Jerri Mondeel

Albert Lea

Junior, Third Base

The Tigers’ Offensive Award recipient, Mondeel was also very solid on defense with only six errors in 137 innings at third base. At the plate, she batted .328 (22-for-67) with four doubles and one triple. She had a slugging percentage of .418. &uot;Jerri has put a lot of time into softball, playing in the summer, and she also plays three sports,&uot; said Albert Lea coach Rick Harves. &uot;She’s an excellent athlete and a tough competitor.&uot;

Nicole Rafdal

Albert Lea

Senior, Pitcher/DH

Rafdal received all-conference honors as the Tigers finished 3-19. She posted a 1.94 earned run average in 90 innings on the mound, striking out 34 batters and walking 16. &uot;She’s a girl that has worked had from an early age at softball,&uot; said Tigers coach Rick Harves. &uot;She started pitching in eighth grade and became serious about it in ninth. She put in a lot of time to develop herself into a fine pitcher.&uot;

Erin Bremseth

Alden-Conger

Junior, Second Base

Bremseth was the leading hitter for the Knights, who finished 9-13 overall and 3-10 in the Gopher Conference. She hit .345 with seven doubles, nine runs scored and 17 RBIs. She turned three double plays on defense. &uot;She hit the ball real well,&uot; said Alden-Conger coach Gary Nelson. &uot;She has a good swing and puts the bat on the ball &045; her downfall is she takes too many called third strikes. Defensively, she got better as the year went along in her first full season at second base.&uot;

Kristin Faugstad

Alden-Conger

Sophomore, Right Field

Faugstad earned honorable mention all-conference honors after batting .319 with three doubles, two triples, 14 runs and 18 RBIs. She also threw out three baserunners from the outfield. &uot;As a sophomore, she didn’t start the first game, and she just kept getting better as the year went on,&uot; said Knights coach Gary Nelson. &uot;She has a good arm and was probably our best clutch hitter. When we needed a big hit, she delivered.&uot;

Steph Lackey

Alden-Conger

Junior, Pitcher

An all-conference selection, Lackey played most of the season with a knee injury that caused her considerable pain but still posted an earned run average of 2.26 in 128 innings, with 121 strikeouts and 75 walks. &uot;She battled through that injury all year and threw well,&uot; said Knights coach Gary Nelson. &uot;She tried to come back at the end of the year and hit, and she did O.K. We’re looking forward to having her back next year.&uot;

Erin Anderson

NRHEG

Senior, Pitcher/Shortstop

A five-year varsity softball player who has been the Tribune’s Player of the Year in softball and volleyball, Anderson had another strong season despite missing about five games with mononucleosis. She led the 14-10 Panthers with a .345 batting average, .414 slugging percentage and 16 RBIs, striking out only three times in 58 at-bats. As a pitcher, she threw two no-hitters &045; giving her 10 for her career &045; while compiling a 6-6 record and 1.56 earned run average in 81 innings. Opponents batted .161 against her. &uot;No matter if it was practice or a game, Erin always gave 100 percent and worked hard,&uot; said Panthers coach Wendy Schultz.

Emily Hagen

NRHEG

Junior, Pitcher/Shortstop

Hagen was Anderson’s counterpart for the Panthers, filling in full-time on the mound when Anderson was sidelined. She had a pitching record of 8-4, with a 2.09 ERA and one save, striking out 81 and walking 32 in 77 innings while holding opponents to a .197 batting average. On offense, she had a .409 on-base percentage, 18 runs scored and 10 RBIs. &uot;She did a super job when Erin went out &045; we were very fortunate to have her,&uot; said NRHEG coach Wendy Schultz. &uot;She works hard and she’s a gamer.&uot;

Chelsey Quiram

NRHEG

Senior, First Base

Quiram earned All-Area softball honors for a third consecutive year after batting .324 with a team-high .611 on-base average, 25 runs, 22 hits, 23 stolen bases and 22 walks. &uot;Offensively, she was probably our biggest threat,&uot; said Panthers coach Wendy Schultz. &uot;She was our leadoff hitter, she hit from the left side and did some slap bunting. Once she got to first, it was generally a rule she’d steal second. Defensively, she did well for us on bunt coverage and was always where she was supposed to be.&uot;

