May 9, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Despite finishing in sixth place in the Big Ten, no team earned more all-conference selections than Northwestern when the All-Big Ten softball team was announced late Thursday. The Wildcats earned a team-record eight selections to the three-team squad, highlighted by sophomore outfielder Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill), who earned first team honors.
Mobley ranked second on the team in Big Ten play with a .345 batting average. She ranked second in the league with seven doubles, eight sacrifice bunts and third with 12 runs scored. Mobley also ranked in the top 10 in the league with a .621 slugging percentage (6th), 36 total bases (5th), 20 hits (8th) and 12 RBI (7th). She is the first Wildcat to earn first-team honors since Brooke Siebel in 2000.
NU also earned five second-team selections and two third-team picks. Freshman pitcher Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) led those Wildcats named to the second team. Foster pitched an 18-inning shutout with 20 strikeouts in a 1-0 Big Ten Tournament opening round game win over Michigan State Thursday. Entering Friday, Foster has not allowed an earned run in 65.2 innings. She went 6-4 in Big Ten play with a 1.70 ERA. She struck out 114 batters in 86.1 innings pitched.
Foster was joined on the second team by junior catcher J.C. Kira (Honolulu, Hawaii/Saint Francis), junior second baseman Carri Leto (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla), senior outfielder Brett Nakabayashi (Irvine, Calif./Irvine) and senior utility player Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill).
Kira earned her first career all-conference honor after batting .278 in Big Ten play with two home runs and 11 RBI. She was also stellar behind the plate, throwing out four baserunners and posting a .987 fielding percentage.
Leto repeated her second-team honor that she received as a sophomore. The junior hit .299 and ranked eight in the league with Mobley with 20 hits from the leadoff spot in the batting order. She placed seventh in the Big Ten with four stolen bases and committed just two errors in 93 chances while turning three double plays.
Nakabayashi received her first All-Big Ten honor after finishing 10th in the conference with a .358 batting average. Her 24 hits were the second-most in league play. She also tied for seventh in the league with 10 runs scored and fourth with five stolen bases.
Schwendimann was named to the second team for the second time in her career. The also earned the honor as a freshman. This season she earned the award as a utility player, posting a 4-4 record with a 1.19 ERA as a pitcher and .293 average at the plate with a .488 slugging percentage.
Seniors Robyn Pettinger (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) and Cindy Muran (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) were each named to the third team, the first all-conference representation in each of their careers. Pettinger ranked second on the team with five doubles in conference play, adding a triple and a home run. Muran hit .283 with a team-high three home runs, while ranking second on the team with 11 RBI.