May 6, 2009
ST. LOUIS -
On the eve of the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship, the conference announced the All-Valley teams Wednesday evening. Illinois State senior Amber Smith, sophomore Abby Olson and junior Niki Stansell were among the 28 players honored. Smith was named to the first team as a designated player/pitcher, Olson was also a first-team selection as a third baseman and Stansell was named to the second team as a shortstop.
Smith earned her third-career All-Valley honor, after being named to the first team in 2008 and the second team in 2006. Smith is fourth on the Redbirds with a .314 batting average (50-159) and is tied for the team lead with 30 RBI. Already the ISU and Valley career leader in home runs, Smith became the school's all-time leader in walks earlier this season.
Her contributions this season are not limited to the plate, however. Smith is also one of the Redbirds' top-pitchers, boasting an 8-13 record and 3.22 earned run average (ERA). Smith has started 22 games, throwing 11 complete games, and has struck out 70 batters in 143.1 innings pitched. In the first game of a doubleheader against Drake earlier this year, Smith carried a no-hitter through 6 2/3 innings. She earned her first-ever MVC Pitcher of the Week honor March 30 after earning a complete game victory over No. 24 Iowa. Smith allowed just one run and six hits in the win.
Olson leads the Redbirds in batting average (.345), home runs (11), RBI (30), slugging percentage (.655) and on-base percentage (.440). All of those numbers are higher than the ones she recorded as a freshman last season. Olson was named MVC Player of the Week April 20, the only Redbird to earn the honor this season, after batting .500 (8-16) with three doubles, two home runs and four RBI.
Stansell, a junior transfer, is batting .327 (56-171) on the season while leading the team in hits (56), doubles (15), runs (34) and total bases (94). She also has seven home runs and 23 RBI in her first year as a Redbird. Stansell became the 48th Redbird to eclipse 50 hits in a season. She also has a .910 fielding percentage.
