Richards leads softball trio of NFCA All-West Region selections
ORANGE, Calif. – The postseason accolades continue to roll in for center fielder Jenny Richards and the pitching duo of Natalie Both and Cassie Oregel as the trio earned NFCA All-West Region honors in an announcement made by the association on Friday. Richards' first team selection marks the first by a Panther since 2010 while Both and Oregel received third team honors.
Recently named first team All-SCIAC, Richards paced the team in several offensive categories, ranking fifth in the conference with a .423 batting average while her six triples ranked second. The Panthers every day leadoff hitter ranked tied for fourth in the SCIAC with 32 runs scored, thanks largely to a notable .483 on-base percentage. The first team selection gives her an opportunity to become the first Panther to earn NFCA All-American honors since Maggie Wilder and Erin Dudzinski in 2007.
For a second straight season, Oregel notched double-digit victories, overwhelming batters en route to earning All-SCIAC honors. The sophomore led the Panthers with 11 wins, 11 complete games and a 1.81 ERA that was third-best in the conference.
Freshman Both finished the season with an 11-6 record the featured two saves, 10 complete games, two shutouts and a conference-leading 112 strikeouts. In the last month of the regular season, she threw two complete games of 10+ innings, including an 11-inning shutout at La Verne on April 5. Both is one of just two freshman on the 2013 All-SCIAC first team.
Chapman finished the season with a 24-16 record which marks the program's 15th winning season since becoming Division III in 1995.
The NFCA is the professional growth organization for fast pitch softball coaches from all competitive levels of play. The NFCA is comprised of coaches from club ball, high school and colleges as well as umpires and other important members of the fastpitch community. Today, the NFCA has grown from 40 members in 1983, to over 4,300 members.
2013 NFCA All-Region Selections: https://nfca.org/index.php/awards/louisville-sluggernfca-all-americans/5182-2013-diii-all-region-teams
by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant
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