NORMAL, Ill. - A program-record seven Illinois State softball players were named All-Missouri Valley Conference performers at Wednesday night's MVC Awards Banquet in Normal. Six Redbirds - Sara Bradley,Laura Canopy, Jordan de los Reyes, Stephanie Gallant, Kara Repp and Regan Romshek - earned All-MVC First Team recognition, equaling the most in league-history, while Nichelle Harrison was tabbed as an All-MVC Second Team selection.
This marks the fifth time in program-history that seven Redbirds were named all-conference, and first since 2011. ISU has had six first-team performers once previously, in 2011. The only other program to place six on the first team was Southern Illinois in 2005.Â
All-MVC First Team
3B Sara Bradley - .230 AVG, 8 HR, 31 RBI, .370 OBP, .460 SLG% Bradley was one of five Redbirds to earn All-MVC honors for the first time in her career. The redshirt senior from Mattoon, Ill., put together the best offensive season of her career, while playing a stellar third base. Bradley posted career-highs in average (.230), home runs (8), RBI (31), doubles (8), on-base percentage (.370), slugging percentage (.460) and stolen bases (6). She hit .323 with five home runs and 20 RBI in MVC action.
1B Laura Canopy - .331 AVG, 7 HR, 30 RBI, .540 OBP, 43 BB, 20 HBP, 48 R, 11-14 SB Canopy earned her third-consecutive All-MVC recognition, and second-straight first-team nod. The senior first baseman from Hopedale, Ill., leads the MVC with a .540 on-base percentage, 43 walks (a single-season ISU record), and 20 hit by pitches. Canopy, who is one of two Redbirds to start all 52 games, hit .406 with six of her seven home runs in Valley games.
DP/C Jordan de los Reyes - .315 AVG, 11 HR, 44 RBI, .413 OBP, .594 SLG% De los Reyes made an immediate impact in her freshman season, and quickly established herself as one of the league's most feared sluggers. The designated player/catcher from Moline, Ill., leads ISU in home runs (11), RBI (44) and slugging percentage (.594), and sits in the top-four of the MVC rankings in all of those categories. De los Reyes has two two-home run games to her credit, and leads ISU with 11 multi-hit and 13 multi-RBI performances. She hit .375 and posted a .500 on-base percentage in MVC contests.
C Stephanie Gallant - .243 AVG, 8 HR, 34 RBI, .446 SLG% In her first year as a full-time starter and team captain, Gallant anchored the middle of the ISU lineup en route to her first-career All-MVC recognition. The junior catcher from Ajax, Ontario, hit .243 with eight home runs and 34 RBI. She was particularly effective in ISU's 25 conference games, in which she hit seven home runs and tallied 27 RBI, the second-most in the MVC. Gallant recorded three separate five-RBI performances over the course of the season.
OF Kara Repp - .306 AVG, 11 RBI, .379 OBP Repp is another Redbird who greatly expanded her role during the 2014 season, as she made 49 starts after entering the year with 19 in her first two seasons. The junior from Casey, Ill., hit .306, including a .338 mark in MVC games, and excelled in right field after playing outfield for her first two years at ISU. Repp put together 21-game on-base and 10-game hitting streaks over the course of the season.
P Regan Romshek - 17-15, 2.71 ERA, 41 APP, 30 GS, 24 CG, 5 SHO, 214.0 IP In just her second season, Romshek developed into the Redbirds' ace in the circle and one of the Valley's top pitchers. The sophomore from Gibson City leads the MVC with 17 wins and 214.0 innings pitched, while ranking second with a 2.71 ERA and tops amongst pitchers primarily used as starters. Romshek, who was named MVC Pitcher of the Week twice, fueled ISU's season-long nine-game winning streak towards the end of the year by going 7-0 with a save during the stretch. She also excelled offensively, batting .268 with six home runs and 34 RBI.
All-MVC Second Team
OF Nichelle Harrison - .253, 15 RBI, 5 2B, 4 3B, 34 R, 15-18 SB Harrison formed a dynamic duo with Canopy at the top of the order en route to her second-straight All-MVC Second Team nod. The redshirt senior from Bloomington, Ill., hit .253, including a .291 mark in MVC games, and was second on ISU with 34 runs. Harrison utilized her speed both at the plate and on the base paths, as she stole a career-high 15 bases. The team captain also shifted from right field to center field prior to the season, where she started 50 of the team's 52 games.
The second-seeded Redbirds will begin play in the MVC Tournament, Friday at 2:35 p.m., in the semifinals against an opponent to be determined. ISU is hosting the event at Marian Kneer Stadium for the first time since 2007.
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