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