LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Four members of the Illinois State softball team were named to the 2017 National Fastpitch Coaches Association all-Mideast Region team, including Jordan de los Reyes as a first-team selection, as announced by the NFCA on Thursday.
For the first time in program history, the Redbirds earned three third-team selections: Allison Spence, Riley Hale, and Shannon Felde. De los Reyes is the sixth all-Mideast first team selection in program history and the Redbirds' four honorees is the second most in the record books.
De los Reyes, a catcher from Moline, Illinois, broke seven Illinois State and one MVC record during the 2017 season while being named the league's player of the week three times, earning the MVC's prestigious Player of the Year title. The senior currently ranks top-10 nationally in home runs per game, home runs, RBIs, RBIs per game, slugging percentage and total bases. She leads the team in hits (68), RBIs (67), home runs (19), slugging percentage (.852) and batting average (.402) while also leading the MVC in slugging percentage, RBIs, home runs and total bases. De los Reyes logged 18 multi-hit games and 20 multi-RBI games, including four games with five RBI. The catcher totaled 156 outs and 32 assists from behind the plate, including nine caught stealing and three pickoffs.
Spence, a first baseman from Beecher, Illinois, leads both the Redbirds and the MVC in putouts with 505 at first base, as the Illinois State single-season records. The MVC Scholar Athlete of the Week leads the team with 15 doubles and has the Redbirds' second-best slugging percentage of .577. The sophomore owns the sixth-best batting average and slugging percentage in the MVC, leading the Redbirds with 19 multi-hit games.
Felde, a designated player from Schaumburg, Illinois, logged a 21-game hitting streak that ranks as the second longest known streak in the ISU record book. The MVC Player of the Week also reached base in 23 consecutive games. Felde ranks second on the team and fourth in the MVC with a .371 average. She is also one of the toughest players to strikeout nationally with only three strikeouts this season. With 16 multi-hit games, the utility player recorded her first career home run at Indiana State while tallying six doubles, two home runs and a triple, and slugging .469.
Hale, an outfielder from West Burlington, Iowa, leads the team and the Valley in runs scored (44), on-base percentage (.467) and walks (29). The Redbirds' leadoff hitter bats .337 with a team-best .484 on-base percentage. Hale owns a 27-game on-base streak that ranks as the second-longest known streak in the ISU record book (March 25-May 18). With the Redbirds' third-best slugging percentage, the outfielder has 17 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games.
For more information on the NFCA's 2017 softball honorees, visit nfca.org.
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