RCW: Inside Softball 3.37

Get a quick look inside your favorite Kansas Jayhawk programs each week with Rock Chalk Weekly’s Inside Sports pages. Notable statistics, quick hits and the top social media posts get every Jayhawk fan up-to-speed and ready for another week of thrilling competition.
 Number BY THE NUMBERS
With its victory over then-No. 14 Baylor (3/25), Kansas’ streak increased to eight-straight seasons with a win over a nationally-ranked opponent.

 

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Notes QUICK HITS

  • Kansas concluded the 2017 campaign, its eighth season under head coach Megan Smith, with a 24-28 overall record and a 3-14 mark in Big 12 Conference action.
  • Juniors Harli Ridling and Erin McGinley collected postseason accolades after being named 2017 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region honorees. McGinley’s second-team nod is the second All-Region accolade for the outfielder, while Ridling earned her first.
  • Ridling also earned her first career All-Big 12 accolade for her efforts behind the dish in 2017. Ridling started 49 games for the Jayhawks during her junior campaign. She recorded a .326 clip at the plate, good for the second-best batting average among KU’s starters. Ridling led the squad with 11 home runs, while also registering seven doubles and 37 RBIs. 
  • For the seventh season in a row, KU had at least five Jayhawks earn Academic All-Big 12 honors. Seniors Taylor Dodson and Sophia Templin, McGinley and sophomore Emily Bermel earned first-team recognition, while senior Taylor McElhaney collected second-team honors. McElhaney received her third academic award from the Big 12, while Dodson, Templin, McGinley and Bermel earned their second.
  • Additionally, four softball freshmen were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team for their efforts in the classroom. Becki Monaghan, Mandy Roberts, Madison Sykes and Lily Valeo all earned their first academic award from the conference at the end of the 2017 season.
  • KU’s defense posted a .972 fielding percentage during the 2017 season, which was the third-best mark in the league and 32nd in the nation.
  • Junior infielder/catcher Jessie Roane concluded the year with 16 doubles, the second-most in the Big 12 and 36th in the country.
  • One of Smith’s most diverse hitters, senior outfielder Lily Behrmann, proved throughout the season that she could do it all at the plate. She could hit for power or lay down the perfect bunt, but her biggest strength at the plate was her patience. The Overland Park, Kansas native led the team with 33 walks and ended her collegiate career with 112 to finish second all-time in KU softball history.