May 11, 2005
Oklahoma City, Okla. -- Six Missouri softball players were named to the All-Big 12 team and four will bring home Academic All-Big 12 honors as announced today by the Conference at the annual Big 12 Softball Banquet in Oklahoma City, Okla. The league recognized 19 members to both the All-Big 12 First and Second Team and credited 59 student-athletes for their academic achievements.
Senior shortstop Heather Kunkel (Oak Forest, Ill.) and junior outfielder Janessa Roening (Port Angeles, Wash.) were selected as First Team All-Big 12 honorees. The award is Kunkel's second of her career and first as a member of the first team. Sophomore outfielder Leanne Bowers (Arnold, Mo.), catcher Kathy Masterson (St. Louis, Mo.), redshirt freshman outfielder Micaela Minner (Sanger, Texas) and freshman first baseman Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) garnered second team nods. Notching six All-Big 12 recipients, the Tigers received the second highest total of honorees behind Big 12 Conference regular season champions Texas A&M. The group of six also marks the second highest number of award winners the Tigers have received since the creation of the league in 1996.
Bowers, Kunkel and Masterson were tabbed Academic All-Big 12 First team honorees and sophomore pitcher Erica Peterson (Irving, Texas) was named to the second team. Masterson was one of only three Big 12 softball student-athletes to close out her sophomore campaign with a perfect 4.00 grade-point average.
To qualify for an Academic All-Big 12 team, student-athletes must record a 3.00 grade-point average or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters. All players nominated must have participated in 60 percent of her team's scheduled contests, while pitchers are required to have at least one inning pitched-per-game played by the team or have appeared in 35 percent of their team's total games. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. First team members must hold above a 3.20 grade-point average, while second team members must have between a 3.00 and 3.19 GPA.
The 10th annual Big 12 Conference Softball Tournament will run May 11-14, at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. Fifth-seeded Missouri will open action Thursday, May 12, in an 11 a.m. (CT), game against fourth-seeded Baylor. The winner of the 11 a.m. game will advance in the championship bracket and play in a televised game broadcast live on Fox Sports at 4:30 p.m. (CT). Live stats for all Missouri games will be provided at www.mutigers.com and Big12 sports.com.