ROSEMONT, Ill. – Senior outfielders Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) and Lexi Knief (Ramsey, N.J.) as well as sophomore Alyssa VanDerveer (Hillsborough, N.J.) were named First Team All-Big Ten by the conference coaches Wednesday, May 11. The honor marks the first for all three student-athletes, while both Jones and Knief have both earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in their four-year careers at Penn State.
(Photo of Lexi Kneif courtesy of Penn State Athletics)
The Nittany Lions tallied their first team all-conference honorees since the 2013 campaign when Cassidy Bell earned the honor. Furthermore, it is only the second time in program history that Penn State has had three honorees on the first team list with the first being in the 2011 campaign.
Jones started 51 of Penn State’s 52 games this season, spending the most time as the starting left fielder. The senior outfielder has tallied 17 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games for Penn State, while carrying a 16-game hitting streak and a 21-game reached base streak. Furthermore, Jones ranks third in the Big Ten in doubles (17), ties for fourth in hits (64), ranks fifth in runs scored (52), seventh in batting average, slugging percentage (.713), on-base percentage (.503), home runs (11), and total bases (114). The starting left fielder ranks 35th in the country in doubles per game and ties for 45th in runs per game. This season the Ashburn, Va. native paces the Nittany Lions with a .400 batting average and 41 RBI that helped her to break the all-time RBI record at Penn State with 137 career runs batted in.
Knief started 48 games in the outfield for Penn State with 56 hits which included 13 doubles and three triples. The Ramsey, N.J. native tallied 19 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games for Penn State, while carrying a six-game hitting streak and a 12 game reached base streak. Furthermore, Knief struck out just 10 times in 155 at-bats. Knief led the Big Ten in sacrifice flies (4), tied for fifth in triples (3) and sixth in doubles (13). Starting in center field, Knief has had 55 putouts, six assists and made just one error in her senior campaign.
VanDerveer posted a .361 batting average in her sophomore season with 57 hits that included five doubles and 10 home runs. The sophomore catcher drove in a team-high 45 RBI in the cleanup spot. The Hillsborough, N.J. native drew 21 walk for a .582 slugging percentage and a .432 on-base percentage. VanDerveer also tallied seven RBI against top-75 RPI Fordham. The sophomore hitter had 16 multi-hit games and a team-high 11 multi-RBI games with an eight game hitting streak and a 21 game reached base streak. Finally, VanDerveer caught 13 runners stealing to tie for second in the Big Ten Conference.
Additionally, senior Shannon Good (Horseshead, N.Y.) earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for Penn State. Good appeared in 23 games with 10 starts as the designated hitter for the Nittany Lions, driving a solo home run in a pinch hit situation against Rutgers and bringing in the winning runs against Maryland in the series sweep at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
For the first time in program history the Blue and White will play host of the 2016 Big Ten Softball Tournament at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The tournament will feature 12 of the 14 Big Ten teams and will see 11 games played over the course of three days.
With the No. 4 seed, the Nittany Lions earn a bye in the first round of the tournament and will play the winner of No. 5 Nebraska and No. 12 Purdue in the quarterfinals Friday, May 14 at 5:30 p.m.
Copyright © 2024 EYT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of EYT Media Group, Inc. is expressly prohibited.
