June 2, 2010
Watch the announcement of NFCA Third-Team All-Americans
NORMAL, Ill. - Juniors Kara Nelson and Abby Olson became the highest recognized Redbirds by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), when they were named to the 2010 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-America Third-Team Wednesday afternoon. It was the first time in Redbird softball history that two student-athletes have received the prestigious honor in the same season.
"I think both of them had outstanding seasons," head coach Melinda Fischer said. "They are so different in terms of what they bring to the team, but the good thing is they are returning next season."
Nelson, the Redbirds' starting second baseman, sparked the ISU lineup from the No. 1 spot all season. The lefty hitter ended the 2010 season batting at a .395 clip, collecting a team-high 68 hits in 172 at bats, including 15 doubles, three triples and five home runs. Nelson scored 49 runs and drove in 24, while boasting a slugging percentage of .605 and an on-base percentage of .475.
A native of Moline, Ill., Nelson led the Missouri Valley Conference in batting average and hits. She also led Illinois State in doubles (15) and became the first Redbird softball player to record 50 or more hits in three-consecutive seasons. Her league-leading offensive performance earned her an MVC Player of the Week honor (March 29). Earlier this season, Nelson was named to the All-MVC First Team, NFCA All-Mideast First Team and an MVC Scholar-Athlete.
Nelson has experienced the top honor before when she was named to the NFCA Division I All-America Second-Team after her freshman campaign in 2007.
"Kara missed last season and was not able to compete because of an injury, and she was able to come back very strong," Fischer said. "She really did set the tone for our team on the offensive end and progressed further and further on the defensive end as she got further into the season. I think she has become one of the best second baseman I have seen in the region."
Olson was second on the team in batting average with a .359 and led the team in RBI (56), slugging percentage (.797) and on-base percentage (.490). Olson was named the MVC Player of the Week three times during the 2010 season.
Olson hit a home run in the second game of a doubleheader against Bradley (May 8), which moved her into a first-place tie for the most home runs hit in a season with Emily Krueger, who hit 18 homers during the 2004 season. The Hartsburg, Ill., also set a new single season record for RBI with 56.
Olson earned her second NFCA Mideast All-Region honor last month, after being named to the team in 2009 as a sophomore. The Hartsburg, Ill., native also earned All-MVC First-Team honors, and was a member of the State Farm MVC Softball Championships All-Tournament Team.
"Abby came back after having a decent sophomore year," Fischer said. I thought Abby really improved on the offensive side in terms of consistency and became a person who could hit all of the different pitches she saw. The most improvement I saw in Abby was her defense. She moved extremely well laterally and really took ownership in playing third base."
Creighton's Renae Sinkler was also named a NFCA All-America Third Team as a first baseman, giving the MVC three selections for the first time ever. The Valley had two representatives in 1997 and 2001.
Fifty-four student-athletes from 35 different institutions representing 13 conferences have earned the honor of being named to one of the three 2010 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-American teams.
"Both women are very deserving and their hard work in the off season really paid off with this great honor," Fischer said. GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, TRC gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
