), total bases (tied-fourth – 113), RBI (fifth – 46) and runs scored (sixth – 46), while adding a .368 batting average (11th in the Big Ten).

 

For the second year in a row, Lindaman challenged for the triple crown during conference play, leading the Big Ten in a .512 batting average in conference games, as well as a .732 on-base percentage, 1.279 slugging percentage and 10 home runs (tied with Northwestern’s Rachel Lewis), while finishing fourth in RBI (25). Michigan’s Maggie Viefhaus remains the only Big Ten student ever to earn the triple crown during conference action, leading the Big Ten in batting average, RBI and home runs in 2010.

Beaubien leads the nation with 32 wins, and 12 shutouts in the circle this season, posting a 32-3 record with conference bests of 20 complete games, a 0.90 ERA (fifth in the country) and 245 strikeouts (12th nationally). Opponents are batting .126 this year against the Newport, Michigan, native, who is allowing just 3.01 hits per seven innings (second in the nation), and she has tossed three no-hitters to date, while sharing a fourth with her Wolverine classmate Sarah Schaefer.

 

During conference games, Beaubien posted a 16-1 record with 10 complete games, six shutouts and a 0.93 ERA while collecting 117 strikeouts. She also held opponents to a .123 batting average during Big Ten play.

 

Hutchins, who has recorded more wins than any coach in NCAA history (1,570 to date), has led the Wolverines to a 43-10 record and an 18-3 mark in Big Ten play this year, culminating with Michigan’s 20th conference title and 10th in the past 11 seasons. The Wolverines are currently ranked No. 12 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and No. 15 in the latest USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll, having won 37 of their last 41 games heading into this week’s Big Ten Tournament, where they are the No. 1 seed.

Beaubien and Lindaman were named first-team All-Big Ten performers and were joined on the 18-member squad by Illinois’ Kiana Sherlund and Carly Thomas, Indiana’s Tara Trainer and Maddie Westmoreland, Michigan’s Tera Blanco and Faith Canfield, Michigan State’s Lea Foerster, Minnesota’s Amber Fiser and MaKenna Partain, Nebraska’s Tristen Edwards, Northwestern’s Rachel Lewis and Morgan Nelson, Ohio State’s Shelby McCombs and Lilli Piper, Purdue’s Jenny Behan and Wisconsin’s Kelsey Jenkins. Sherlund, Beaubien, Blanco, Foerster, Lindaman, Edwards, Lewis, Piper and Jenkins were all unanimous first-team selections.

Eighteen students were named second-team All-Big Ten honorees, while nine students were voted to the conference’s All-Defensive Team and 11 chosen for the inaugural Big Ten All-Freshman Team, including Beaubien, who was a unanimous selection. The Big Ten also announced the 14 Sportsmanship Award honorees from each institution. The students chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These students must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. 

2018 All-Big Ten Softball Teams and Individual Awards

(as selected by the Big Ten coaches — students in ALL CAPS were unanimous selections)

 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kendyl Lindaman, So., C, MINN

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Meghan Beaubien, Fr., P, MICH

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: MEGHAN BEAUBIEN, P, MICH

COACH OF THE YEAR: Carol Hutchins, MICH

 

First Team All-Big Ten

KIANA SHERLUND, Jr., OF, ILL

Carly Thomas, Jr., OF, ILL

Tara Trainer, Jr., P, IND

Maddie Westmoreland, Fr., DP, IND

MEGHAN BEAUBIEN, Fr., P, MICH

TERA BLANCO, Sr., 1B, MICH

Faith Canfield, Jr., 2B, MICH

LEA FOERSTER, Sr., OF, MSU

Amber Fiser, So., P, MINN

KENDYL LINDAMAN, So., C, MINN

MaKenna Partain, So., 2B, MINN

TRISTEN EDWARDS, So., SS, NEB

RACHEL LEWIS, Fr., 2B, NU

Morgan Nelson, Jr., OF, NU

Shelby McCombs, Sr., UTL, OSU

LILLI PIPER, Jr., SS, OSU

Jenny Behan, Jr., 3B, PUR

KELSEY JENKINS, Sr., 2B, WIS

 

Second Team All-Big Ten

Stephanie Abello, Jr., C, ILL

Maddi Doane, Sr., OF, ILL

Rebecca Blitz, Sr., OF, IND

Gabbi Jenkins, So., OF, IND

Allison Doocy, So., P, IOWA

Allie Wood, Sr., OF, IOWA

Sky Ellazar, Sr., 2B, MD

Katie Alexander, Jr., C, MICH

Ellee Jensen, Fr., OF, MINN

Kaylan Jablonski, Sr., UTL, NEB

Alyvia Simmons, Jr., OF, NEB

Sabrina Rabin, Sr., OF, NU

Emily Clark, Jr., 2B, OSU

Tori Dubois, Jr., OF, PSU

Rebecca Hall, Sr., 1B, RU

Jess Hughes, Jr., SS, RU

Haley Hestekin, Fr., P, WIS

Brooke Wyderski, Sr., SS, WIS

 

All-Freshman Team

Bella Loya, UTL, ILL

Taylor Lambert, OF, IND

Maddie Westmoreland, DP, IND

MEGHAN BEAUBIEN, P, MICH

Natalia Rodriguez, SS, MICH

Ellee Jensen, OF, MINN

Rachel Lewis, 2B, NU

Kenna Wilkey, UTL, NU

Niki Carver, 3B, OSU

Haley Hestekin, P, WIS

Taylor Johnson, 3B, WIS

 

All-Defensive Team

P: Kaitlyn Menz, So., WIS

C: Becca Gavin, Sr., OSU

1B: Lily Novak, Jr., NU

2B: Faith Canfield, Jr., MICH

SS: Lilli Piper, Jr., OSU

3B: Meaghan Wells, Sr., RU

OF: Carly Thomas, Jr., ILL

OF: Rebecca Blitz, Sr., IND

OF: Lea Foerster, Sr., MSU

 

Sportsmanship Award Honorees: Taylor Edwards, ILL; Rachel O’Malley, IND; Cheyenne Pratt, IOWA; Sami Main, MD; Morgan Swift, MICH; Kelly Zackrison, MSU; Ellie Cowger, MINN; Caitlin Bartsch, NEB; Brooke Marquez, NU; Megan Choinacky, OSU; Jessica Cummings, PSU; Madison Douglass, PUR; Jess Hughes, RU; Sam Arents, WIS


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