College of Wooster softball players
Cate Barkdoll,
Tori Conner, and
Julia Jennings were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® on Tuesday.
Barkdoll batted .340 (35-for-103) this spring with a team-leading 26 RBI. The senior scored 14 runs, which ranked third on the team, hit five doubles, and had a home run. Barkdoll finished as the program's all-time leader with 107 RBI, second in doubles with 38, and third in total bases at 225. As a junior, Barkdoll was a first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection after leading the nation and setting a program record with 23 base runners caught stealing. That year, Barkdoll collected a team-high six home runs, 13 doubles, and 32 RBI.
The environmental geoscience alumna volunteered the past two years at Goodwill Industries, living in one of the College's service program houses. Barkdoll volunteered for area Night to Shine prom events and Rake a Difference, where Wooster students volunteer to rake leaves in the fall in the greater community. On campus, Barkdoll was a member of the Geology Club. Barkdoll also played field hockey and was a two-time all-conference selection. Barkdoll is a two-time CSC Academic All-District® qualifier for softball.
Conner was one of two players to start all 36 games this spring. The junior batted .289 (35-for-121) and scored 23 runs, ranking second on the team. She drew 14 walks, knocked in 10 runs, and led the team with seven doubles. In the circle, Conner was Wooster's No. 2 pitcher, posting a 4-8 record over 20 appearances, 17 of which were starts. She tossed 90 innings, allowing 69 runs on 119 hits during that stretch. Conner ranked second on the team with 23 strikeouts.
Conner is an education and psychology major who is interning at Melmark this summer. At the special education school in Pennsylvania, Conner is interning under a counselor, where she will be supporting students in the classroom, collecting behavioral and academic data, and observing the professional behavior analyst she is interning under. Conner's field placements have seen the senior-to-be placed in an intervention classroom at Triway Elementary School, a first grade classroom at Cornerstone Elementary School in Wooster, and The College of Wooster's Nursery School. Conner previously was a camp counselor in Pennsylvania and a youth camp instructor for Black Cat Fastpitch. On campus, she is treasurer of Alpha Gamma Phi sorority and volunteers at West View Healthy Living and with Boys and Girls Club of Wooster.
Jennings, a four-time All-NCAC selection, was the other Fighting Scot to start all 36 games this spring. She finished the year with a .347 average (41-for-118) and ranked second on the team in hits and RBI (26). Jennings scored 12 runs and clubbed six doubles. Earlier in her career, Jennings earned the National Fastpitch Coaches Association inaugural gold glove award for Div. III third baseman to cap a standout freshman year. As a first-year, Jennings was the NCAC Newcomer of the Year, a first-team NFCA All-Region honoree, and earned the first of three straight first-team All-NCAC awards. Jennings broke the program's single-season record with a .450 average (59-for-131) and led the conference with a .529 average (27-for-51) in league games as a first-year. This spring, she became Wooster's all-time leader in hits and assists with 187 and 391, respectively, and she is second all-time in average (.389, 187-for-481) and RBI (97).
For Independent Study, Jennings planned, taught, and assessed a Socratic seminar lesson and reflected on its effectiveness. She will be completing student teaching this fall before moving back home to Indiana to start teaching high school English and coaching softball. Jennings volunteered for area Night to Shine prom events, with the Boys and Girls Club of Wooster, and at West View Healthy Living. She is an education and English major. Jennings is a three-time CSC Academic All-District® qualifier.
Colleges and universities with CSC membership may nominate up to five softball players for CSC Academic All-District® honors. Honorees must be at least a sophomore with a 3.50 cumulative GPA through the fall semester of the current academic year. Nominees must compete in 90 percent of their team's games or start at least 66 percent of contests. For pitchers, nominees must have at least 17 appearances or 35 innings pitched.
