University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Softball Team Announces Team Awards
5/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The University of Minnesota softball program has announced its annual team awards. Senior Megan Higginbotham was named the Most Valuable Player for the third straight year, while fellow senior Katie Meyer was honored as the Most Valued Player as voted on by her teammates.
Higginbotham, who was also honored with the .300 Hitting Award, led the team in batting average (.311) and doubles (11) for the fourth straight year, while pacing the Golden Gophers in runs scored (35) and stolen bases (15) for the second consecutive season. She led all Big Ten shortstops and ranked fourth overall with a .419 batting average and .767 slugging percentage during league games to earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
One of the most productive players in program history, Higginbotham finished her career sixth on the school’s record chart with a .353 career batting average. She also ranks third all-time with 22 career home runs, fourth with 44 doubles and fifth with 69 stolen bases. She started all 204 games of her collegiate career.
A native of Bloomington, Minn., Meyer was voted as the team’s Most Valued Player for her contributions both on and off the field. As the team’s designated player, she provided a consistent bat in the middle of the lineup, ranking fourth on the team with a .254 average. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and U of M Scholar-Athlete, Meyer has also served on the executive board of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee the last two years and has been involved in a number of volunteer activities both on campus and in the Twin Cities community. Meyer was honored as Minnesota’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award as announced by the conference office last week.
Minnesota’s pitching staff, comprised of sophomores Katie Dalen and Briana Hassett and senior Rene Konderik, was honored with the team’s Defensive Award. The Gopher pitchers committed just four errors on the season for a combined .966 fielding percentage as Minnesota ranked fifth overall in the conference defensively during the regular season. All three pitchers ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten for fewest hits allowed while ranking first through third, respectively, in fewest home runs allowed.
Colleen Powers earned the team’s Blue Collar Award, which recognizes determination and enthusiasm both on and off the field. In her first season as a full-time starter, Powers started all 41 games in which she played in right field and did not commit an error in 31 chances, including six assists.
Casey Wheeler was named Minnesota’s Rookie of the Year. A former two-time junior college All-American, Wheeler started all but one game in centerfield in her first season of Division I softball. She tied for second on the team with seven doubles on the year.
In addition, the entire team received the Severson/Coaches Award, which honors players for outstanding dedication to the program. With a 24-22 overall record and 4-9 mark in the Big Ten, the Golden Gophers came within a game of earning a spot in the conference tournament for the first time in four years. The highlight of the season was 2-0 upset of No. 9 Michigan in Ann Arbor on April 27. It was the highest-ranked opponent the Gophers had beaten since knocking off No. 7 Cal State Fullerton on March 1, 2003.
2007 Golden Gopher Team Awards
Most Valuable Player: Megan Higginbotham
Most Valued Player: Katie Meyer
Defensive Award: Pitching Staff
Blue Collar Award: Colleen Powers
Rookie of the Year: Casey Wheeler
.300 Hitting Award: Megan Higginbotham
Severson/Coaches Award: Team
Higginbotham, who was also honored with the .300 Hitting Award, led the team in batting average (.311) and doubles (11) for the fourth straight year, while pacing the Golden Gophers in runs scored (35) and stolen bases (15) for the second consecutive season. She led all Big Ten shortstops and ranked fourth overall with a .419 batting average and .767 slugging percentage during league games to earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
One of the most productive players in program history, Higginbotham finished her career sixth on the school’s record chart with a .353 career batting average. She also ranks third all-time with 22 career home runs, fourth with 44 doubles and fifth with 69 stolen bases. She started all 204 games of her collegiate career.
A native of Bloomington, Minn., Meyer was voted as the team’s Most Valued Player for her contributions both on and off the field. As the team’s designated player, she provided a consistent bat in the middle of the lineup, ranking fourth on the team with a .254 average. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and U of M Scholar-Athlete, Meyer has also served on the executive board of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee the last two years and has been involved in a number of volunteer activities both on campus and in the Twin Cities community. Meyer was honored as Minnesota’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award as announced by the conference office last week.
Minnesota’s pitching staff, comprised of sophomores Katie Dalen and Briana Hassett and senior Rene Konderik, was honored with the team’s Defensive Award. The Gopher pitchers committed just four errors on the season for a combined .966 fielding percentage as Minnesota ranked fifth overall in the conference defensively during the regular season. All three pitchers ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten for fewest hits allowed while ranking first through third, respectively, in fewest home runs allowed.
Colleen Powers earned the team’s Blue Collar Award, which recognizes determination and enthusiasm both on and off the field. In her first season as a full-time starter, Powers started all 41 games in which she played in right field and did not commit an error in 31 chances, including six assists.
Casey Wheeler was named Minnesota’s Rookie of the Year. A former two-time junior college All-American, Wheeler started all but one game in centerfield in her first season of Division I softball. She tied for second on the team with seven doubles on the year.
In addition, the entire team received the Severson/Coaches Award, which honors players for outstanding dedication to the program. With a 24-22 overall record and 4-9 mark in the Big Ten, the Golden Gophers came within a game of earning a spot in the conference tournament for the first time in four years. The highlight of the season was 2-0 upset of No. 9 Michigan in Ann Arbor on April 27. It was the highest-ranked opponent the Gophers had beaten since knocking off No. 7 Cal State Fullerton on March 1, 2003.
2007 Golden Gopher Team Awards
Most Valuable Player: Megan Higginbotham
Most Valued Player: Katie Meyer
Defensive Award: Pitching Staff
Blue Collar Award: Colleen Powers
Rookie of the Year: Casey Wheeler
.300 Hitting Award: Megan Higginbotham
Severson/Coaches Award: Team
Players Mentioned
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