Softball ties school-record with seven Academic All-OAC honorees
By Caleb Scott
ADA — The Ohio Northern softball team tied a school-record as it saw seven athletes recognized on the spring Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference list, released on Tuesday morning.
The seven athletes are the most Northern has had on the list in over 20 years and ties the school record mark of seven athletes on the list set in 1996.
Seniors Miranda Huddle (Versailles) and Leanna Henry (West Jefferson), juniors Hailee Loughman (Brookville) and Laura Burden (Pleasant Hill/Newton), sophomores Gabby Stewart (Union, Ky./St. Henry), Alicia Swierz (Deerfield/Southeast), and Mallory Taylor (Olmsted Falls) all earned the honor.
The award winners must be a sophomore or higher in class standing, maintain varsity status and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50.
Huddle, a Computer Engineering major, is now a 3-time Academic All-OAC honoree.
The senior second basemen is also a 2-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar Athlete.
Huddle was named to the OAC All-Tournament team after helping ONU capture its first OAC Tournament title since 2009 and earning its first NCAA Div. III Tournament appearance since the 2012 season.
She appeared in 41 contests for ONU this season, starting in 37 and added a career-high 32 hits in 102 at bats. She also scored a career-best 19 runs for ONU.
Henry, a Psychology major, is now a 3-time Academic All-OAC honoree in her three seasons of eligibility.
The senior appeared in 33 games this season and started in 30 of those games.
Henry had 18 hits this season for ONU and was primarily a catcher for the Polar Bears.
The senior ended her career with 45 hits, 27 RBI and appeared in 96 career games.
Loughman, a History and Social Studies major, earned her second consecutive Academic All-OAC nod.
The 2-time All-OAC honoree was named Second Team All-OAC this season after being named Honorable Mention All-OAC in her sophomore campaign.
Hailee appeared in 35 contest with 33 starts for ONU and held a .302 batting average. She ranked third on the team with 22 RBI this season and ranked second on the team with four home runs this season.
Burden, a Nursing major, earned the second Academic All-OAC honor of her career.
The junior appeared in 16 games this season with 12 starts. She had a .333 batting average and recorded a career-best 10 hits during her 2018 campaign.
Stewart, also a Nursing major, earned her first career Academic All-OAC honor in 2018.
The sophomore had a phenomenal season, earning Second Team All-OAC honors and being named to the OAC All-Tournament team this season.
Stewart appeared in and started 41 games for ONU this season.
She led the team and ranked third in the OAC this season with 38 RBI. She posted career-high numbers this season in at bats (132), runs (21), hits (49), doubles (16) and RBI (38).
Swierz, a Pharmacy major, also earned her first Academic All-OAC honor.
The sophomore appeared in 42 games this season and started in 38 games.
She saw career-high marks in at bats (108), runs (24), hits (32), doubles (5), triples (3), home runs (1) and RBI (19).
Alicia was named the to NCAA Div. III Notre Dame Regional All-Tournament Team for her efforts in Northern's 2018 NCAA Tournament run.
Taylor, a Mechanical Engineering major, earned her first career Academic All-OAC honor in 2018.
The sophomore appeared in 23 games for ONU this season, starting in 21 games and saw a career-high 59 at bats, and recorded career-highs in hits (15), runs (7) and RBI (7).
Northern finished its 2018 campaign with a 32-11 record, claiming the OAC Tournament title and advancing to the NCAA III Tournament for the first time since 2012 under second-year head coach Jackie Price.