Frawley Earns IWU Top Softball Honors

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Senior first baseman and pitcher Katie Frawley has been selected as the "Most Valuable Player" for the Illinois Wesleyan University softball team.
Frawley (Oswego, N.Y., HS), who was also the team’s “Gold Glove” award winner, batted .353 with 14 doubles, four home runs and 39 runs batted in. As a pitcher she went 10-1 with a 1.05 earned run average, the lowest in a single season in IWU history. She finished her career at the school ranked No. 20 in hits (117), No. 6 in doubles (31), and No. 10 in runs batted in (69).

In other team honors, sophomore catcher Katie Dobry (Elmhurst, Willowbrook HS) earned the “Most Improved Player” award and sophomore second baseman Ashley Deck (Bolingbrook HS) collected the “Brass Plate” and “Gold Bat” honors along with the “Gwen Meyer Award.”
Dobry played in 14 games and batted .321 with six runs batted in and five runs scored.
Deck led the team with a .413 average and had 11 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 35 runs batted in.  Her 59 hits is the third most in an IWU single season.
The "Gwen Meyer Award" is given to the player who gives 100 percent, shows support of the team and is self-motivated. The award was established in 1986 to honor the memory of Meyer, IWU's most valuable softball player in 1984, who died of cancer.

Freshman outfielder Natalie Chase (Libertyville HS) was the team’s “Rookie of the Year” and freshman outfielder Monica Urban (Wheaton, North HS) was the team’s “Roadrunner” award winner.
Chase hit .311 in 25 games with three doubles, 10 runs batted in and scored 15 runs.
Urban led the team with 19 stolen bases and was second with a .404 batting average. She had 38 hits and scored 22 runs.

Junior shortstop Molly Coers (Manito, Midwest Central HS) earned the squad’s “Hustle Award” while Deck and junior outfielder Laura Johnson (Morton HS) shared the “Sacrifice Award” by collecting 12 and 10 sacrifice hits, respectively.
Coers batted .351 and scored a team-high 38 runs. After three seasons, Coers is No. 12 in IWU history with 134 hits and No. 14 with 86 runs.
Johnson had 10 sacrifice hits and batted .326 with three doubles, 12 runs batted in and scored 15 times.

With one season left, junior pitcher Lauren Hyland (Evergreen Park HS) ranks No. 3 in career strikeouts with 237 and within reach of all-time leader Jennie Siron, who fanned 363 from 1993-96. In 158 innings this spring, Hyland struck out 145, which is second in an IWU season to Siron’s 154 in 1994.

The Titans finished 32-12 overall, marking the sixth time in the last seven years with 30 or more victories.

First-year head coach Lloyd Hulit awarded letters to 18 players, including 15 who will return for next season. They are, with hometowns and high schools:

SENIORS – Michelle Bradley (Oak Brook, Downers Grove North HS); Katie Frawley (Oswego, N.Y., HS); Natalie Hackett (New Lenox, Lincoln-Way Central HS).

JUNIORS - Molly Coers (Manito, Midwest Central HS); Stephanie Gockley (Lisle HS); Lauren Hyland (Evergreen Park HS); Laura Johnson (Morton HS).

SOPHOMORES – Ashley Deck (Bolingbrook HS); Katie Dobry (Elmhurst, Willowbrook HS); Kayla Kindred (Bloomington, Normal Community HS); Kendahl McIntyre (Dallas, Texas, Bishop Lynch HS); Kelly Nelson (Palos Heights, Stagg HS); Alison Winter (Wheaton, Wheaton-Warrenville South HS).

FRESHMEN – Natalie Chase (Libertyville HS); Megan Christensen (Lake Bluff, Lake Forest HS); Val Hackett (New Lenox, Lincoln-Way Central HS); Megan Lee (Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove HS); Monica Urban (Wheaton, North HS).

May 19, 2006     contact: Stew Salowitz, salowitz@iwu.edu