Central lands five on all-region softball squad
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA—Central College’s American Rivers champion softball team landed five players on the NFCA Division III All-Midwest Region squad.
Pitcher Mariah Fritz (senior, Tama, East Marshall HS), second baseman Kaitlyn Andresen (junior, Davenport, Assumption HS) and shortstop Daria Parchert (sophomore, Illinois City, Ill., Rockridge HS) were second-team honorees while center fielder Sara Tallman (junior, Pella) and left fielder Shaye Witte (junior, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) were third-team selections.
Parchert was earlier tabbed a first-team all-conference selection. She hit .379 with 22 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 27 RBIs. Parchert was even more dominant defensively with 57 putouts, 97 assists, 10 errors and a .939 fielding percentage. She helped complete 11 double plays. Parchert was the league’s position player of the week April 29 and was the leading hitter in conference games with a .522 mark.
Fritz was the conference co-pitcher of the year. She posted a 20-9 record and hurled 172 innings, appearing in 32 games. She posted a 3.58 earned run average with 79 walks and 72 strikeouts. She was twice named the league’s pitcher of the week.
Andresen, also a second-team all-conference pick, hit .398 with seven doubles, two triples, two homers and a team-high 27 RBIs. She also led the team with 19 walks and just three strikeouts.
Tallman was tabbed for the all-region squad for the third straight year. She was a first-team choice last year and second team in 2017. She hit .390 in 37 games with 37 runs, 46 hits, 14 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. She’s also a three-time first-team all-conference honoree.
Tallman, who carries a 3.95 grade point average, was earlier named to the Google Cloud Division III Academic All-District VIII team, chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Witte received all-region accolades for the second team after being a first-team pick last year. Also a two-time first-team all-conference pick, she battled through injury to lead the Dutch offense with a .400 average, with 40 hits, 20 runs, 13 doubles and 23 RBIs.
The Dutch posted a 27-10 mark and, after winning the conference tournament, made a record 30th NCAA Division III tournament appearance, finishing third at the Pella, Iowa Regional.
