1999 Softball All-Conference Team
| News for Immediate Release May 2, 1999 Contact: Amber Cox, AMC
Director of Information Columbia College Claims Post-Season Tournament Title Columbia, Mo. - The Columbia College Cougars swept through the American Midwest Conference (AMC) post-season tournament and took home a majority of the AMC post-season honors as well. The Cougars knocked off the number two seed, William Woods University, in the championship game to claim the 1999 tournament crown. In addition to winning the AMC post-season and regular-season championships, the Cougars occupy five slots on the First Team All-Conference squad and own Player, Pitcher, Freshman and Coach of the Year honors as well.In a vote by league coaches, Jennifer Kamp, a shortstop for the Columbia College Cougars, has been chosen as the 1999 American Midwest Conference (AMC) Player of the Year. The senior from Ellisville, Mo. recorded a batting average of .445, racking up 65 hits in 146 at-bats during the regular-season. Kamp broke Columbia College's record for most triples in a season, slugging 11 as well as totaling 40 RBIs, nine doubles. In addition, Kamp lead the AMC in stolen bases with 26 and finished regular-season play with .923 fielding average. Natalie Buitink, also a member of the Columbia College squad, has been named the 1999 AMC Pitcher of the Year. Buitink took the mound for the Cougars 25 times during the regular-season, pitching 162 innings and recording 17 wins. A native of Bartlesville, Okla., Buitink struck out 70 batters and held the best earned run average in the AMC at 0.86. Stephanie Ricketts, another member of the Cougar pitching staff, is the 1999 AMC Freshman of the Year. Ricketts, who hails from St. Louis, Mo., recorded eight wins in 15 appearances during regular-season competition. She pitched in 89 innings for Columbia, striking out 31 batters and recording an earned run average of 1.65. The AMC Newcomer of the Year honor is presented to the top transfer student-athlete in the AMC. Tonya Winberry, a junior pitcher for the Missouri Baptist College Spartans, is the 1999 recipient of this award. During the regular-season, she pitched in 14 games, giving up only 11 earned runs and walking only five of the 294 batters she faced. Winberry finished the regular-season with 52 strike-outs and an earned run average of 1.11. The 1999 AMC Coach of the Year for women's softball is Wendy Spratt from Columbia College. Spratt is in her fifth season as head coach at Columbia, where she has amassed a record of 181 wins and 94 losses. In 1999, she led the Cougars an AMC Regular-Season Conference Championship and an overall regular-season record of 37-11. A complete list of the 19-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. |
1999 AMC All-Conference Softball Team
| Player
of the Year Jennifer Kamp/SS (SR) Columbia College |
Pitcher
of the Year Natalie Buitink (JR) Columbia College |
|
| Freshman
of the Year Stephanie Ricketts/P Columbia College |
Newcomer
of the Year Tonya Winberry/P (JR) Missouri Baptist College |
|
| Coach
of the Year Wendy Spratt, Columbia College |
1st Team All-Conference
| Player/Position Natalie Buitink/P Jennifer Kamp/SS Judy Lochman/1B Carly Millsap/C Sheri Zeiger/LF Lisa Schwartz/SS Mindy Jameson/P Sharon Marquardt/3B Brooke Portz/SS Mary Sheppard/SS Tonya Winberry/P Michelle Faulconer/1B, 3B Sylvia Naungayan/C Stacy Hirt/SS Amy Gastineau/P Sheila Kemna/C, DP Stefanie McCollum/1B, DP Lynn Otto/P Melissa Payne/CF |
School |
Honorable Mention All-Conference
| Player/Position Angela Hockaday/P Jessica Heavner/Util. Amanda Gallmeier/CF Danna Gilbert/RF Jennifer Arnold/1B Kelly Horstmann/CF Amber Scharf/3B Heather Curry/P Krystal Davey/1B, SS Julie Olinares/OF |
|
1999 American Midwest Conference
Academic All-Conference Team
| Columbia College Tara Adams, Whitney Fletchall, Tara Gaines, Jennifer Kamp, Judy Lochmann, Carly Millsap, Dana Patrick, Stephanie Ricketts, Sheri Zeiger Hannibal-LaGrange College McKendree College Missouri Baptist College Park College William Woods University |