University of Minnesota Athletics
Lindaman Named Big Ten Player of the Year
5/9/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Full Big Ten Release
ROSEMONT, Ill. - For the second consecutive season, Kendyl Lindaman has been named the Big Ten Player of the Year, as selected by the Big Ten coaches. Along with Lindaman as a unanimous selection, sophomore Amber Fiser and MaKenna Partain were First Team All-Big Ten honorees. Freshman Ellee Jensen garnered Second Team All-Big Ten and All-Freshman team honors, while senior Ellie Cowger was also announced as the Sportsmanship Award Honoree for Minnesota.
Lindaman is the first-ever Gopher to earn back-to-back Player of the Year accolades. In conference play Lindaman led all hitters with a .512 batting average, 1.279 slugging percentage, .732 on-base percentage, 37 walks, and tied for first with 10 home runs. A unanimous first-team selection, Lindaman posts a .368 batting average for the season accompanied by a .850 slugging percentage, .547 on-base percentage mark and 46 RBI. Having blasted 19 home runs already, Lindaman is one shy of tying the single-season record she set last year in her rookie season. The long ball count leads all Big Ten hitters and ranks fifth in the country.
This is Fiser's first all-conference selection. Fiser has been nothing short of dominant leading the Big Ten with a conference ERA of 0.85 while her season ERA of 1.48 ranks second among Big Ten pitchers. Fiser posts a 25-9 overall record in the circle while starting in a Big Ten-best 37 games, 24 of which she recorded a complete game. Throwing a Big Ten-best 217.2 inning she has allowed 46 earned runs of the 56 scored against her, struck out 216 opponents and allowed a mere .186 opponent batting average. With the Gophers winning 18 of their last 20 games, Fiser has pitched in 17 of those games, making 16 starts, tossing a 0.52 ERA in 93.1 innings of work and allowing a minimal seven earned runs. Fiser earned three Big Ten weekly award honors being named Pitcher of the Week three straight weeks in April while also recording national recognition as the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division 1 National Pitcher of the Week on May 1.
Partain also records her first-ever All-Big Ten honor. The sophomore infielder has the eighth best batting average in the league with a .375 mark while boasting a team-best 60 hits, 11 doubles and five triples. With a .638 slugging percentage and .443 on-base percentage, Partain has been able to swipe 11 bags on 12 attempts. In conference play, Partain holds a .456 batting average and .542 on-base percentage. Partain earned Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on April 30 following a successful week against Purdue and Wisconsin where she drove in 10 of the Gophers 40 runs and recorded a grand slam.
Just one of five hitters in the Big Ten to be hitting over .400, Jensen earned second-team and All-Freshman honors after a standout rookie season. Starting in all 51 games and leading the team with a .401 batting average, Jensen has played a key role in the Gophers lineup. Hitting in the nine-hole of the lineup in 44 games and the lead off in seven, Jensen has recorded 55 hits, three doubles, 33 runs and holds a .457 on-base percentage.
Cowger was one of 14 recognized Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These students must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
The Maroon and Gold head to the Big Ten Tournament in Madison, Wis. as the No. 2 seed, May 10-12. The Gophers will face the winner of No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 10 Purdue on Thursday, May 11 at 11 a.m.
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