Oviatt named pitcher of the year, Christowski coach of the year
INDIANOLA, Iowa – After winning the seventh Iowa Conference title in program history and first since 2000, the Iowa Conference named Simpson senior Whitney Oviatt pitcher of the year and Henry Christowski coach of the year, as announced Monday. In all, seven players earned all-conference recognition.
Senior left fielder Kelsie Host, senior second baseman Kortney Proctor, sophomore shortstop Keri Sorensen and junior right fielder Amanda Enochs joined Oviatt as First Team All-Iowa Conference selections. Senior center fielder Kelsey Castenson and sophomore designated player Vernoica Roshek each landed spots on the second team.
Through 41 team games, Oviatt has a 22-5 record, a 1.78 ERA, 128 strikeouts, five shutouts (nine total combined) and 19 complete games in 32 appearances (29 starts). To this point, she leads all IIAC pitchers in wins, ranks second in innings pitched, and fourth in strikeouts, earned run average, and opposing batting average (.217).
Oviatt started 15 of 16 Iowa Conference games for Simpson, finishing with a 13-1 record, a 1.62 ERA and 52 strikeouts. She pitched eight complete games in league play and all or part of six Storm shutouts while holding opponents to a .212 batting average. Oviatt led the league in wins and innings pitched (90.2).
With 20 wins this season, Oviatt became Simpson's first 20-game winner since Kelly Schade won 37 games during the Storm's NCAA Championship run in 1999 and is one of only three Simpson pitchers to ever accomplish the feat. She also surpassed the 400-strikeout mark May 6, becoming only the fourth Storm pitcher to eclipse the milestone.
Also a member of Simpson's 2009-10 IIAC Champion volleyball and basketball teams, Oviatt distinguished herself as an athlete for all seasons. She was a two-time Second Team All-Conference pick in volleyball (2008, 2009) and was a member of four Iowa Conference Championship teams during her Simpson career (Volleyball, 2006 & 2009; Basketball, 2010; Softball, 2010).
For Christowski, the coach of the year award is the third of his career after winning back-to-back in 1997 and 1998. The 15th-year head coach won his fifth Iowa Conference Championship in 2010 and first since 2000. He led the Storm to their first 30-win season since 2004 and their eighth NCAA Championship appearance under his direction.
A former All-American, Host makes her third appearance on the All-Iowa Conference First Team. She hit .369 with four home runs and 29 RBIs while leading the team with six outfield assists. Host holds Simpson career records for triples (17) and runs scored (99) and her .390 career batting average ranks fifth.
Proctor appears on a postseason team for the second year in a row after earning second-team honors in 2009. The senior hit .275 with four home runs and 21 RBIs and she committed only two errors in 160 chances at second base.
Sorensen makes her first appearance on an all-conference team after leading the Storm with a .390 batting average in her second season. Her .568 slugging percentage is second on the team and her four home runs are tied for second.
Enochs also lands on an all-conference team for the first time after hitting a team-high .474 in conference play. The junior started all but three games and stole four bases in four attempts.
A second-team selection, Castenson hit .294 with a home run and 13 RBIs while committing no errors in center field. Fellow second-team honoree Roshek hit .303 on the year with 11 RBIs while drawing a team-high 22 walks.
Simpson serves as one of eight host institutions for the NCAA Regionals this week, where the Storm (31-10) have the No. 3 seed and open with sixth-seeded St. Thomas at 4 p.m. Thursday at Simpson Softball Complex.
