NCAC Release
The College of Wooster softball team earned five selections on the All-North Coast Athletic Conference teams, as announced by the conference on Wednesday.
Juniors Julia Jennings and Cate Barkdoll were first team selections; first-year Jillian Meszaros was named to the second team; and finally, juniors Ella Wolff and Emma Hetkey were third team selections.
Jennings, now a three-time All-NCAC First Team selection, led the Scots and was eighth within the NCAC with a .419 batting average in conference games. Her five extra base hits this season were a career best for her.
Jennings ranks within the program as one of its best hitters as her .402 average still tops the career program marks. Transitioning to shortstop midseason, the former gold glover also remained one of the best in the field with a .962 fielding percentage.
Barkdoll receives recognition for the first time and does so debuting on the first team. Barkdoll batted .368 across conference games and her three home runs was the best in the league.
She hit three more home runs in non-conference play to give her 11 in her career, which is currently tied for fifth in program history.
Like Jennings, Barkdoll's play in the field was exceptional with a .994 fielding percentage. The catcher threw out 15 runners in conference games and her 23 overall currently tops the nation.
Earning a second team mention, Meszaros played a critical role for Wooster as a first year either in the lineup as a pitcher or batting as the designated player.
Before the NCAC Tournament, she had a conference-best 25 pitching appearances, 20 games started and 122 innings pitched. Her 13 complete games were second in the conference only behind Hiram's first team selection in Darian Kanno.
Meszaros went 4-4 with a 2.35 ERA in conference games. At the plate, she batted .339 overall and .244 in conference games, and in the field, she did not commit an error for the entire season.
On the third team, Hetkey earns her third All-NCAC honor behind a season in which she batted .300 in conference games. Overall, she led the team with a .385 average.
Hetkey was one of Wooster's main base stealing threats, with 26 on the year, which was three shy of tying the program's single season record. However, it was enough to give her 54 in her career, a new career record for the Scots.
In addition, Hetkey was one of the toughest Scots to strikeout with just four on the season. She also had 12 sacrifice hits for first on the team and ranked 15th in the nation on sacrifice bunts per game.
Finally, Wolff earns a third team selection for the second straight year. She exceled in conference games, batting .303 and committing just one error out in center field, which was her only error in 38 games.
Wolff, Meszaros, Hetkey and Barkdoll were the only Scots to appear in all 38 games for Wooster, who finished with a 17-21 record and fifth place in the NCAC.
