FREELAND, Mich.-- Six members of the Trine softball team earned recognition on the All-MIAA Softball Team, the conference announced Thursday.
First baseman Kaylee Fox (Vermilion, Ohio / Edison), third baseman Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind. / Warsaw) and pitcher Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif. / Lakewood) were named to the All-MIAA First Team. Left fielder Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn. / Wilson Central), pitcher Bre Cooper (Beech Grove, Ind. / Beech Grove) and catcher Rachell Noble (Indianapolis, Ind. / Decatur Central) all earned All-MIAA Second Team honors. The six players led the Thunder to a share of a fifth-straight MIAA Championship with a 14-2 mark in league play. Trine concluded the regular season 27-10 overall.
Fox led the MIAA in home runs during conference play for the second-straight season, belting six homers in league play this year while leading the team with seven round-trippers overall. She ranks sixth in team history with 23 home runs in just two seasons of play. The sophomore batted .355 on the season, slugging .870 in conference play and .605 overall. Fox has now earned All-MIAA honors in each of her first two collegiate seasons. She carried an 11-game hitting streak into today's MIAA Tournament games.
Marshall earned First Team honors for the first time after back-to-back second team honors. The senior led the MIAA with 19 RBIs in conference play and led the Thunder with 35 RBIs overall. Marshall had a breakout season in the power department, setting career-highs with six home runs and a .650 slugging percentage. She batted a career-best .416 and notched a 13-game hitting streak. Marshall also contributed solid glove work at the hot corner, notching a .944 fielding percentage.
Robles earned All-MIAA First Team honors for the second straight season. Robles finished second in the MIAA with a 1.29 ERA in conference play and totaled a 1.55 ERA overall. The senior finished the regular season with a 12-6 record and tied for ninth in the nation with four saves. Robles entered the MIAA Tournament needing five strikeouts to become the fourth pitcher in team history to reach 400 career strikeouts. This season, Robles has fanned 118 in 122 innings of work.
Clark's All-MIAA Second Team honor gives her all-conference honors all four years of her collegiate career, becoming the third player in team history to accomplish that feat. The senior worked back from an offseason injury to start every game, batting .352 with six home runs, 31 RBIs and a .555 slugging percentage. Clark is Trine's all-time leader in RBIs with 183 entering the MIAA Tournament, and is the conference's all-time leader in RBIs in league play. She ranks in the top 10 in team history in every offensive statistical category.
A career year carried Cooper to the first all-conference honor of her career as she stabilized the No. 2 spot in the Thunder pitching rotation. The senior set career-best numbers in every pitching category on her way to a 7-0 record. Cooper's 1.47 ERA in league play ranked third in the conference as she earned a 6-0 record in seven MIAA starts. Cooper has yet to lose a decision in 33 career appearances (10 starts), owning a 10-0 record. Her 1.48 ERA this season is a run and a half lower than her previous-best total.
Rounding out Trine's all-conference selections was Noble, who earned her first All-MIAA honor. The sophomore boasts some of the best on-base skills in the nation, ranking 15th in the country with a .565 on-base percentage. No other player in the conference posted an OBP greater than .500 this year. Her OBP currently ranks as the second-best in a season in team history. Noble batted .443 with a .629 slugging percentage, two home runs and 21 RBIs this year.
The complete list of award-winners and All-MIAA teams is below.
2016 Softball Most Valuable Pitcher: Morgan Stratton, Alma
2016 Softball Most Valuable Player: Cassie Young, Saint Mary's
2016 MIAA Softball First Team
Autumn Anderson, Hope
Sarah Collier, Alma
Erin DuRoss, Kalamazoo
Kaylee Fox, Trine
Anna Gernant, Calvin
Lydia Gildea, Calvin
Ashlynn Grubb, Olivet
Kendra Marshall, Trine
Justine Robles, Trine
Morgan Stratton, Alma
Cassie Young, Saint Mary's
Jamie Young, Saint Mary's
2016 MIAA Softball Second Team
Sammi Adams, Hope
Kaitlyn Clark, Trine
Bre Cooper, Trine
Maddie DeGroot, Calvin
Sydney Jones, Hope
Katie McClure, Alma
Sierra Mutschler, Hope
Rachell Noble, Trine
Morgan Raymer, Saint Mary's
Ashley Riemersma, Calvin
Taylor Smith, Olivet
K'ya Toles-Burton, Adrian