May 1, 2003
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.-- - Mizzou softball coach Ty Singleton has been named the Big 12 Coach of the Year, as announced at the Big 12 Tournament Luncheon on Thursday in Oklahoma City, Okla. Six members of the Tiger softball team were also named to the All-Big 12 Team, led by first-team selection Rachael McGinnis. Mizzou added to its awards, by having three named to the Academic All-Conference team.
Singleton, in his first year at Missouri, has led the Tigers to a 12-5 conference record and a No. 3 seed in this week's Big 12 Tournament. Last season, MU was 4-14 in the league and was the ninth seed in the conference tournament. Mizzou's 31-16 overall record this year is the best record for MU since the 1999 season.
McGinnis, a junior, was named to the first team after finishing the regular season with a .374 batting average, second best in the conference. She is second in the Big 12 in slugging percentage (.688), tied for second in triples (3), is third in total bases (95), tied for fourth in home runs (10), tied for fifth in hits (52) and is seventh in RBI with 35.
Juniors Morgan LeCluyse and Daisy Mettlach, sophomores Erin Kalka and Heather Kunkel and freshman Joanne Loethen were all second team selections.
LeCluyse had at least one hit in each of the six Big 12 games she play in before an injury forced her out of the lineup. She hit .381 in league games, had a .337 average for the year and had a 13-game hitting streak in tact when the injury occurred.
Mettlach is hitting .267 on the season and has a .324 batting average in Big 12 play. She leads the Tigers with 13 stolen bases and is tied for second on the team with five home runs.
Kalka has been dominating in the pitcher's circle for MU this season. She has recorded 22 complete games and 10 shutouts this year and has 11 complete games with six shutouts in Big 12 Conference games. Included as shutout victims were No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Texas and No. 7 Nebraska. Kalka was named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week on April 7 and is fifth in the Big 12 in both wins (19) and strikeouts (186).
Kunkel has a .295 batting average and is hitting .333 in conference play. She is tied for second on the team with five home runs to go along with nine doubles and two triples. Kunkel is also second on the Tigers with 28 RBI.
Loethen is hitting .293 for the year and leads the team with 10 doubles. She has had a seven-game hitting streak, a six-game hitting streak and two four-game hitting streaks during the season. Loethen has recorded a hit in 29 of Mizzou's 47 games and has started every game at first base.
Ingrid Werner leads the Tigers on the Academic All-Big 12 team, earning her third first team selection. She has been named to the team every year she has been eligible. Werner is a senior majoring in health related professions at MU.
Werner was joined on the All-Academic first team by junior Jeni Schellert, a secondary education major who earns her first academic selection.
Kunkel added to her All-Big 12 team selection, by also being named to the Academic All-Big 12 second team. Kunkel is an education major at Missouri.
Mizzou, ranked No. 25 in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, will open up play in the Big 12 Tournament at 11 a.m. on Friday against sixth-seeded Nebraska.