Softball media guide 2014

LOOK FOR the upcoming feature on the LLC sophomores in the next edition!

The challenge is obvious – to harness the wonder and power of fire without being consumed by it. Fast-forward to the 21st century, and you find a man who has learned how to apply the power of fire to his personal life and to his career as a softball coach.

To read more...

See this week’s feature on Coach Nelson by Dr. Lloyd Hulit on page 6.

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Spring 2014 www.lakeland.edu/athletics

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Dr. Josh

Bullock President

W

elcome to Lake Land College and thank you for joining us for this exciting Laker softball game. I’d like to take this time to formally introduce myself to each of you. My name is Josh Bullock and I am the new president of Lake Land College. Although I’ve only been at Lake Land for a short time, it is evident the entire college community is fully committed to creating a meaningful and fulfilling educational experience for everyone, and Laker softball is no exception.

As a Division I member of the NJCAA, the Lady Laker softball team excels on and off the field.

Our players challenge themselves every day to set very high standards. This is seen through the level of play they bring to the athletic program at the college and their accomplishments in the classroom. Led by Coach Nic Nelson, our softball team is comprised of some of the finest athletes in the world, and we are very proud to have them as members of the Lake Land family.

Throughout the year, Lake Land’s five inter-collegiate athletic programs build a well-rounded college experience for students. Being a student athlete is hard work, but the benefits of playing and studying at the college level are immeasurable. Our players’ athletic ability, dedication and team spirit are second to none. Thank you for your support of the team, our coaching staff and the college. I look forward to seeing you at the next Laker event! Go Lakers!

Sincerely,

Dr. Josh Bullock President Lake Land College

Bill

Jackson d i r e c t o r o f at h l e t i c s

T

his Spring marks a new era in Lake Land College Athletics, as Bill Jackson becomes the Director of Athletics. Bill came to Lake Land last year to be the Head Baseball Coach. Before the move to Mattoon, Coach Jackson spent six seasons as the Associate Head Baseball Coach at Graceland University. Jackson was the infield and hitting coach for Head Coach Brady McKillip and the Yellowjackets. Bill’s coaching career began as an assistant in the fall of 2000 at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Illinois. He spent two-and-a-half years there as an assistant coach. In the spring of 2003 Jackson became the interim head coach of the Skyhawk’s, and in the following fall Bill became the official head coach. In the spring of 2005, Jackson moved on to become an assistant coach at Summit County High School in Frisco, Colorado.

In the fall of 2005, Bill moved again, and became a volunteer assistant at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. In the summer of 2006 and 2007 Jackson earned some valuable experience in Junction City, Kansas coaching a collegiate summer team, the Generals of the Central Plains League where he worked with the positional players. In the fall of 2006 Bill was an assistant at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa. During the summer of 2010, Jackson assisted at the DeMarini top 96 camp.

Jackson’s’ playing career began at Sauk Valley Community College in 1996. While at SVCC, Jackson was a middle infielder. In 1998 Bill transferred to Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois.

While at EC Jackson was an all-conference, tournament team second baseman and an allregion selection.

In his free time, Bill enjoys spending time with his wife, Nicole, sons Dylan, 2 years and Tanner, 4 months. Bill is a 2003 graduate of Aurora University with an MBA and a 2000 graduate of Eureka College with a B.S. in Business.

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The Quality Inn & Suites proudly sponsors Lake Land College Athletics!

Greg “Nic”

S

nelson head coach

everal years ago, scientists analyzed materials located in the Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa. They found microscopic evidence of burning inside this cave, along with the kind of tools that could have been used to kindle fire. Carbon dating suggests that this material is one million years old, the earliest evidence we have about the discovery of fire, considered a critical turning point in the evolution of man. Humans have been fascinated by fire since its discovery. Fire was a key to the survival of our species. In the beginning, it provided warmth, and it provided protection from predators. It allowed humans to cook their food, which improved digestion and neurological function, allowing our members to live longer, healthier lives.

Eventually, fire was used to cleanse and to purify, but there is a dichotomous aspect to fire. Fire can also be destructive. Fire destroys thousands of acres of forest every year. Worldwide, 339,000 people die in wildfires every year. The challenge is obvious – to harness the wonder and power of fire without being consumed by it. Fast-forward to the 21st century, and you find a man who has learned how to apply the power of fire to his personal life and to his career as a softball coach – Nic Nelson.

