LOUISVILLE, Kent. — The National Fastpitch Coaches Association has released its NCAA Division II All-Region Teams, and claiming three honors for the Central Region were the Muleriders, as the group saw Emma Duncan, Maddie Leal, and Sophia Luetticke all were named to NFCA All-Central Region Teams.
Amongst the Great American Conference, the Muleriders had the most plaudits awarded, as the unit is one of two teams in the league with multiple athletes on the lists.
Emma Duncan - First Team
Leading the way for the Blue and Gold pitching staff, Duncan was a major reason for the squad having the second-best earned run average in the region, ranking sixth heading into regionals (1.96). Emma is also the leader in the Central Region for ERA, as the native of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada ranked seventh nationally in the metric and headed into postseason play with a. 1.41 average. The grad student also is the region's leader in games started (34 | 1st DII), hits allowed per seven innings (4.03 | 2nd DII), innings pitched (208.2 | 8th DII), shutouts (10 | 4th DII), and victories (28 | 1st DII). Following their first regional game of the postseason, Duncan now has a 1.44 ERA, 35 games started, 213.2 innings pitched, and 29 victories.
Maddie Leal - Second Team
The lead off batter for the Muleriders, Leal has been one of the region's top batters at the plate this campaign, as the Houston, Texas local was ranked fifth in the Central Region for batting average, with a .436 average heading into the regionals. The Texan also boasted the 12th-most hits in the region with 71 going into the postseason. Following last night's game against St. Cloud State, she now has 73 hits and a .437 batting average. Maddie's on-base percentage was the fourth-best percentage, with her recording a .545 going into the regional action. She was 11th in the region for runs scored, with her 52 runs scratched, now at 53.
Sophia Luetticke - Second Team
The native of Chillicothe, Missouri, Luetticke has been in the two-hole for the Blue and Gold all season, with the grad student hanging right around Leal in multiple categories, while even besting the Houston native in certain metrics. Going into regionals, Sophia's batting average ranked 11th at .412. The Show-Me State local is now accounting for a .422 average, as one of two players on SAU with a .400+ average. She ties with Leal in hits this season, as she also sits at 73 following last night. Luetticke has been a huge role player for the Muleriders, as she leads the lineup in runs scored with 63, as she ranked fourth with 60 runs prior to last night's game.
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