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Josie Henry and CWRU Assistants Named Coaching Staff of the Year, Five Spartans Tabbed All-UAA

Josie Henry and CWRU Assistants Named Coaching Staff of the Year, Five Spartans Tabbed All-UAA
Posted: Apr 30, 2014

From Case Western Reserve University Athletics

Led by Josie Henry and the University Athletic Association Coaching Staff of the Year, the Case Western Reserve University softball team placed five on the 2014 All-Association Team announced by the UAA office on Wednesday.

Henry, along with assistants Kaeleen Boden, Aurelia Cheng and Andrea Nagy become the program's first UAA Coaching Staff of the Year since Karen Farrell and her staff earned the honor in 1999. That was also the year of the team's last UAA Championship prior to claiming a share of the title this spring.

The Spartans also placed a league-high three student-athletes on the All-UAA First Team in senior shortstop Makenzie Lein (Petersburg, Mich./Ida), senior catcher Amy Taylor (Brier, Wash./Inglemoor) and junior second baseman Molly O'Brien (Northbrook, Ill./Loyola).

Junior outfielder Ashley Parello (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) and freshman pitcher/outfielder Annie Wennerberg (Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake) were second-team selections.

Lein, a first-time honoree, ranks sixth in the UAA with a team-best .415 batting average to go along with three home runs, eight doubles, a team-high 32 RBI and 11 stolen bases. She was named UAA Hitter of the Week on April 7 and earned UAA All-Academic honors for the third season in a row.

One of the finest shortstops to ever suit up for Case Western Reserve, Lein is a career .338 hitter with 12 home runs, 43 doubles and 98 RBI. She is the program's all-time leader in both career hits (172) and runs scored (125), and she ranks fourth in starts (160), second in doubles, fourth in homers and fourth in RBI.

Taylor, a repeat first-team All-UAA selection, ranks second on the squad with a .412 average and 27 RBI. She is a four-year starter and ranks sixth all-time in program history with a .357 batting average. In 146 games played, Taylor has recorded 27 doubles and 87 RBI. In addition to ranking sixth in average, she is fourth in CWRU history in hits (163), fifth in RBI and tied for sixth in games started (143). Behind the plate, she has thrown out a school-record 49 runners attempting to steal.

O'Brien is named to the All-UAA First Team for the second-straight season. She is also a three-time UAA Championship All-Tournament Team selection as well as a 2013 NFCA All-Central Region pick. This season, she is batting .366 with three homers, 24 RBI, 10 doubles and 17 stolen bases. O'Brien ranks fifth in the UAA in runs scored (40) and tied for fourth in steals. In 118 career games, O'Brien is a .372 hitter with six homers, 22 doubles, eight triples, 52 RBI and a school-record 55 stolen bases.

Parello, the UAA Championship Tournament MVP, has had a career year with a .357 batting average, four homers, 25 RBI and 16 walks. Back in March, she batted .407 (11-of-27) at the conference championship and ranked first with a .926 slugging percentage.

Wennerberg, recently tabbed as CWRU's Nancy Gray Rookie of the Year, has posted a 12-5 record and 2.96 ERA as the team's ace. In 120 2/3 innings, she's struck out 93 batters. At the plate, Wennerberg is batting .316 with a team-high five homers.

The Spartans concluded the regular season with an overall record of 25-15. The team's 25 wins are the fourth most in program history behind the totals from 2012 (26-15), 1999 (25-9) and 2001 (31-10).