The fourth Lake Land College team under Coach Nelson’s competent guidance had another outstanding season, including a third straight appearance in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Since moving into the head coaching position at Lake Land College in 2009, Coach Nelson’s teams have won three Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) championships and three NJCAA DI Region 24 Tournament championships. Three times during Nelson’s brief tenure at the helm, he has been named the GRAC and the NJCAA Region 24 Coach of the Year. His four-year record as Head Softball Coach at Lake Land College, stands at 190 wins against just 37 losses.

Prior to assuming the head coaching position at Lake Land College, Coach Nelson worked on the coaching staff at Heartland College in Normal, Illinois, helping guide the Hawks, in their first year of competition, to a third place finish at the 2008 NJCAA Division II National Tournament.

Coach Nelson brings a wealth of coaching and sports administrative experience to Lake Land. As the past owner and operator of The Practice Factory, an indoor hitting facility with locations in Normal, Champaign, and LaSalle, Illinois. In addition to managing the business aspects of The Practice Factory, he provides individual and group instruction, and he organizes hitting clinics.

A native of Mattoon, Illinois, Coach Nelson graduated from Mattoon High School. He began his college education at Lake Land College and completed his bachelor’s degree at Illinois State University.

Coach Nelson has coached softball at virtually every age level. He was an ASA Junior Olympic coach for many years and coached at Parkside Junior High School in Normal, Illinois. At the high school level, he coached at Bellflower High School, Champaign Central High School, and Normal Community West High School.

From 1994 to 2005, Coach Nelson was the general manager and head coach of the McDonalds All-Stars International Team.

His teams traveled wide and far, including visits to Cuba, Australia, Japan, Great Britain, New Zealand and Canada. During these visits, his McDonalds All-Star teams played against an impressive array of talent, including the national teams of Cuba, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, Venezuela, France, Canada, Czechoslovakia and the Netherlands, as well as the state team of Queensland in Australia. In addition to their competitive excursions overseas, Coach Nelson’s McDonald All-Stars played in tournaments all over the continental United States and in Hawaii.

Expanding his reach deeper and wider into the softball world, Coach Nelson co-founded Elite Softball, a program designed to evaluate junior high and high school players for the purpose of introducing players to college programs at every level of collegiate competition. Nelson devotes his summers and falls to scheduling, staffing, and managing Elite Softball showcases.

Although the emphasis of Elite Softball is on evaluation, Coach Nelson makes sure they are also designed to teach so that when a player concludes a showcase, she has not only demonstrated her talents, she has refined them.

Nic Nelson and his wife, Kathy, a special education teacher, are the proud parents of three sons and one daughter, all of whom share a family passion for the diamond sports. Sons Nicolas, Chris and Spike all played college baseball. Their daughter, Megan, had a standout career as a shortstop at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. Megan, following her father’s example, has extended her love for the game by coaching high school softball in California. After watching their four children thrive on the competition and the life lessons gained on softball and baseball fields, Nic and Kathy are eager to see if their granddaughter, Manny, and their grandsons, Jasiah and Nikolaj, will take the family diamond tradition into the next generation.

This is the “history” portion of the Nic Nelson story, the identification of some of the basic facts of his life and his coaching career, but Coach Nelson’s story is incomplete without a look at his approach to coaching, and that takes us back to the power of fire.

While it is true that fire destroys thousands of acres of forest every year, it is also true that fire rids these acres of underbrush that have accumulated over many years, and it is true that when life returns to these forests, it is abundant, and it is stronger and more resilient than ever. Like all good coaches in every sport, Coach Nelson understands that it is often necessary to rid players of their underbrush, habits that make their mechanics inefficient and nonproductive. He has an instinctive eye for talent, but he also knows that no player is a finished product. His approach as a teacher/coach is to help each player recognize her strengths and weaknesses, to enhance her strengths, to burn away her weaknesses and replace them with skills that complement her strengths so that she becomes a better player. Nelson is a blacksmith kind of coach. A blacksmith has a vision for what a finished product should look like and how it should function. He chooses the best raw material he can find. He uses a forge hearth to heat iron so that it is pliable enough to mold. He shapes the raw material, puts it back into the fire, shapes it some more, and continues this process until he has the final product he wants. Coach Nelson, the prototypical blacksmith coach, finds players who have the raw abilities to be productive players at the college level. He places them in the fire challenges of practices and games until he and each player discover which technical aspects of her softball skill sets need to be modified, or molded, in order to produce the best, most functional, most productive player possible. The forge hearth Coach Nelson uses has many parts: the field, the gym, the weight room, the batting cage, and the classroom. The overall process, however, is true to the blacksmith’s judicious use of fire to produce iron implements that are precisely molded and tempered to optimal strength.

