Illinois State softball players Shae Wesley, Cutie Taylor and Audra Rast were named 2002 Easton All-Americans. Wesley and Taylor were named to the second team, while Rast was a third team selection.
Wesley, a senior catcher and 2002 co-captain from Clinton, Ill., was a Missouri Valley Conference first team selection and a member of the 2002 Valley All-Tournament Team. She led the team in putouts (287), recorded the second highest mark for runs scored (29), earned the third highest batting average (.328) and ended the season with the fourth highest on-base percentage (.374).
Taylor, a native of Mt. Zion, Ill., was a senior outfielder and power hitter for the Redbirds. She was a recipient of the Arthur Ashe Jr. Second Team Award, Valley Player of the Year runner-up, a Missouri Valley First Team selection, and a member of the 2002 Valley All-Tournament Team. Taylor was also named to the Valley Scholar-Athlete Team, the Verizon Academic All-District First Team and the Great Lakes All-Region First Team. She led the Redbirds with 12 home runs, 41 RBI, and 5 stolen bases. These marks earned her several spots in the Illinois State single season record book, including a second-best slugging percentage (.658), second in homeruns (12), third in batiing average (.404) and fourth for runs batted in (41).
Rast, a junior pitcher from Tucson, Ariz., was a three-time Valley Pitcher of the Week (3/19, 4/1, and 4/8), as well as the Valley Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-Conference selection and member of the 2002 Valley All-Tournament Team. In addition, she was a Great Lakes All-Region Second Team selection. Rasts win-loss record (25-6) sent her into a tie for the second-best total wins record in Illinois States single season record book, while her strikeouts per inning (1.06) earned her the second-best average in Illinois State history. She led the Redbirds to a second-place finish in the 2002 Valley Tournament, where on the second day of the tournament hurled 314 pitches, 31 strikeouts, and only three walks while pitching for 26 innings.
We played a tough schedule all season long and these players are truly deserving of this award, said Illinois State head softball coach
Melinda Fischer. It is a great honor for each of them.
Other Redbird softball players that have been named Easton All-Americans include: April Schermann (2001, second team selection), Becky McMurtry (2001, first team selection), Nicole Kurth (2001, second team selection), and Heather Stella (1998, first team selection and 1999, second team selection).
