Softball Hands Out Team Awards
May 18, 2005 | Softball
The Wisconsin softball team recently handed out a number of team awards at its annual banquet.
The following is a list of the awards distributed and the individuals honored.
Co-Most Valuable Players: Boo Gillette and Kris Zacher
For the second consecutive season, Gillette and Zacher shared co-most valuable player honors.
A senior from Milwaukee, Zacher enters this weekend's NCAA Regional with a .404 batting average, currently the top single-season mark in school history. She also leads the team with 38 runs scored, a .669 slugging percentage, five triples and 17 stolen bases. Zacher has also been reliable defensively at shortstop, helping the team turn a single-season record 22 double plays in 2005.
Gillette, a senior from Southwest Ranches, Fla., paces the Badgers with 10 doubles and is second with a .351 average, 35 runs scored, 10 home runs and 34 RBI. Her 20 career home runs are tied with Zacher for UW's all-time lead. Gillette 's 13-game hitting streak this season ranks as the third-longest streak in school history. At catcher, she has gunned down 13 baserunners attempting to steal while picking off five more this season.
Freshman of the Year: Katie Hnatyk
A walk-on from London, Ontario, by way of Woodbury, Minn., Hnatyk burst on to the scene by tying for the Big Ten lead with seven home runs in conference games. The first baseman currently ranks third on the team with a .328 average and nine home runs and fourth with 27 RBI. She hit safely in her last six regular season games and then added another two-hit performance in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals against Ohio State, giving her five multi-hit games over a seven-game span.
Golden Bat Award: Anastasia Miller
Miller, a senior left fielder from Elburn, Ill., had a breakout season in her final campaign as a Badger. Her 11 home runs and 36 RBI entering play this weekend each rank as the top single-season marks in school history. Miller's .320 batting average is fourth-best on the team, while her 18 walks are tops on the squad. She had a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh that gave UW a 6-5 win over Penn State April 3 and went 4-for-4 in a game against No. 18 Northwestern April 10.
Determination Award: Eden Brock
Thrust into the role of being the team's ace pitcher as a sophomore, Brock responded with a 20-9 record to date. The Wakulla, Fla., native won 10 consecutive decisions during a late-season stretch to help UW earn a postseason appearance. She joins Andrea Kirchberg as the only 20-game winners in school history, while her current win total ranks as a tie for the third-best single-season mark all-time at Wisconsin. Brock pitched the Badgers to both of their wins over ranked teams so far this season ' vs. No. 23 Long Beach State Feb. 25 and at Iowa April 29.
Coaches Award: Kaitlin Reiss
Reiss, a junior infielder from Simi Valley, Calif., earned the award based on her dedication to the team and her tireless work ethic. She has appeared in 25 games this season, including 17 starts. Starting at second base, Reiss collected two hits and scored two runs in an 8-3 win over Minnesota May 8 to help the team and the UW athletic department clinch the Border Battle Cup with the victory.
Badger Pride Award: Samantha Polito
Given to the individual who best exemplifies the spirit and enthusiasm for being a Badger, Polito, a center fielder, earned the award for the second consecutive year. Just a sophomore, the Stevens Point, Wis., native was named one of four team captains in a vote by her teammates prior to the season. Polito is the only Badger player to start ever game this season at the same position. In fact, she has appeared in and started every game in her first two seasons at Wisconsin.
Academic Achievement Award: Beth Gausden
Awarded to the individual who displays commitment in the classroom, this year's honor was given to Gausden, a freshman infielder from Mequon, Wis. A pre-kinesiology major, she earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average in her first collegiate semester. Gausden has appeared in four games this season, including one start against Loyola-Chicago April 19. In that contest she picked up the first hit and scored the first run of her collegiate career.
Clutch Hitter Award: Ricci Robben
An award given for the first time this season, Robben earned the honor based on her ability to come through for the Badgers when they needed her most. A native of Napa, Calif., Robben had her finest performance of the season in a 9-5 win over Utah Feb. 27. In that contest, the freshman became the first UW player to hit two home runs in a game, while tying another school record with six RBI. She also delivered a late three-run double in a win at No. 19 Iowa and a two-run single in the seventh inning during a victory over Illinois two days later. Her 16 two-out RBI this season are best on the team.
Most Inspirational Player: Natalie Phillips
A former walk-on from Bolingbrook, Ill., Phillips has persevered and excelled both on the field and in the classroom. She has worked her way into a role as the Badgers' starting right fielder and is hitting .274 this season, 110 points higher than her career average entering 2005. Her two home runs in the second game of a doubleheader against Valparaiso May 3 made her the fourth UW player in school history to accomplish the feat. Phillips recently graduated with a double major in political science and history and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
The Badgers (31-22, 11-9 Big Ten) return to action this weekend when they host an NCAA Regional at Goodman Diamond. Action gets underway at 5 p.m. Friday when UW takes on No. 23 DePaul.
