From Washington University Athletics
The Washington University in St. Louis softball team had five student-athletes named to the 2016 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Midwest Region Team, as announced Tuesday by the Association.
Junior outfielder Hannah Mehrle, senior pitcher Annie Pitkin and junior outfielder Janet Taylor earned first-team accolades, while senior Brooke Hofer was named to the second team. Freshman shortstop Taylor Arends earned third-team honors. This marks the second-straight year WashU had recorded five all-region selections.
Hannah Mehrle
Mehrle, a first-team all-University Athletic Association (UAA) selection, started all 47 games in left field and batted a conference-best .487 with four home runs and 38 RBIs. She set the WashU single-season school record with 74 hits, and tied the school record with seven triples. Mehrle led the UAA in five categories: hits, batting average, on-base percentage (.549), triples and total bases (110). She hit safely in 42 of 47 games, and led the team with 20 multi-hit games. Mehrle is a two-time all-UAA and all-region honoree.
Annie Pitkin
Pitkin, a first-team all-UAA honoree, posted a 21-6 record with a 1.52 ERA with five shutouts and 17 complete games. She ranks fourth in Division III in strikeouts per seven innings (10.3), fifth in strikeouts (238) and 15 in victories. Pitkin was a top-25 finalist for the Schutt Sports/Division III Player of the Year, and was named to the UAA Championship All-Tournament Team. Pitkin owns a 71-30 career record with a 1.99 earned run average, with 778 strikeouts. She ranks first in school history in appearances (122), second in wins, third in innings pitched (609.1) and strikeouts and fourth in complete games (56). Pitkin is a three-time all-UAA and all-region honoree.
Janet Taylor
Taylor, a first-team all-UAA selection, started all 47 games this season in center field and batted .421 with a team-best five home runs and 42 RBIs. She also tied the WashU single-season record with 22 walks. Taylor was second in the UAA in on-base percentage (.515) and third in walks, triples (3) hits (59) and RBIs. She has hit safely in 40 of 47 games, and had a career-long 21-game hitting streak during the season. Taylor was a second-team all-region honoree a year ago.
Brooke Hofer
Hofer, a second-team all-UAA honoree, batted a career-best .403 with 12 doubles and 29 RBIs, and ranks second in the UAA with 60 hits. She was second on the team with 18 multiple-hit games, and ranked second in the UAA in sacrifice hits (8), fourth in doubles (12), ninth in batting average and 10th in RBIs (29). Hofer played in 185 career games, most in school history and posted a .342 career batting average with 91 RBIs.
Taylor Arends
Arends, a second-team all-UAA selection, had a .377 batting average with two home runs and 41 RBIs in 47 starts at shortstop. She reached base in 42 of 47 games played, and was second on the squad with 13 multiple-RBI games. Arends ranked third in the UAA in triples (3) and runs scored (46), fourth in RBIs, doubles (12) and hits (58), and eighth in total bases (82). She opened the season by reaching base in 25-straight games.
WashU finished the 2016 season with a 35-12 overall record, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in the last 15 years.