Missouri State senior softball pitcher Melissa Porche headlined a group of three Bears receiving all-conference recognition with her selection to the All-Missouri Valley Conference first team, which was announced by the league office Wednesday. Senior third baseman Michelle Armentrout and junior outfielder Brooke Kempker were also recognized by the MVC’s coaches, with each picking up second-team honors at Wednesday’s pre-championship banquet in Carbondale, Ill.
A Buena Park, Calif., native, Porche tossed 15 complete games in her 17 conference starts this season, striking out 156 hitters in 122.1 inning her strikeout total is second in Valley games and her season total is just five shy of Nora Cagwin’s single-season Missouri State record of 270. Porche is one of four league pitchers to hold an overall ERA under 2.00. Porche posted double-digit strikeout performances in eight conference games, including a high of 14 against Illinois State. She currently ranks third in the Valley saves (6), wins (16), strikeouts (265), appearances (40), starts (28), complete games (23) and innings pitched (213.2), fourth in ERA (1.93) and opponent batting average (.209) and sixth in shutouts (4). Her six saves is good for fifth in the nation, while her 8.6 strikeouts per seven innings ranks 32nd in all of Division I.
Armentrout led the Bears with six home runs in the regular season, was perfect in 75 chances in the field during MSU’s conference season and was second on the squad with a .298 overall batting average. The Broken Arrow, Okla., product is sixth overall in the MVC in doubles (10) and is tied for fourth on the Bears’ career doubles list (34), fourth in RBIs (97) and tied for fifth with 16 homers.
Kempker, a Jefferson City, Mo., native, was the Bears’ leading hitter during the conference season, posting a .327 average at the plate and a team-high .403 on-base percentage in MSU’s 24 MVC contests. One of only four Bears to start every conference game, Kempker’s strong showing comes on the heels of a non-conference season that saw her hit just .220 with just nine hits and three runs scored in 22 games.
Creighton’s Tara Oltman and Southern Illinois’ Lauren Haas took home the MVC’s top individual honors, claiming the league’s Pitcher and Player of the Year awards, respectively. Drake’s Brynne Dordel was named MVC Newcomer of the Year and the Creighton coaching staff of head coach Brent Vigness and assistant Abby Johnson were named MVC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Also named to the first team were Creighton’s TJ Eadus, Bailey Dawson, Jessica Wakasugi and Renae Sinkler, Drake’s Jaci Faidley and Kristin Birocci, Evansville’s Brittany Herald, Illinois State’s Kara Nelson, Jessie Buker, Amber Smith and Tiffany Prager, Indiana State’s Meredith Simpson, UNI’s Jen Larsen, Wichita State’s Ashly Bright and Cynthia Verhulst.
In addition to Armentrout and Kempker, second-team honors went to Drake’s Marilyn Buss, and Wichita State’s Britnee Barnett and Katie McGeeney.
