May 6, 2015
WICHITA, Kan. - A program record tying four Missouri State softball players landed on the All-Missouri Valley Conference first team and centerfielder Erika Velasquez Zimmer was named the league's Newcomer of the Year at the annual postseason awards banquet held on Wednesday (May 6) in Wichita, Kan. All four classes were represented as senior Chelsea Jones, junior Erin Duewel, sophomore Erin Struemph and freshman Velasquez Zimmer were tabbed for the first team. Senior Rebecca McPherson rounded out the awards by being named to the MVC All-Defensive team.
Velasquez Zimmer took home a pair of accolades highlighted by the Newcomer of the Year nod. Also named to the first-team outfield, she was tops on the team in hitting this season with a .375 batting average, among the top-10 best single season averages in program history. The speedy centerfielder tracked down nearly everything hit in her direction and threw out five on the base paths, three of which were at home plate. She hit .432 in Valley play, tied for second among league hitters, and stole a team-high 19 bases on the year. Velasquez Zimmer had 11 extra-base hits on the year, including a grand slam against Loyola, and her 19 multi-hit games were the most on the team. She was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on April 13 after hitting .700 in the three games versus Loyola.
Jones picked up her first all-conference honor as a first-team utility pitcher. She was a stellar two-way player all season for the Bears compiling a 3.20 earned run average in the circle while racking up 13 victories. She also hit clean-up for the Bears for most of the conference season. She hit .321 overall, second-best on the team, and batted .432 in league play, tied for second with teammate Velasquez Zimmer. Jones led the team in doubles and was named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week three times during her senior campaign.
Duewel also earned her first league honor as a first-team shortstop. She led the Valley in slugging percentage at .947 during league play and hit nine of her 10 home runs in conference action. The MVC Player of the Week on April 27, Duewel's 10th home run of the year broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning at Southern Illinois on Sunday to lock the Bears into second place. She was one of four MSU sluggers to hit two home runs in a game this season.
After being named to the preseason all-conference team, Struemph put up solid number en route to her initial Valley first-team selection. She fired her team-high eighth complete game of the year on Sunday and picked up her career-best 14th win of the season to give Missouri State the two-seed in this week's MVC Tournament. Her 2.99 earned run average during the regular season was the third-best in the league. Struemph picked up six saves in 2015, the most in the Valley and sixth-most in the nation. On Sunday, Struemph struck out her 300th career batter, putting her on pace to finish in the top-5 in school history in the category.
McPherson earned a spot on the newly created MVC All-Defensive team as the Missouri State representative. She started all 53 games in left field and filled in at second base in an emergency status at Indiana State in the series finale. In additional to her defensive performance, her offensive exploits were phenomenal her senior season. McPherson set the single-season home run mark by blasting 12 on the year. She had the team's longest hitting streak of the year with base knocks in 15-straight from April 4 through April 26. Twice this season, McPherson was named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
Missouri State enters this week's MVC Tournament as the two-seed with a bye into the semifinal round. The Bears play on Friday at 2:34 p.m. on ESPN3. MSU's opponent will be determined by the outcome of the opening and quarterfinal rounds scheduled to be played on Thursday. The winner of the championship game, scheduled for Saturday at 1:04 p.m., receives the Missouri Valley Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
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