Coach Nelson’s goal is to produce players who are skilled enough and productive enough to continue the winning tradition of Lake Land College’s softball program, and who are strong enough and malleable enough to be shaped for the challenges that will be found at the next level. He does all this with the personal compassion you would hope and expect to find in a man whose life is defined as “husband,” “father,” and “grandfather” as much as “coach.”

The big question is, “How do the Lake Land softball players respond to the blacksmith, tested-by-fire approach Coach Nelson takes?” The answer can be found in the example of one game. It was the 2013 NJCAA Division I National Tournament in St. George, Utah. In an elimination bracket game, the Lakers were playing the Dragons of Paris, Texas. At the end of the 6th inning, the Lakers were trailing the Dragons, 8-13. The Paris team and their fans were cheering raucously, knowing they were on the precipice of a huge victory. No one would have blamed the Lakers for playing out the string and going home, proud that they had simply advanced to the national tournament. Their fire had been reduced to smoldering embers, but remember this about embers: They are the living remnants of a real fire, and as long as they remain, the fire is not extinguished. The Lake Land players looked at Coach Nelson, and he looked at each of them. In that moment, they made a non-verbal commitment to breathe life into the embers, to re-ignite the fire, to put into practice all the lessons they had learned in the forge hearth of Lake Land softball training and competition. These were softball warriors, hardened by the tests of every fire, small and large, that had threatened them all season. They would not allow themselves to become merely smoke drifting away into the Utah night.

When the Lakers came to the plate in the top of the 7th, the first batter grounded out. The next batter ripped a base hit, and the embers glowed a bit brighter. That hit was followed by another, and then another, and the rally ignited a fire more intense than any they had manufactured all year. The Lakers pushed seven runs across the plate to take a two-run lead into the bottom of the 7th. When they ran out to play defense, they were the tested-in-fire players Nelson had proudly coached all year. The Laker pitcher, a gutsy freshman, took her position inside the circle. Dragons might be infamous for spewing destructive fire to consume anything and everything in front of them, but on this night, the Lakers’ own fire was simply too much, too intense, too relentless. Three up. Three down. Lakers win, 15-13, and advance to the next round under the enthusiastic and effective leadership of the blacksmith coach, Nic Nelson.

By: Dr. LLoyd Hulit

Liz

Andrews Ass i s ta n t c o a c h

C

oach Liz Andrews enters her first season as an Assistant Softball Coach at Lake Land College. Andrews was a two year starter at Heartland Community College (2008-2010). She was a two time All-American, earned 2010 Mid-West Athletic Conference player of the year, was two time first team All-Conference, earned Region 24 player of the year in 2009, and earned first team All-Region 24 team. Andrews was also part of the National Championship team in 2009, with a 50-8 record, earning first team all tournament team. After Heartland, Andrews transferred to Illinois State University as a two year starter in the outfield. She hit .326 for her career, showing a team leading .320 in 2012. In 2011, she earned All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team accolades and was named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Mideast Region Second Team. In 2012, she earned All-Missouri Conference First Team accolades, was on the 2012 Conference Championship team earning State Farm MVC Softball Championship All-Tournament Team Selection, was named MVC Player of the week on April 30, 2012, appeared in Regionals held at the University of Missouri in 2011 and 2012, posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and tallied five assists as an outfielder.

• 3 time AFNI Honor RollMajor Recreation Management Personal information: • From Algonquin, IL • Went to H. D. Jacobs High School • Birthday: November 17, 1989

Denise

Prather At h l e t i c t r a i n e r

A

Mt. Zion native, Denise Prather comes to Lake Land College as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Lakers’ sports teams. In 2009, Prather graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and was a member of the Athletic Training Education Program, where she became a certified athletic trainer. She worked with women’s soccer, football, track and field, and women’s swimming and diving during her college career.

Prather came from Millikin University where she was the assistant softball coach for the last three seasons. She helped bring the program its first conference title in 20 years and two conference tournament appearances. Over the last three seasons, Prather also coached the Mt. Zion Lady Braves, a competitive high school travel team.

Prather was a member of the University of Illinois softball team for the 2005-2006 season. From 2006 to 2009, she was a member of the University of Illinois Club Softball Team where she helped lead her team to two national championships. Prather graduated from Mt. Zion High School in 2005 and was named All-State First Team and All-American twice.

