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Anastos earns first team all-conference honors after historic season
5/3/2008
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
Jessika Anastos, sophomore catcher for the Fort Hays State University softball team, delivered the best offensive season, statistically, this spring in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Anastos didn't win the conference's player of the year award, but was named first team all-conference in a vote of the MIAA coaches before the postseason conference tournament.
Senior outfielder Anna Herl, a Hays High graduate, capped a tremendous career with her first first team all-conference honor.
Anastos, who led the country in batting for several weeks during midseason, completed the regular season with a .486 batting average, .548 on-base percentage and a .890 slugging percentage.
All three numbers led the conference by significant margins and ranked in the top 20 in the country in the latest release of the NCAA statistics.
After four postseason conference tournament games (post-voting), Anastos finished at 462/525/835.
Anastos, who also posted a solid 311/436/489 line during MIAA play, was among the conference leaders in homers (13) and RBI (44) and led the conference in total bases. In one series against Southwest Baptist (Mo.) University, the Bearcat pitchers declined to throw to her and walked Anastos repeatedly.
Anastos, who earned second team all-conference honors as the designated player her freshman year, was the starting catcher and DP for the Tigers this season. A Broomfield, Col., native, Anastos led the team in nearly every single offensive category and set several school records, including batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, homers and tied the school mark for doubles.
"She is a tough out, she stays balanced well and throws her hands well," Cameron head coach Richie Nye said earlier this year. "It is tough. We couldn't find a way to get her out. She seemed to find a hole all the time. She is a good player."
Herl, who finished fifth in the conference in batting with a .395 mark, batted .479 against MIAA opponents.
In conference play, Herl led the Tigers in several statistics, including average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, homers and RBI.
Herl was second team all-MIAA as a junior.
Anastos and Herl are the eighth and ninth players named to a first team since Fort Hays restarted their softball program before the 1999 season.
Senior second baseman Emily Herl, an honorable mention honoree as a junior, and an all honrable mention RMAC pick as a sophomore, earned second team honors after she batted .320.
The Tigers had three players earn honorable mention honor this spring, junior third baseman Hallie McMillen (.324 average), senior first baseman Alyson Garmatz (.320) and junior utility player Terra Fraser (.336).
Christen Belcher, the leadoff hitter for Truman State (Mo.) University, earned the conference's player of the year award. Belcher batted 425/438/493 and led the conference in hits and stolen bases.
Belcher, arguably the fastest player in the conference, broke the MIAA career stolen base record this season and led the conference in stolen bases (47). She also ranked among the top five in the country in steals.
Samantha Sheeley, the ace for the conference champion Emporia State University squad, was named the Pitcher of the Year after she went 20-6 with a 1.37 ERA in the regular season.
Season ends
The Tiger softball team finished their season on Friday at the MIAA postseason conference tournament. They finished their suspended game with Missouri Western State University and won 3-2. Then, the Tigers fell to University of Central Missouri, 3-1, and ended their year.
In the win over Missouri Western, McMillen led off with an inside the park home run to tie the game at two.
Freshman Kayla Rupa improved to 14-10 with the victory and finished in third place on the Tigers' single season wins list.
In the loss to Central, Fort Hays scored their only run of the game on an error in the fifth inning. Rupa (14-11) threw a complete game and took the loss.
Fort Hays finished its season with a 32-26 record, the most wins under third-year head coach Tonja Hadley and the most wins for the program since a 35-20 record in 2003.
Five seniors, Garmatz, both Herls, pitcher Emily Rockefeller and Jennifer Parks, ended their Tiger careers.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | W 17-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | L 4-3 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 15-7 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 5-4 |
| SB | 5/02 | Central Missouri | L 3-1 |
| SB | 5/02 | Missouri Western | W 3-2 |
| SB | 5/01 | Pittsburg State | W 6-0 |
| SB | 5/01 | Emporia State | L 11-0 |
| BB | 4/30 | Kansas Wesleyan | W 14-1 |
| BB | 4/30 | Kansas Wesleyan | W 12-2 |
