Titans’ Hyland Named CCIW “Pitcher of Year”

May 8, 2007

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan senior Lauren Hyland was chosen “Pitcher of the Year” for softball in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin in voting done by league coaches.

Hyland was joined on the first team of the all-CCIW squads by sophomore first baseman Valerie Hackett, junior second baseman Ashley Deck, sophomore outfielder Monica Urban and senior shortstop Molly Coers while junior catcher Kelly Nelson and junior third baseman Kendahl McIntyre were named to the second team.

Hyland and Deck were first team selections a year ago and Coers was on the second team in 2006 and 2004 and was a first team all-CCIW player in 2005.

The Titans won the regular season league title with a 13-1 mark and the IWU coaches, along with those from Augustana, shared the “Coaching Staff of the Year” award. IWU led the league in both batting average (.359) and earned run average (1.81). Augustana shortstop Lorena Cernetisch was the “Player of the Year” and earned the “Batting Champion” title with an average of .500.

Hyland (Evergreen Park, Ill. HS) is the first IWU player to earn the pitching award since Kelly Murray, who won the league honor in 2004 and 2002. Hyland was 7-0 with a 1.76 earned run average (seventh in the league) against conference teams. She was third in CCIW stats with 37 strikeouts in a league-most 51 2/3 innings.

Hackett (New Lenox, Lincoln-Way HS) was fifth in the CCIW with a .421 average, second with four home runs and fourth with 12 runs batted in.

Deck (Bolingbrook, Ill., HS) led the league with 16 runs batted in, was tied for third with 13 runs scored and was 10th in the conference with a .378 batting average. Her seven doubles was second most in conference play and her 30 total bases was fifth.

Urban (Wheaton, Ill., North HS) tied for second in the CCIW with 12 stolen bases and was sixth with a .414 average.

Coers (Manito, Ill., Midwest Central HS), who was chosen as an at-large player, was second in the league with a .444 average and led the conference with 24 hits. She was second in runs scored with 18 and tied for the league lead with three triples.

Nelson (Palos Heights, Ill., Stagg HS) tied for 11th in the league with a .375 batting average and had two home runs and four runs batted in.

McIntyre (Dallas, Texas, Bishop Lynch HS) was chosen as an at-large player. She hit .381 in league play with two doubles and four RBI.

Illinois Wesleyan is 31-12 and will play St. Norbert at 4 p.m. on Thurs., May 10 in the first round of the NCAA Division III regional tournament in Eau Claire, Wis.

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, (309) 556-3206