Sam Ehlert

United South Central

Junior, Catcher

Ehlert was a pleasant surprise in her first varsity season for the Rebels, who wound up third in the Section 2A tournament. Ehlert finished second on the team with 27 hits while batting .314 with an on-base average of .398. She had three doubles and two triples. At catcher, she had a fielding percentage of .979 with 19 assists. &uot;She’s very coachable,&uot; said Rebels coach Brad Huse. &uot;She always wants to practice more to make herself a better player.&uot;

Shannon Schrader

United South Central

Senior, Shortstop

The Tribune’s Player of the Year was a standout in the batter’s box and the field, batting .471 with an on-base average of .619. A four-year varsity starter who was selected to the high school all-star game, she set school records with 33 hits and nine doubles this year. Schrader also had two triples, a home run, 13 walks, 25 runs and 18 RBIs while going 19-for-20 on stolen bases. Defensively, she had 46 putouts and 28 assists. &uot;I’m going to miss her leadership and fun attitude on and off the field,&uot; said Rebels coach Brad Huse. &uot;She made other people around her better.&uot;

Andrea Schultz

United South Central

Junior, Pitcher

Schultz pitched 159 of a possible 162 innings this spring, missing only three when the Rebels played three tournament games in one day. The innings total was a school record, as was her 197 strikeouts. She had an ERA of 2.47. Offensively, Schultz was second on the team with 12 RBIs and led the Rebels with 15 walks, two home runs and two triples. &uot;She’s a gamer, a very competitive player,&uot; said USC coach Brad Huse. &uot;If we would have made a few more plays defensively behind her, we could have easily won about four more games. She set records this year, and I see her setting more next year.&uot;

Kirsten Thisius

United South Central

Sophomore, Center Field

Thisius came up big in her first varsity season while adjusting to a new position. She earned all-section recognition by batting .400 in the section tournament, hitting .328 for the season with 19 hits, seven doubles, one home run, 11 runs and 11 RBIs. Her on-base average was .500. Thisius did not commit an error in the field and had four assists from the outfield. &uot;She did everything asked of her, playing outfield for the first time,&uot; said Rebels coach Brad Huse. &uot;She’s very coachable and always has a positive attitude.&uot;

Honorable Mention

– Albert Lea &045; Katie Brackey, senior, shortstop;

– Alden-Conger &045; Kendra Mathiason, junior, shortstop; Tana Reindal, senior, third base;

– NRHEG &045; Lynsi Espe, junior, catcher.

Player of the Year

– 2004 &045; Shannon Schrader, United South Central

– 2003 &045; Erin Anderson, NRHEG

– 2002 &045; Ashley Chrz, Albert Lea

– 2001 &045; Erin Anderson, NRHEG

– 2000 &045; Katie Johnson, United South Central

– 1999 &045; Shanna Dagestad, Glenville-Emmons, and Amanda Moxon, NRHEG

– 1998 &045; Amanda Moxon, NRHEG

– 1997 &045; Andrea Ellsworth and Brooke Hagen, United South Central

– 1996 &045; Meghan Krause, NRHEG

– 1995 &045; Brooke Hagen, United South Central

– 1994 &045; Kristin Maslakow, United South Central

– 1993 &045; Jill Anderson, NRHEG

– 1992 &045; Angi Nowak, United South Central

Coach of the Year

– 2004 &045; Wendy Schultz, NRHEG

– 2003 &045; Lisa Ziebell, Glenville-Emmons

– 2002 &045; Gary Nelson, Alden-Conger

– 2001 &045; Brad Huse, United South Central

– 2000 &045; Bob Staska, Glenville-Emmons

– 1999 &045; Wendy Schultz, NRHEG

– 1998 &045; Gary Nelson, Alden-Conger

– 1997 &045; Wendy Schultz, NRHEG

– 1996 &045; Wendy Schultz, NRHEG

– 1995 &045; Bob Staska, Glenville-Emmons

– 1994 &045; Greg Ellsworth, United South Central

– 1993 &045; Wendy Lerberg, NRHEG

– 1992 &045; Greg Ellsworth, United South Central