Coers Earns IWU Top Softball Honors

June 6, 2007

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Senior shortstop Molly Coers has been selected as the "Most Valuable Player" for the 2007 Illinois Wesleyan University softball team.

Coers (Manito, Midwest Central HS), who was also the team’s “Gold Glove” award winner, batted .390 and set a school record for most runs in a season (48). Her 64 hits is second most to the school mark of 77 set by Brynn Hasse in 2003 and her 24 steals is fifth best in an IWU single season.
She is IWU’s all-time leader in hits (198) and runs scored (134), is second in steals (68) and her career .378 batting average is fifth best.

The Titans finished 32-14 overall, marking the seventh time in the last eight years with 30 or more victories, and were 13-1 in winning the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season title. IWU also made its first appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament since 2003.

In other team honors, sophomore pitcher/first baseman Valerie Hackett (New Lenox, Lincoln Way Central HS) earned the “Most Improved Player” award and two freshmen, pitcher Christy Engel (St. Charles, Ill., North HS) and first baseman Allison Ward (Bloomington, Normal Community), shared the team’s “Rookie of the Year” honor.
Hackett batted .396 with 33 runs batted in, 11 doubles and hit a school-record 10 home runs.  In the circle, she was 6-3 with a 2.73 earned run average and struck out 51 in 56 innings.
Engel logged an 8-7 record with a 2.72 earned run average and struck out 79 in 86 innings.
Ward finished with a .315 batting mark and cracked eight home runs, five doubles and accounted for 27 RBI.

For the second straight season, junior second baseman Ashley Deck (Bolingbrook, Ill. HS) was the Titans’ “Gold Bat” honoree. Deck led IWU with a .405 batting average and 40 runs batted in. She had 60 hits and scored 37 runs. After three seasons she is No. 13 in career hits (151), sixth with 32 doubles, seventh with 91 RBI and her .375 career average is sixth best.

Sophomore outfielder Monica Urban (Wheaton, North HS) and freshman catcher Kelli Flahaven (Streator HS) shared both the “Brass Plate” honors along with the “Gwen Meyer Award.”
Urban also won the team’s “Roadrunner” award for the second straight year and earned the team’s “Sacrifice Award.” She had 27 stolen bases, tied for third most in an IWU season, and led the team with 10 sacrifice hits while batting .396.
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 Maggie Olson (Glen Ellyn, Ill., Glenbard South HS) was the winner of the “Hustle Award.”

Senior pitcher Lauren Hyland (Evergreen Park HS) closed her career as IWU’s all-time leader in strikeouts (365) and appearances (91) and was third in victories with a 43-24 record. In 2007 she was 18-4 with a team-best 2.13 ERA and struck out 123 in 152 1/3 innings.

As a team the Titans set new season records in hits (441), home runs (33) and doubles (70).

Head coach Lloyd Hulit awarded letters to 19 players, including 15 who will return for next season. They are, with hometowns and high schools:

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

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

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

FRESHMEN - Christy Engel, St. Charles, Ill. (North HS); Lisa Narotsky, Willowbrook, Ill. (Hinsdale South HS); Maggie Olson, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard South HS); Allison Ward, Bloomington, Ill. (Normal Community)

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206