Fisher headlines All-IIAC softball selections
INDIANOLA, Iowa - First team utility player Riley Fisher highlighted Simpson's three selections to the 2016 All-Iowa Conference Softball Team, announced by the league office earlier this week.
In addition to Fisher's first-team pick, outfielder Brianna Chaplin and first baseman Rachel Guessford earned second team honors. Catcher Tori Haag and pitcher Abbie VanVleet were recognized with honorable mention nods.
League-champion Luther swept the conference awards, with Miranda McCay winning Position Player of the Year honors, Amdanda Witzlib winning Pitcher of the Year honors and head coach Renae Hartl and the Norse winning Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
A senior from Des Moines, Iowa, Fisher earned first team honors for the second straight season after transferring to Simpson from Des Moines Area CC in 2015. She went 15-2 with a 2.29 ERA and 125 strikeouts while hitting .372 with four home runs and 26 RBIs. She shined in Iowa Conference play, hitting a team-high .433 while going 4-1 in the circle.
A sophomore from Indianola, Iowa, Chaplin earned the second all-league accolade of her career after a first team nod in 2015. The rightfielder finished second on the team with a .379 batting average, hitting six home runs and driving in 17 runs. She also led the team with five outfield assists.
A senior from Des Moines, Iowa, Guessford landed an all-conference nod for the first time in her career. The first baseman was the top power hitter in the conference, crushing a league-best 12 home runs to go along with an IIAC-high 44 RBIs, all while hitting .373. Her home run and RBI total are both the second-most in school history, and Simpson is 11-1 in 2016 when Guessford hits a long ball.
A senior from Waukee, Iowa, Haag was a first team pick in 2014 and a second team pick in 2015. She hit a team-high .398 and was second to Guessford with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs. She hit a team-high 14 doubles and became Simpson's career leader in hits (189), doubles (45), times hit by pitch (21) and total bases (313) this season.
A senior from Indianola, Iowa, VanVleet was a first team pick in 2014. She went 13-4 with a 2.64 ERA, allowing just 16 walks. At the plate, she hit .306 with eight doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs. VanVleet was a two-time IIAC Pitcher of the Week in 2016, giving her seven conference player of the week honors during her career.
Simpson went 30-9 in 2016 and earned an at-large bid to the regional round of the NCAA Division III Championship. The Storm travel to Decorah, Iowa for a four-team, double-elimination regional May 13-15.
