FREELAND, Mich.-- Eight members of the Trine softball team were recognized on the All-MIAA softball teams, the conference announced Monday.
Headlining the selections were Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey), who was named the conference's Most Valuable Position Player, and Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lakewood), who was named the league's Most Valuable Pitcher. Each player picked up MVP honors for the first time in their Trine careers. The duo were joined on the All-MIAA First Team by pitcher Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton), first baseman Kaylee Fox (Vermilion, Ohio/Edison) and shortstop Jamie Schnarr (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering). The five first-team selections tied the 2013 squad for the most in Trine softball history.
Second-team honorees included left fielder Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central), right fielder Leah Hall (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) and third baseman Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw). The Thunder have had at least eight all-conference selections each of the last three seasons.
Searles won Most Valuable Position Player honors after a season in which the senior won her second MIAA batting title and became the conference's all-time leader in hits, triples and batting average in league games. Searles became the all-time NCAA Division III leader in hits, runs scored and triples during the season. She picked up Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Hitter of the Week honors and won four MIAA Player of the Week awards.
The two-time All-American led the MIAA in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, runs, triples and stolen bases in all games. Searles picked up the fourth All-MIAA selection of her career, including three first-team honors.
Robles earned Most Valuable Pitcher honors and All-MIAA First Team honors for the first time in her career. The junior led the conference with eight wins in conference play, ranking second in the league with 61 strikeouts in MIAA play. Robles fired a team-record seven shutouts this season. She has an 18-2 record to go along with a 2.20 ERA.
Robles' honor gives Trine four-straight MIAA Pitcher of the Year award-winners. Robles was an All-MIAA Second Team honoree in 2014.
Fuller went undefeated in the circle in regular-season play and finished with a 15-1 overall record. The senior finished third in ERA in league games to wrap-up her third-straight All-MIAA First Team selection. Fuller moved into second-place on Trine's all-time list in career wins and owns a 62-6 career record. She never lost a regular-season MIAA game in her career, going 24-0 against conference opponents.
Fox took the MIAA by storm in her freshman campaign, tying the conference record of nine home runs in league play and also leading the MIAA with 28 RBIs in conference games. Fox has set Trine freshman records with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs overall. Both of those marks rank third in a single-season in school-history. Fox is the first Trine freshman to earn first-team honors since Andi Gasco in 2010.
Schnarr picked up the first All-MIAA honors of her career as she moved to shortstop after playing first base last season. The senior finished second only to Fox in RBIs in conference games, knocking in 27 runs and hitting five home runs in league play. Schnarr has set career-bests across the board with a .354 batting average, eight home runs, 44 RBIs and a .464 slugging percentage. She had 12 games in which she picked up multiple RBIs.
Clark earned the third all-conference honor of her Trine career and second selection to the second-team. The junior's nine home runs on the season tied for third in the conference. She has now hit 30 career homers, the second-most in team history. Clark notched an 18-game hitting-streak over the course of a full month. She batted .350 with 43 RBIs and slugged. 636. Clark is currently second in team history with 149-career RBIs.
Hall is a second-team honoree for the second-straight year. The senior batted .372 with four home runs and 35 RBIs. The right fielder was at her best with runners in scoring position, batting .457 in those situations. Hall climbed into the top five in school-history in hits (T-3rd), RBIs (4th), runs scored (T-4th) and games started (5th) this season. She set career-highs in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and RBIs this year.
Marshall also earned second-team honors for the second-straight year. The third-baseman has hit three home runs this season, two of which came on the MIAA Tournament stage. The junior batted .380 and slugged .555 while walking twice as many times as she struck out. Marshall notched a career-best 16-game hitting-streak between March 29 and April 21.
Trine won its fourth-consecutive MIAA regular-season and third-straight MIAA Tournament titles to earn a bid in the NCAA Regionals. The Thunder will face Thomas More in the first round Friday at DePauw University. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.