NFCA ALL-REGION TEAMS (PDF)
OGDEN, Utah (May 18, 2017) – Postseason awards continue to roll in for Big Sky Conference softball student-athletes. Weber State’s Takesha Saltern was named a Top 10 finalist for the 2017 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award and was named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region honoree along with six other Big Sky student-athletes.
Saltern, a Smithfield, Utah native, was named First Team All-Midwest along with teammate, Sara Hingsberger. Both Saltern earned this season’s Big Sky Freshman of the Year while Hingsberger was a First Team All-Conference selection. Saltern was second in the league in batting average (.466) and led the conference with 52 runs scored.
Hingsberger posted a .347 average and was second in the league with 50 RBI on the year.
Weber State’s Kirlyn Bohling also earned All-Midwest honors with a Third Team selection. Bohling was a First Team All-Big Sky selection after leading the Wildcats to a regular season title with a league-best 19 wins.
North Dakota pitcher, Kaylin VanDomelen, earned All-Region Midwest Second Team honors as well. VanDomelen ended the 2017 regular season as the Big Sky Conference leader in earned-run average (1.79), strikeouts (162) and opponent-batting average (.217). Her tremendous season in the circle and at the plate netted her the programs first-ever Big Sky Pitcher of the Year and All-Big Sky First Team honors.
Idaho State’s Kacie Burnett was a Second Team selection in the Pacific Region. The senior capped off her career with a Big Sky Player of the Year honor and was named a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Her .487 batting average led the nation this season. She also helped lead the Bengals to the semifinals of the 2017 conference championship.
Fresh off the Grizzlies’ 2017 Big Sky Conference tournament championship, Montana shortstop, Delene Colburn earned Third Team All-Pacific accolades. The junior leads the league in RBI (58) and slugging percentage (.759). She is also batting at a career-best .402.
Joining Colburn on the All-Pacific Third Team is Sacramento State freshman, Suzy Brookshire. She became just the fourth Sacramento State freshman to receive all-region accolades and the 13
th Hornet to earn All-Region honors. She was named First Team All-Conference this season after leading the Hornets in nine offensive categories.
The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association’s 10 regions with first, second and third team selections. NFCA member coaches from each respective region voted on the teams, and all the honorees now become eligible for selection to the 2017 NFCA Division I All-American squads.
The 2017 NFCA Division I All-America teams will be announced at approximately 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 31, via NFCA.org.