Denny

Throneburg pitching coach

C

oach Throneburg is currently serving as pitching coach for the Lake Land College softball team after retiring as Athletic Director in December. During his nine years at the college, he served as both the athletic director and head softball coach. He completed 32 years teaching and coaching at Casey-Westfield before coming to Lake Land. Coach Throneburg is no stranger to LLC as he played one year of basketball under Jim Dudley before leaving to play at SIU-E where he was a captain and member of the starting five for three years. After coaching varsity basketball at Casey, he returned to LLC as an assistant coach for five years with Coach Dudley.

Coach Throneburg is one of the most widely recognized figures in softball. He was the head coach at Casey-Westfield for 22 years where his teams compiled an amazing 647-56 record with a winning percentage of 92%, which is a national record. The Lady Warriors captured six state titles and 22 consecutive conference championships while compiling an overall conference record of 115-1. Their home record was an impressive 351-13, with the pitchers compiling an ERA of 0.81 over those 22 years. In Coach Throneburg’s four years as the head coach at LLC, he guided the Lakers to an overall record of 158-42 and a conference record of 104-15, with one Region 24 championship and two regular season titles. In 2006, the Lakers became the first softball team in school history to advance to the D-1 National Tournament.

Coach Throneburg has received numerous honors in softball. He has twice been named National High School Softball Coach of the Year, winning that prestigious award in 1997 and again in 2000. In that same year, he was named Illinois High School Coach of the Year and was inducted into the Illinois Girls’ Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Illinois ASA Hall of Fame in 2000 for his playing and coaching accomplishments.

Coach Throneburg resides in Mattoon with his wife, Sue. They have three children, Derek, Dara and D.J. and two granddaughters, Brya and Reese.

Coach Throneburg truly values the family concept. “The LLC athletic motto of ‘Six Sports, One Team’ is one we believe in strongly,” Throneburg said. “Through the ‘Lakers for Learning’ program we hope to inspire success for our student/athletes and the lives they touch.”

I

Big Al

f you really want to see passion and fire, then you need to meet team Grandma, Big Al. Big Al takes on many roles for the Lake Land softball team. She acts as a seamstress and tailor, washes all of the uniforms after each game, never complaining about how dirty they are. But the team’s favorite is Big Al’s awesome honey rolls that she makes for team dinners. If you get a chance be sure to introduce yourself to Big Al at one of the home games. She will be sitting in the front row, no matter what the weather may be, cheering on her Lakers.

Thank you for all of your support!

Ball pounders

Eric Watkins game announcer

At every practice 25 minutes are allowed for what the Lake Land College softball team calls pounding balls (Infield practice). These student volunteers take turns coming to practice to hit infield to the softball team. Thank you to: (L to R) Christian Crespo, Alonso Ruz, Luis Vichez, Mitche.l Ley, Tyler Bushue, Jhonathan Mendoza.

LISTENLAKERLIVE You can catch Lake Land College softball on 89.9 The Max or watch live streaming on lakerball.net

Chet Novak The voice of LLC s o f t b a l l

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       

800-500-6286 tourism@mattoonillinois.org www.mattoon.illinois.gov

roster

2014 # Player Yr. 00 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 19 21 22 24 26 28 32 42

Carly Murphy Cherise Boyd Samantha Fleming Regan Mansur Jessica Ruvalcaba Desiree irazarry Brianna Hall Kaylee Childers Page Clinton Mickaela Fleming Micah Seibert Kortlan Ollinger Brittney Lamendola Jessica Ryckeghem Hannah Lopez Morgan Hart Kaitlyn Crossen Sarah Lopesilvero Katie Watson Emily Bishop Rachel Rhode

Freshman Sophomore Freshman Sophomore Freshman Sophomore Freshman Freshman Freshman Freshman Freshman Freshman Freshman Freshman Freshmen Sophomore Freshman Freshman Sophomore Sophomore Freshman

Position

hometown high school

Pitcher Munster, IN Outfield Casey, IL Pitcher Royal, IL Infielder/Outfielder Mt. Zion, IL Catcher/Outfielder Wilmington, CA Infielder Chicago, IL Outfield University Park, IL Pitcher/1st baseman Metropolis, IL Infielder/ Outfielder Ina, IL Catcher Royal, IL Infielder Greenup, IL Outfielder Robins, IA Infielder Sullivan, IL Outfielder Colona, IL 3B/Infielder/ Outfielder Granada Hills, CA Catcher Louisville, KY Outfielder/Infielder Bloomington, IL Infielder Simpsonville, KY Infielder Louisville, KY Catcher/Outfielder Marshall, IL Pitcher Stillwater, MN

