Softball Hands Out Postseason Awards

YPSILANTI, Mich. — The Eastern Michigan University softball team handed out four postseason awards at its annual awards banquet to celebrate the 2009 season. Players voted on three of the awards, while the coaching staff awarded the final honor.

Sophomore shortstop Stacie Skodinski (South Bend, Ind.-Washington) was voted as the team's best offensive player. Skodinski led the team and the conference with a .425 batting average to go along with a .486 on-base percentage and .767 slugging percentage. Her .425 batting average was the best single season mark ever, and she becomes only the second player in EMU history to hit over .400. The shortstop hit nine home runs and 12 doubles this season while knocking in 37 runs with 15 multi-hit games. She was selected the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week following her performance at the USF “The Game” Tournament.

Junior centerfielder Jenny Scherer (Stow, Ohio-Stow-Munroe) was selected as the team's best defensive player. This award is given to a player who has a positive attitude, great work ethic in games and practice, displays great communication and leadership on the field while making defensive stops. Scherer was a mainstay in the outfield, starting 49 games to anchor the outfield. In addition to her defensive prowess, Scherer hit .318

while racking up a MAC-best14 home runs, setting a new mark for the best single-season total. Just a junior, she now has 36 career home runs. She also led the team with 41 RBI.

Senior Heather Han (Lafayette, Ind.-McCutcheon) picked up the other two awards of the evening, being selected as the Eagle Award winner by her teammates as well as being tabbed as the EMU Scholar Athlete by the coaching staff. The Eagle Award is given to someone who is a great team player, has a positive attitude and great work ethic in games and practice while being a role model on and off the field. Han, the lone senior on the team, hit .302 with 19 RBI and five home runs while playing catcher and third base.

Han was also given the Scholar Athlete Award, as voted on by head coach Karen Baird and assistants Nikki Denman and Eric Oakley. This award is someone who displays great leadership on and off the field, is a team player, has a positive attitude, never gives up and has a great work ethic in the classroom and on the softball diamond. Han boasts a 3.61 GPA as an elementary education major and was selected the MAC Scholar Athlete

of the Week this season after hitting a three-run home run against Central Michigan to help EMU sweep the Chippewas for the first time in school history.

The Eagles ended the 2009 season with a 22-30 overall record and an 8-14 mark in MAC play. EMU just missed out on qualifying for the MAC Tournament, losing a tiebreaker with Bowling Green for the final spot.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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