INDIANAPOLIS -- Cleveland State senior first baseman Dara Toman was named the Horizon League Softball Player of the Year, marking the third time in four years a Cleveland State player has collected the award. League co-champion UIC placed five players on the All-League First Team, in voting of the League’s coaches.
Among those was League Pitcher of the Year Devin Miller, who paced the Horizon League with a 22-14 record in 43 appearances. Miller recorded 187 strikeouts in a conference-high 241.2 innings pitched.
CSU’s Erica McNew captured Newcomer of the Year accolades after nearly recording the triple crown in the Horizon League. McNew paced the conference with 18 home runs and a .414 batting average, while her 39 runs batted in were four shy of the League lead.
Leading UIC to its first share of the conference regular season title since 2009, Michelle Venturella was voted the Horizon League Coach of the Year. The honor was the second Venturella in five seasons, as she also took home the award in 2009.
With 14 homeruns this season, Toman rewrote the Horizon League record books, entering the conference tournament with a record 59 long balls, besting the old mark of 52. Toman’s 147 RBIs rank seventh in conference history.
UIC, which shared regular-season champion honors with Loyola after recording a 16-5 League record, placed five players on the All-League First Team, with Natalie Hernandez, Kara Komp, Melissa Preish and Laura Swan joining Miller on the squad.
Loyola placed three players on the first team, with Ramblers outfielder Brooke Andresen becoming just the third player in Horizon League history to earn a first team nod in each of her four years. Andresen was joined by teammates Lauren Moore and Brittany Gardner.
Cleveland State’s Toman and McNew each earned first team accolades, while Sara Cupp became the first Detroit player on the team since 2009. Joylyn Ichiyama returned to the first team for the second consecutive season.
UIC will host the Horizon League Softball Championship, which begins on Wednesday, May 8. The Horizon League Network will bring fans the action across all four days, culminating with the League championship game on May 11.
2013 Softball Awards
Player of the Year
Dara Toman, Cleveland State
Newcomer of the Year
Erica McNew, Cleveland State
Pitcher of the Year
Devin Miller, UIC
Coach of the Year
Michelle Venturella, UIC
All-League First Team
Dara Toman, Cleveland State
Natalie Hernandez, UIC
Erica McNew, Cleveland State
Lauren Moore, Loyola
Joylyn Ichiyama, Valparaiso
Kara Komp, UIC
Sara Cupp, Detroit|
Brooke Andresen, Loyola
Melissa Preish, UIC
Laura Swan, UIC (Designated Player)
Devin Miller, UIC (Pitcher)
Brittany Gardner, Loyola (Pitcher)
Second Team
Marissa Michalkiewicz, Green Bay
Coryn Schmit, UIC
Samantha Snodgrass, Youngstown State
Jessica Hrncar, Green Bay
Janelle Bouchard, Valparaiso
Cynthia Woodward, Cleveland State
Brittany Duncan, Valparaiso
Kaitlyn Ranieri, Valparaiso
Brie Pasquale, Loyola
Vicky Rumph, Youngstown State
Kaitlyn Kite, Wright State (DP)
Taylor Weissenhofer, Valparaiso (P)
Krystian DeWitt, Wright State (P)
Casey Crozier, Youngstown State (P)
All-Newcomer Team
Erica McNew, Cleveland State
Laura Swan, UIC
Brie Pasquale, Loyola
Taylor Weissenhofer, Valparaiso
Marissa Michalkiewicz, Green Bay
Susan Knight, Cleveland State
Janelle Bouchard, Valparaiso
Cynthia Woodward, Cleveland State
Kayla Kostich, Detroit