Munster HS Casey-Westfield HS St Joseph HS Mt. Zion HS Phineas Banning HS Guerin Prep HS Marian Catholic HS Massac County Mt Vernon HS St Joseph HS Cumberland HS lMHSAP Sullivan HS Geneseo HS Bishop Alemany HS Pleasure Ridge Park HS Normal Comm. HS Oldhman County HS Louisville Male HS Marshall HS Stillwater

Carly

Murphy FreshmAn Munster, IN pitcher

catch on f i r e with e n t h u s i a s m and people will come for m i l e s to watch you burn

Cherise

Boyd Sophomore Casey, IL First baseman Outfielder

We call them fools Who have to dance within the flame Who c h a n c e the sorrow and the shame That always comes with getting burned

Samantha

Fleming FreshmAn Royal, IL pitcher

set your

life on fire seek those who f a n your

flames

Regan

Mansur Sophomore Mt. Zion, IL Infielder / Outfielder

Every piece of iron has its limits Then it is sent to a blacksmith who puts it up against fire and forges it into something that no one ever thought it could be.

Jessica

Ruvalcaba FreshmAn Wilmington, CA catcher / outfielder

Your s p a r k can become a

flame

and change everything

Desiree

irizarry Sophomore chicago, IL infielder

e a c h one of us

has a fire in our h e a r t for something. it’s our

goal in life to find it and keep it l i t

brianna

Hall

FreshmAn University Park, IL outfielder

Be a fire starter.

Be a t r a i l b l a z e r .

Kaylee

Childers FreshmAn metropolis, IL pitcher / first Baseman

The w e a k e s t of all weak things is a v i r t u e that has not been tested in the fire.

Page

Clinton FreshmAn ina, IL infielder Outfielder

Life is not tried its merely s u r v i v e d

If your standing outside the fire

mickaela

Fleming FreshmAn royal, IL catcher

what matters most is how well you walk through the

fire

micah

Seibert FreshmAn greenup, IL infielder

we must embrace pain and burn it as fuel

for our j o u r n e y

kortlan

ollinger FreshmAn robins, IA outfielder

A true champion is someone who never gives up and isn’t afraid to walk through the fire to be successful

brittney

lamendola FreshmAn sullivan, IL infielder

is today a day to gather strength from the storm, a day to l e a r n life lessons for the next battles.

Today is the day to sit by the fire and watch the b at t l e r a g e outside

jessica

ryckeghem FreshmAn colona, IL outfielder

Surround

Yourself with those who

challenge you, push you, motivate you.

Those who make you

better.

hannah

lopez FreshmAn granada hills, CA third baseman infielder

The f i n e s t steel has to go through the

hottest fire

morgan

hart

sophomore louisville, KY catcher

Success, Honest, and criticism means nothing: what one w a n t s is u n r e s t r a i n e d p a ss i o n ,

fire for fire.

KAITLYN

cROSSEN FreshmAn bloomington, IL outfielder

The i n n e r f i r e is the most important thing man kind possesses.

Sky above me.

Earth below me.

Fire within me.

sarah

lopesilvero FreshmAn simpsonville, KY infielder

Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first s e t y o u r s e l f o n f i r e

katie

watson Sophomore louisville, KY infielder

One can not live in f e a r of failure or

catching fire

emily

bishop Sophomore marshall, IL catcher / outfielder

I am building a fire, and everyday I t r a i n , I add more f u e l .

At just the right moment,

I light the match.

rachel

rhode FreshmAn stillwater, MN pitcher

when she awoke, she s e t t h e w o r l d o n f i r e with her

passion and devotion

Athletic honors Lake Land College softball

NJCAA Academic All American Team for eight consecutive years

2009

2011

NJCAA Divison 1 All Americans

NFCA NJCAA All-American

Academic All American Team (Team maintains a 3.00+ GPA (for the school year)

Aubrey Frank / Victoria Purcell Jenna Bradley / Lauren Covington Kristen Runde / Mallory Bremer

Aubrey Frank

Tanna Hinthorne (P) / Michelle Glenn (OF) Madison Murphy (INF)

