May 21, 2008
ST. LOUIS -
Following her recognition in early May as a member of the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District V First Team, senior second baseman Tiffany Prager of the Illinois State softball team was named to the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team, as announced by the conference office Wednesday. Prager was joined on the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team by sophomore third baseman Kara Nelson.
"I think that both Tiffany and Kara are very deserving of this honor," said Illinois State head coach Melinda Fischer. "Tiffany and Kara have both committed themselves academically and athletically to Illinois State and to Redbird softball. It takes a special person to compete at the level that they do given the rigorous demands of balancing their school work with playing NCAA Division I softball."
The honor was the second in Prager's four-year ISU softball career, while it marked the first for Nelson.
Prager graduated from Illinois State in May with a 3.62 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) in business administration. The Bloomington, Ill., native finished the season with a career-best .350 average at the plate, which ranked second on the team, and was 57 points higher than her career average of .293 entering the season. Prager led ISU in doubles (9), was second in runs scored (27), and was third on the team in both on-base percentage (.422) and hits (42). The left-handed gap hitter finished her Redbird softball career ranked sixth all-time at Illinois State in career doubles (34), while her 166 career games started ranks tied for 14th all-time in the ISU annals.
Prager capped off her career season for Illinois State with a selection to the All-MVC First Team, which came at the conclusion of a campaign in which she was one of just 30 national candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which is considered one of the most prestigious national awards in intercollegiate softball.
Nelson earned her first-career MVC Scholar-Athlete First-Team accolade after she finished the year with a 3.27 cumulative GPA in business administration. The 2008 All-MVC First-Team selection led ISU with a .401 batting average, which included team-highs in runs scored (37), hits (61), doubles (9), triples (7), slugging percentage (.632) and on-base percentage (.468). The Moline, Ill., native struck out just 16 times in 152 at-bats (one strikeout per 9.5 at-bats) and recorded a team-high 20 multiple-hit games in 2008.
2008 MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Stephanie Aguero, UNI, Sr., 3.68, Exercise Science
Tiffanie Dismore!, Southern Illinois, Sr., 3.728, Radio/TV
Lauren Haas!^, Southern Illinois, Sr., 3.70, Marketing
Brittany Herald, Evansville, Sr., 3.40, Physical Education
Jen Larsen, UNI, So., 3.60, Biology
Kara Nelson, Illinois State, So., 3.27, Business Administration
Tara Oltman, Creighton, So., 4.00, English/Secondary Education
Tiffany Prager!, Illinois State, Sr., 3.62, Business Administration
Meredith Simpson!, Indiana State, Jr., 3.58, Athletic Training
Susan Slycord, Drake, Sr., 3.72, Biology/Pre-Med
Krystal Stein!^, Southern Illinois, Sr., 4.00, Speech Communication
Jessica Wakasugi, Creighton, Jr., 3.60, Business entrepreneurship
! 2007 First Team Selection; ^ 2006 First Team Selection
HONORABLE MENTION
Marilyn Buss, Drake, Sr., 3.55, Secondary Education
TJ Eadus, Creighton, Sr., 3.00, Interpersonal Communication
Lissa Fehlman, Evansville, Jr., 3.80, Interdisciplinary Studies
Kelsey Kahler, Drake, So., 3.85, Elementary Education
Michelle Koch, Creighton, So., 3.45, Nursing
Melissa Porche, Missouri State, Sr., 3.17, Psychology
Stephanie Ramsey!, Bradley, Sr., 3.88, Elementary Education
Katie Schmidt, Southern Illinois, Jr., 3.96, Marketing
Cynthia Verhulst, Wichita State, Sr., 3.341, Spanish
Katie Wilson, Southern Illinois, So., 3.512, Elementary Education
