Ohio State Places Four on NFCA All-Region Teams – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 19, 2016
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Four members of the Ohio State softball team — senior Cammi Prantl, freshman Emily Clark and juniors Alex Bayne and Shelby Hursh — have been named to a NFCA All-Midwest Region team, the organization announced today. Prantl, Clark and Bayne were first team selections while Hursh made the second team.
The four All-Region selections come on the heels last week of four Buckeyes earning All-Big Ten honors. It’s tied for the most All-Region choices in single-season program history. The all-region teams were chosen by NFCA member coaches from each region, and all the honorees are now eligible for selection to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America first, second or third teams.
Prantl has had a record-breaking senior campaign. She’s currently tops of the team with a .405 average to go along with 30 extra base hits (20 doubles, nine home runs, one triple). Two weeks ago against Kent State, she became the program’s all-time doubles leader with 59 and then four days later set the career record for hits with 244. A four-year starter who has played in all 215 games of her career, Prantl has never batted lower than .329 in her career and will become just the seventh player in program history to bat over .300 all four years.
The Big Ten leader in hits, Prantl went eight-for-eight over the final two games of the regular season against Michigan State with four doubles and a home run. In the last 10 games, she’s hitting .529 with a .941 slugging percentage, 12 runs scored, eight double and nine RBI. Earlier this season, she earned Big Ten and National Player of the Week honors by hitting .786 with nine RBI, eight runs scored, three doubles and two home runs in games vs. Virginia Tech (twice), Furman, Morehead State and USC Upstate. A left fielder and catcher, Prantl had a .982 fielding percentage.
Clark, from Prospect, Ohio and a graduate of North Union High School, made an immediate impact for Ohio State this spring both at the plate and in the field. A second basemen, Clark batted .323 — the third highest average on the team — with 25 RBI, 25 runs scored and nine doubles. Against teams ranked in the RPI Top 75, she upped those numbers to a .350 average with five doubles, seven RBI, eight runs scored and a .435 on-base percentage.
At second base, Clark made just two errors on the season at second base and has a .988 fielding percentage with 113 putouts and 52 assists. She was part of a unit that finished the regular season with a .973 overall fielding percentage, second highest in the Big Ten.
Bayne emerged as one of the best power hitters not only in the conference but also nationally. Her 18 home runs ranks ninth in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten. She also leads the Buckeyes in RBI (48), runs scored (51) and slugging percentage (.737). On defense, Bayne had a .983 fielding percentage from her spot in right field and has added a league-leading nine outfield assists. This is the first year she has played in the outfield after previously playing her entire career at second base and shortstop.
Over a seven-game stretch from April 3 through April 13, Bayne hit a home run in a school-record seven straight games and earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors on April 11 after hitting .579 with five home runs and 11 RBI in wins over Penn State (twice) and Rutgers (three times). A .365 hitter overall, Bayne batted .429 during conference play with a team-best 28 RBI, which ranked second in the league.
Hursh became Ohio State’s top pitcher this spring, winning 15 game while sporting a 2.80 ERA with more than one strikeout per inning (182 Ks, 162.2 IP). She has given up four hits or less in 15 of her 24 starts, including each of her first 10. Those performances include a no-hitter against Penn State on April 6, a one-hitter against Georgia Tech on Feb. 19 and a 13-strikeout effort against Dayton on Feb. 13.
From Tipton, Ind., Hursh started the season by winning 12 of her first 15 decision with five or more strikeouts on 11 occasions. She was among the Big Ten leaders in ERA and opponent batting average, finishing eighth and ninth in the conference, respectively.
Prantl, Clark, Bayne, Hursh and the rest of the Buckeyes (33-18-1) earned at at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and open play at the Knoxville Regional tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. vs. Arizona. The game can be seen live on ESPNU.