All Region First Team

LLC team GPA 3.30

All Region Second Team

NFCA Academic All Americans

Kaitlyn Teager / Kristen Winkler / Baileigh Basham / Michelle Glenn / Olivia Mintun / Kimberlin Wallace

Hailey Tinsman / Stephanie Mattocks Nicole Runde

Exemplary Academic All Americans (Player must have 3.60+ GPA for 3 semesters)

All Great Rivers Athletic Conference Team

Kaitlyn Teager / Kristen Winkler

NJCAA D1 National Championships

Mallory Bremer / Aubrey Frank Hailey Tinsman / Jenna Bradley

All Region XXIV Tournament Team Nicole Runde / Hailey Tinsman Kristen Runde / Jenna Bradley

LLC 5th Place

Defensive Player of the National Tournament NJCAA D1 Region 24

All Great Rivers Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year

NJCAA D1 Region 24 Tournament MVP

NJCAA Midwest Region First Team

Kimberlin Wallace

Mallory Bremer

NJCAA D1 Region 24 Tournament Champions

Aubrey Frank

Tanna Hinthorne

NJCAA Midwest Region Second Team

NJCAA D1 Region 24 Tournament All Tournament Team

Baileigh Basham / Michelle Glenn / Katie Reiff / Kristen Winkler

Jenna Bradley

NJCAA D1 Region 24 All Region Team

NJCAA Division I All-American Third Team Aubrey Frank

Tanna Hinthorne / Michelle Glenn / Madison Murphy / Bailiegh Basham

NJCAA D1 Region 24 Coach of the Year Nic Nelson

All Great Rivers Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Tanna Hinthorne

All Great Rivers Athletic Conference All Conference Team Bailiegh Basham / Madison Murphy

2010

NJCAA Region 24 Academic All-Americans Aubrey Frank / Brianna Athey Kristin Runde / Nicole Runde

NJCAA Region 24 All-Region Team

2008

NJCAA Region 24 All-Region Team

Alicia Hayes / Vanessa James Zoe Sinner / Chelsey Sullivan

All-Conference Team

2007

NJCAA Region 24 All-Region Team

Morgan Finn / Emily Gooding Abby McComas

All-Conference Team

Geri Whitman / Nicole Runde Jackie Trombie / Maria Dust

Jenna Bradley / Vanessa James Zoe Sinner / Chelsey Sullivan

Emily Gooding / Abby McComas Vanessa James / Morgan Finn

Great Rivers Athletic Conference MVP

Freshman of the Year

Freshman of the Year

All Great Rivers Athletic Conference Team

Region 24 All-Tournament Team

Brianna Athey

Brianna Athey / Geri Whitman Maria Dust

All NJCAA Region 24 All Tournament Team

Geri Whitman / Brianna Athey Maria Dust / Nicole Runde

Zoe Sinner

Jenna Bradley Lauren Covington Stephanie Mattocks Zoe Sinner

Morgan Finn

Region 24 All-Tournament Team Morgan Finn Emily Gooding Abby McComas

post season honors - 2012

Team Honors and Awards

Overall: 53 and 7 NJCAA Division One National Tournament, St George, UT - 8th place NJCAA Division One Region 24 Tournament Champions Great Rivers Athletic Conference Champions (with a perfect record of 32-0) NJCAA Academic All-American Team

Individual Honors and Awards

NJCAA Division One All Americans Tanna Hinthorne - Pitcher / Michelle Glenn - Outfield / Briana Gamm - Infield

NJCAA Academic All-Americans

Michelle Glenn / Kimberlin Wallace / Olivia Mintun

NFCA All-Americans

Tanna Hinthorne - Pitcher

NFCA Academic All-Americans

Michelle Glenn / Kimberlin Wallace / Olivia Mintun / Meaghan Touchette

NJCAA Division One Region 24 Tournament MVP

NJCAA Division One Region 24 All-Tournament Team Kimberlin Wallace / Betty Gamm / Tanna Hinthorne Madison Murphy / Melanie Steer

NJCAA Division One Region 24 Coach of the Year Nic Nelson

NJCAA Division One All Region 24 Team

Tanna Hinthorne - Pitcher / Michelle Glenn - Outfielder Brianna Gamm - Infielder /Kayla Kirkpatrick - Pitcher Meaghan Touchette - Outfielder

NFCA NJCAA D1 ALL Region Team Midwest Region Tanna Hinthorne / Kayla Kirkpatrick / Kimberlin Wallace

