Columbia College wins fourth consecutive AMC Tournament Title

Springfield, Ill. – The Columbia College softball team defeated William Woods University 5-0 in the 2005 AMC Postseason Tournament Championship game to win their fourth consecutive tournament championship. Columbia, the No. 1 seed in the tournament went undefeated in the double-elimination tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NAIA Region V tournament May 8-10 in Springfield, Mo.

Meaghan Crow, a pitcher and shortstop from Missouri Baptist University, has been named the American Midwest Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year. Crow, a senior from Barnhart, Mo., led the AMC in both batting average and earned-run average. As a hitter Crow compiled a batting average of .490 with 5 home runs and 16 runs batted in. As a pitcher Crow was 10-5 with one save and a 0.51 earned-run average. In 18 appearances she struck out 109 batters while holding opponents to a .241 batting average.

Monica Mueller, a senior pitcher for the Cougars, has been named the 2005 American Midwest Conference Pitcher of the Year, marking the second straight year that Mueller has won the award. Mueller, from Hannibal, Mo., was 25-8 on the season with a 1.22 earned-run average. In 190 innings pitched she struck out 238 batters while walking just 45.

The 2005 American Midwest Conference Freshman of the Year is Lindsey Williams from Columbia College. Williams, a centerfielder from Kirksville, Mo., hit .347 with four home runs and 28 runs batted in. She also picked up 35 stolen bases and scored 46 times for the Cougars.

The 2005 AMC Coach of the Year in women's softball is Angie Pastiva from Williams Baptist College. Pastiva led the Eagles to a 22-26 overall record this season, an improvement of nearly 20 games from the previous year. She also helped guide the Eagles to their highest finish in the AMC, a tie for fourth place with a 7-7 record in the AMC.

A complete list of the 18-member AMC All-Conference team, the honorable mention squad and the academic all-conference team, is included below. Members of the academic all-conference team have earned at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.