FINDLAY, Ohio - The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2016 All-GLIAC Softball Teams and Postseason Awards in conjunction with the Conference's annual Softball Tournament at the Marathon Diamonds in Findlay, Ohio. The student athletes were nominated and awards were voted on by the conference's head coaches.
Lake Superior State saw sophomore Lindsey Pajot and junior Taylor Steinhelper receive All-GLIAC Honorable Mention accolades.
Pajot, an outfielder from Howell, Mich., led the Lakers and ranked sixth overall among GLIAC players with a .383 batting average in 120 at bats this season. Pajot also led the team with 46 hits, 21 runs scored and had a team-high 12 doubles, while also ranking second with 21 runs batted in and finishing third on the team with three home runs.
Pajot's team leading on-base percentage of .436 and slugging percentage of .533 ranked 11th and 13th, respectively among GLIAC hitters. She also boasted a .958 fielding percentage with 61 putouts and eight assists in 72 chances.
Steinhelper produced a .327 batting average in 104 at bats this season to rank second on LSSU behind Pajot and led the team with nine stolen bases in nine attempts. The native of Waterford, Mich., also tied for the third-most hits with 34 this season and had three doubles.
In the field, Steinhelper produced a .964 fielding percentage to rank second among LSSU players with 30 or more total chances.
Wayne State junior Lyndsay Butler became just the second player in the last 30 years to be a three-time GLIAC of-the-Year award winner joining GVSU's Jennifer Mackson (2002-03-04). Butler, who was the two-time GLIAC Pitcher of the Year (2014 & 2015), was selected as the 2016 GLIAC Player of the Year after leading the country in batting average during the regular-season at .509.
In league play, Butler led the GLIAC in runs (29), hits (46), triples (4), batting average (.575 - next best at .459), on-base percentage (.607), slugging percentage (.950 - next at .741), total bases (76 - next at 63) and extra-base hits (16). In addition, she was tied-for-first in home runs (5), third in RBI (23), and tied-for-5th in doubles (7). In terms of pitching, Butler was second in ERA (1.09 with at least 45 IP), tied-for-second in wins (11), third in strikeouts (88), and tied-for-3rd in both saves (2) and complete games (11).
In terms of national rankings heading into the GLIAC Tournament, Butler is sixth in triples (7), 12th in on-base percentage (.544), 13th in slugging percentage (.848), 16th in triples per game (0.14) and 26th in runs scored (1.06 per game). In the circle, Butler is fourth in ERA (0.73), ninth in both wins (24) and fewest hits allowed per game (3.95), 12th in shutouts (8), 22nd in strikeouts (195), 28th in saves (3) and 32nd in strikeouts per game (7.9).
Grand Valley State pitcher Allison Lipovsky is the fifth GVSU player to earn GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors after a terrific rookie campaign. The right hander finished her first regular season with a 10-1 overall record and a 0.85 ERA. In 82.2 innings, Lipovsky allowed just 50 hits and only 20 runs (just 10 were earned), walking 31 batters and fanning 75 hitters. Her 0.85 ERA was third-best in the GLIAC, while her 0.79 earned run average in conference games led all pitchers in the league. Lipovsky - who won her first eight collegiate decisions - allowed opponents to hit just .171, the fifth-best in the GLIAC.
Findlay sophomore Chelsea McManaway recorded a 15-6 record on the mound this season and added four saves. She ranks second in the GLIAC and fifth nationally with an earned run average of 0.76 and leads the league in strikeouts with 201, which is also a school record. Her 10.9 strikeouts per game is the fourth-best average in NCAA Division II while her average of only 3.29 hits allowed per game ranks fourth nationally as well.
Hillsdale's Joe Abraham, in his fifth season guiding the Charger program, was named the conference's top coach. His award was announced as part of the All-GLIAC awards ceremony, held between the first two games of the conference tournament in Findlay, Ohio Friday afternoon. Abraham is the first Hillsdale GLIAC Coach of the Year since 1989 and leads the Chargers into the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed, its highest ever.