Great Rivers Athletic Conference MVP Tanna Hinthorne

Great Rivers Athletic Conference All Conference Team

Tanna Hinthorne / Kayla Kirkpatrick / Chelsea Presley / Meaghan Touchette

Great Rivers Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Coach Nic Nelson

Chelsea Presley NJCAA

sponsored by:

post season honors - 2013

NJCAA Division One All American

NJCAA Division One Region 24 Coach of the Year

Kristi Belshe, sophomore outfielder

Coach Nic Nelson

NJCAA Division One NFCA All-All Americans

NJCAA Division One All Region 24 Team

NJCAA Division One National Tournament - All-Tournament Team

Great Rivers Athletic Conference MVP

Kristi Belshe, sophomore outfielder

Kristi Belshe, sophomore outfielder

NJCAA Division One NFCA All-Midwest Region team 1st team

Great Rivers Athletic Conference Freshmen of the Year

Kristi Belshe, sophomore outfielder Kayla Kirkpatrick, sophomore pitcher Skyler Woods, sophomore infielder Rachel Keller, freshman infielder

Kayla Kirkpatrick, sophomore pitcher Kristi Belshe, sophomore outfielder Skyler Woods, sophomore infielder Rachel Keller, freshman infielder

2nd Team

Melanie Steer, sophomore DP

NJCAA Division One Region 24 Player of the Year Emily Bishop, freshman catcher

NJCAA Division One Region 24 All-Tournament Team Melanie Steer, sophomore outfielder Cherise Boyd, freshman infielder Rebecca Paterson, freshman infielder Katie Watson, freshman infielder

Kayla Kirkpatrick, sophomore pitcher Alex Smith, freshman pitcher Kristi Belshe, sophomore outfielder Skyler Woods, sophomore infielder

Alex Smith, freshman pitcher

Great Rivers Athletic Conference All Conference Team Kristi Belshe, sophomore outfielder Alex Smith, freshman pitcher Kayla Kirkpatrick, sophomore pitcher Melanie Steer, sophomore outfielder

Great Rivers Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Coach Nic Nelson

Alumni & Records Lake Land College

Class of 2007

Morgan Finn – St. Louis University Emily Gooding – Northern Illinois University Kaitlyn McEldowney – IUPUI Sasha Stanton – St. Mary-of-theWoods College

Team Records

Category Record

Danielle Battaglia – University of

Michigan

Alicia Hayes – IUPUI

Vanessa James – University of Louisville Zoe Sinner – Northern Illinois University

Class of 2008

Class of 2009

Most wins Most hits Most doubles Most triples Most home runs RBI Runs Bases stolen Batting average Best on base % Best fielding % Most hit by pitch

Jenna Bradley - Murray State Stephaine Mattocks - Murray State Megan Glosser - Murray State Chelsey Sullivan - Murray State Hailey Tinsman - Indiana State University

Class of 2010

Brianna Athey - Morehead State University

Class of 2011

Bailiegh Basham – Bradley University Katie Reiff – Tennessee Martin University Jaquelyn Trombi – Eastern Illinois University

Class of 2012

Tanna Hinthorne - Wichita State University, Wichita, KS Kimberlin Wallace - Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN Olivia Minton - Stoney Brooke University, Stoney Brook, NY Michelle Glenn - Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL Madison Murphy - Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL Betty Gamm - Tiffon University, Tiffon, OH Hannah Wessel - University of Missouri St Louis, St Louis, MO Kelsey Stozkus - McKendree College, Lebanon, IL

Class of 2013

Kristi Belshe - Texas Tech University Kayla Kirkpatrick - Western Illinois University Rebecca Patterson - Western Illinois University Rachel Keller - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Melanie Steer - Jacksonville State University Meaghan Touchette Southeast Missouri State University Alex Smith- University of Illinois Springfield Skyler woods – Purdue Calumet

53 612 115 36 42 443 466 126 .402 .471 .960 79

Individual Stats

Year Category Record Player

2012 Most Hits 2012 Most Doubles 2008 Most Triples 2009 Most Home Runs 2009 Most Walks 2011 Most Hit by Pitch 2011 RBI 2012 Runs 2008 Bases Stolen 2011

