Five Wolverines Named to Great Lakes All-Region Team
5/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior pitcher Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter), senior catcher Becky Marx (St. Joseph, Mich./Lakeshore), senior second baseman Tiffany Haas (North Tustin, Calif./Foothill), and sophomore outfielder Alessandra Giampaolo (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic) were chosen for the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Great Lakes All-Region first team, headlining five University of Michigan softball players on the all-region team, voted on by the regional coaches and announced Wednesday (May 17).
Sophomore first baseman Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) was voted to the All-Great Lakes Region second team, rounding out the U-M honorees.
All regional honorees are eligible for All-America accolades. All-Americans will be voted on and selected on May 29 by regional representatives and the honorees will be announced during the week of the Women's College World Series.
Ritter has been Michigan's ace in the circle this season, posting a record of 27-6 with a 0.64 ERA, 15 shutouts, 380 strikeouts and 228.2 innings pitched. Ritter's ERA is currently the second lowest in the nation and her 11.6 strikeouts per seven innings is sixth-best in the country. She has held opposing hitters to a .126 batting average, giving up just 25 extra-base hits, and earned All-Big Ten first team honors and the Big Ten Tournament MVP award. Ritter is one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award after finishing among the top three finalists in 2005. Ritter earned NFCA All-America first team honors in 2005 and helped lead the Wolverines to their first NCAA title in program history.
Marx has been Michigan's everyday catcher in 2006 while leading the team in average (.350), home runs (12), RBI (46) and slugging percentage (.656). Marx caught 22 of Michigan's 25 shutouts, including the team's only no-hitter, while leading the team with 16 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games. She has far exceeded her 2005 statistics, raising her batting average 117 points and improving in RBI (+20), doubles (+6) and home runs (+6). Marx was voted All-Big Ten second team and to the Big Ten All-Tournament team for the first time in her career.
Haas has a chance to earn her third NFCA All-America honor after earning her third regional nod. Haas has been a defensive rock at second base for the Wolverines, fielding at a perfect 1.000 rate in 122 chances, while batting .292 with a team-best 14 doubles. Haas has 14 multi-hit games to her credit this season and a team-best seven-game hitting streak under her belt. She has also been the toughest strikeout in the Wolverine lineup this year, fanning just once every 11.13 at-bats.
Giampaolo has quietly put together one of the best seasons for an outfielder in the Great Lakes region, batting .309 with 11 doubles and 12 multi-hit games while posting a .400 on-base percentage. She is third on the team in batting average and has scored 37 runs this season to rank second on the team. Giampaolo also lends her glove and rocket launcher arm to the outfield, recording 43 putouts this season and a team-best three outfield assists.
Findlay earns second team honors behind Illinois slugger Jenna Hall, who leads the nation in walks, is second in batting average and fourth in slugging percentage. Findlay is having a solid season of her own, batting .315 with eight home runs and 37 RBI while posting a .562 slugging percentage. She earned All-Big Ten third team honors and was voted to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after batting .333 with a home run and three RBI in the conference tournament. Findlay tied a single-game program record with eight RBI earlier this season and has already slugged a pair of grand slams in the 2006 campaign.
Michigan enters the NCAA Tournament with a 40-13 record, reaching the 40-win total for the 12th season in a row. The Wolverines are hot off their second straight Big Ten Tournament title and are riding a seven-game win streak heading into the NCAA Regional. Michigan hosts the NCAA Regional (May 19-21), facing off against Youngstown State on Friday (May 19) at 7 p.m. in the first meeting between the two programs.
Great Lakes All-Region Team
FIRST TEAM
P -- Jennie Ritter, Michigan
P -- Cassidy Scoggins, Southern Illinois
C -- Becky Marx, Michigan
1B -- Jenna Hall, Illinois
2B -- Tiffany Haas, Michigan
3B -- Gina Rango, Bowling Green
SS -- Lauren Clark, Eastern Michigan
OF -- Alessandra Giampaolo, Michigan
OF -- Randi Patton, Illinois State
OF -- Brittany Vanderink, Ohio State
UT -- Ashley Esparza, Penn State
DP -- Amber Smith, Illinois State
SECOND TEAM
P -- Missy Beseres, Penn State
P -- Krysten Shumaker, Western Michigan
P -- Grace Luginbuhl#, Cleveland State
P -- Laura Chomokos@, Oakland
C -- Kristen McDonnell, Youngstown State
1B -- Samantha Findlay, Michigan
2B -- Nycole Koyano, Ohio State
3B -- Amy Hudson, Central Michigan
3B -- Kaleigh Rafter&, Detroit
SS -- Jen Acunto, Penn State
OF -- Michele Penney, Cleveland State
OF -- Megan Schwab, Ohio State
OF -- Krystal Stein, Southern Illinois
UT -- Stacy Birk, Illinois State
DP -- Lauren Fuller, Western Michigan
# Automatic selection (Horizon League Pitcher of the Year)
@ Automatic selection (Mid-Continent Conference Pitcher of the Year)
& (Automatic selection (Horizon League Player of the Year)
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
