Luderman, Kriegel land on all-conference team
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Simpson College softball team placed two on the 2022 All-American Rivers Conference Team. Junior catcher Maddie Luderman earned a spot on the first team, while freshman infielder Kate Kriegel grabbed second team honors.
The Storm finished the 2022 season with a 19-18 overall record and 4-12 mark in the conference. Simpson earned league splits with Central, Dubuque, Buena Vista and Nebraska Wesleyan.
Maddie Luderman, first team
A native of Bellevue, Neb., Luderman earns her first all-conference recognition. The junior slugged .604 during the conference season with seven of her 16 hits going for extra bases. She drew 10 walks in league play to rank sixth in the A-R-C and had the 12th-best on-base percentage (.448). Luderman both scored and drove in seven runs against conference opponents.
In all 37 games, Luderman led the team in batting average (.375), on-base percentage (.474), slugging percentage (.625), total bases (70), hits (42), and walks (23). She tied for first in home runs (6) and extra-base hits (15), ranked second in RBIs (27), tied for second in doubles (8) and triples (1), and ranked third in runs scored (18). Defensively, Luderman paced the team with a .987 fielding percentage while throwing out 11 runners attempting to steal.
"Maddie is known for her powerful bat but she really is a great defensive catcher as well," said head coach Brent Matthias. "She has a rocket arm and shuts down opponents' run games and she calls great games for our pitching staff. She is a great all-around catcher who has put in the time to be a force on the diamond."
Kate Kriegel, second team
A native of Grinnell, Iowa, Kriegel burst onto the scene and earned herself a spot on the all-conference squad in her first season with the Storm. Against A-R-C foes, the freshman led the team with a .364 batting average which ranked 13th in the league. She tallied 16 of her 27 hits during conference play while driving in five runs and scoring four more.
For the entire season, Kriegel's .346 batting average ranked second on the team as well as her .446 on-base percentage. She went 3-for-3 in the stolen base department and notched a .922 fielding percentage at second base.
"Kate is one of the most athletic players on our team," said Matthias. "We moved her from her normal catching spot to second base because she has great range and super softball instincts. Offensively, she has a knack for getting on base and getting big time hits. Kate in her first year proved she is a big-time player."