2011 Batting average 2012

Best on base %

Best fielding %

80 23 9 11 19 28 75 62 23 23 .500 .500 .563 .1000 .1000 .1000 .1000

Year

Michelle Glenn 2011 Zoe Sinner 2008 Hailey Tinsman 2009 Bailiegh Basham 2011 Meaghan Touchette 2012 Madison Murphy 2012 Bailiegh Basham 2011 Michelle Glenn 2011 Brianna Gamm 2012 Michelle Glenn 2012 Madison Murphy 2011 Zoe Sinner 2008 Madison Murphy 2011 Mallory Bremer 2009/10 Geri Whitman 2009/10 Nicole Ramsey 2010 Chelsey Sullivan 2008

Individual Pitching

Most Wins Most Strike Outs Most Innings Pitched Lowest ERA

25 177 179.2 .740

Tanna Hinthorne Tanna Hinthorne Tanna Hinthorne Kayla Kirkpatrick

2012 2012 2011 2012

Individual Career

Most Hits

Most Doubles

Most Triples

Most Home Runs

Most Walks

Most Hit by Pitch

RBI

Runs

Bases Stolen

Batting average

Best on base %

Best fielding %

150 29 13 16 31 28 104 120 41 .436 .484 .1000 .1000

Michelle Glenn 2011/12 Jenna Bradley 2008/09 Hailey Tinsman 2008/09 Madison Murphy 2011/12 Kristen Runde 2009/10 Madison Murphy 2011/12 Jenna Bradley 2008/09 Michelle Glenn 2011/12 Betty Gamm 2011/12 Michelle Glenn 2011/12 Madison Murphy 2011/12 Mallory Bremer 2009/10 Geri Whitman 2009/10

Pitching Career

Most Wins Most Strike Outs Most Innings Pitched Lowest ERA

49 328 355.1 1.36

Tanna Hinthorne Tanna Hinthorne Tanna Hinthorne Tanna Hinthorne

2011/12 2011/12 2011/12 2011/12

fight song Please join us in singing our fight song after home victories!

Make way for the Lakers now Our champions we do cheer!

We’ve played the game, We’ve earned the name Our foes we do not fear.

So, raise up your voice in praise, Let’s shout for victory.

The Lakers are best!

Forget all the rest.

To Lake Land our loyalty LAKERS!

GOOD LUCK LAKERS

www.thepremiersportsacademy.com Areas of instruction include: throwing, catching, fielding, hitting, base-running, pitching and conditioning

Mattoon, Illinois

www.premierfastpitchsoftball.com

Dan Paulson dpaulson@thepremierprintgroup.com Phone: 217-276-6708

Other Sports Coming Soon!!!

Spirit Wear Store Front Fundraising Apparel Uniforms Raffle Tickets Sponsor Brochures Team Programs Lineup Cards Custom Stat Sheets Custom Score Sheets Banners Stadium Seats Water Bottles Promotional Products and Much, Much More!

320 North Second Street Mattoon, Illinois 61938 217-234-8100 • 217-234-8106 fax

www.wave-graphics.com

The current freshman class is excited to welcome to the Lake Land College Softball Family the in-coming freshman class of 2014 Jenna Jones, Fulton, IL Kaitlyn Bath, Mattoon, IL Deidre Ledbetter, Altamont, IL Brittany Turner, Bloomington, IL Brittany Fore, Newton, IL Kyleigh Payne, Bourbonnais, IL Bailee Porter, Bourbonnais, IL Shayna Gamm, Calabasas, CA These new players will truly be test by fire as a soon as they get to Lake Land with Coach Nelson strong fall schedule.

2014 Tentative Fall Scrimmage Schedule Date 09/07/14 09/13/14 09/17/14 09/22/14 09/28/14 10/05/14 10/12/14

Day Opponent Time Sunday Away - Purdue University Noon/2 Saturday Away - Butler University TBA Wednesday Away - Illinois State University 6:30 p.m.

Sunday Away - Indiana State University 11:00 and 1 Sunday Away - Eastern Illinois University 11:00 and 1 Sunday Away - Southern Illinois University Noon/3 p.m.

Sunday Away - Indiana University Noon & 3 EST

3 remaining dates TBA

2014 Spring schedule is available at

lakelandcollege.edu/athletics/softball/schedule.cfm

Special thanks to Mike Childers, Fire Chief, Massac County Fire Depeartment and Clay Childers, Massac County Fire Department for supervising the photo shoots for our media guide. Player safety was of the utmost concern and no one was harmed in the REAL fire photos in this publication.

Thanks also to Sue and John Crossen and Trisha and Todd Bishop for their assistance during the photo shoot.

Also continued thanks to Kevin Cleinmark, official LLC softball photographer for his outstanding work and support.