Three Garner NFCA All-Region Recognition
William Penn Women’s Athletics
Oskaloosa–William Penn notched three more postseason nods as the 2014 National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced its NAIA All-Region teams Saturday.
Senior left-handed pitcher Jennifer Whitehead (Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology), junior utility player Brittanee Grove (Runnells, Iowa, Elementary Education), and junior second baseman Jorden Steele (Tacoma, Wash., Physical Education) all picked up first-team honors in the Midwest Region. The NFCA award is the third for Whitehead (second first-team selection) and the first for both Grove and Steele.
Whitehead and Steele were two of the five at-large picks, while Grove took the utility honor. The trio paced the Statesmen to a 36-20 record (19-4 MCC), which included Midwest Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament titles and an appearance in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
Whitehead, the MCC’s Pitcher of the Year (fourth time), finished with a 26-10 record and a 2.34 Earned Run Average in 218 1/3 innings of work. She appeared in 39 games (33 starts) and recorded 28 complete games (nine shutouts). The senior had 188 strikeouts against 74 walks, while opponents hit just .204 against her.
Grove, the MCC’s Player of the Year, hit .444 (75-for-169) with 16 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs, 63 RBIs, and 57 runs scored. She also posted an .864 slugging percentage and a .520 on-base clip (27 BB, 3 HBP). Grove had an 11-game hitting streak earlier in the year.
Steele, a first-team all-MCC honoree, owned a .331 batting average (52-for-157) with 16 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 41 RBIs, and 33 runs scored (.580 slugging, .434 on-base–27 BB, 3 HBP). The junior recorded a five-game hitting streak in 2014.
