Buckeyes Announce 2019 Leadership Council
2/1/2019 5:11:38 PM | Softball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State softball unveiled its captain and leadership council for the 2019 season. The Buckeyes’ six seniors – Morgan Ray, Megan Choinacky, Bri Betschel, Kat Duvall, Emily Clark and Lilli Piper – make up the leadership council with Clark as the team captain.
“Each senior has the ability to lead us in their own way,” said head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly. “This group has some of the best clutch performers we’ve had in the program. More importantly, all six lead with integrity and represent the program well in all aspects of their life.”
Five of the six student-athletes were named Academic All-Big Ten selections last spring, with Ray and Duvall recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars with 3.7 or higher GPA’s. The Buckeyes also earned Easton/NFCA Academic Team honors by posting a 3.0 or higher team GPA for the 2017-18 academic year.
Ray, a NFCA second team All-Midwest Region honoree, started 25 games in 38 appearances in the circle last season. She led the pitching staff with 18 wins, 157.2 innings of work, 13 complete games and two shutouts. Her .197 opposing batting average ranked third in the Big Ten while her 145 strikeouts and 2.58 ERA stood seventh and ninth, respectively. Ray’s 241 career strikeouts checks in at No. 11 in Ohio State’s record book.
As Ohio State’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient in 2018, Choinacky appeared in 10 games primarily as a pinch runner. Through three seasons, she has seven runs, five hits, four RBI and a 1.000 fielding percentage.
In 142 career games, Betschel has totaled 64 hits, 42 runs and 13 RBI. The lefty slapper finished the 2018 season with 18 hits, 12 runs, five RBI, three doubles and two triples. Betschel has recorded a .929 career fielding percentage playing in the outfield.
Clark, a second team NFCA All-Midwest Region and All-Big Ten selection, was second on the team with 43 RBI last spring. She also added 32 runs, 12 homers and a .963 fielding percentage in 51 starts at second base. The Prospect, Ohio native has 28 career home runs, which ranks ninth in program’s records while her 115 RBI is 11th.
Duvall stepped into the circle 13 times last season. She posted a 4.26 ERA in 23 innings with a .278 batting average against. The righty ace and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar completed an internship in the Ohio State Athletics Student Athlete Support Services Office (SASSO) as part of the Bucks Go Pro program last summer. For her career, Duvall has 27 appearances, 35 strikeouts and a 3.71 ERA.
Recently named to the 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List, Piper wrote her name in Ohio State’s record book a season ago. She was tabbed as an NFCA second team All-American after setting the program’s single-season home run record with 20 dingers. Piper became just the second player in program history to join the 50/50 club with 50 runs and 58 RBI. Her .876 slugging percentage checked in at No. 3 in the Big Ten single-season records. Heading into the upcoming season, Piper has a .829 slugging percentage and .413 batting average for her career. The pair of marks rank sixth and eighth, respectively, among NCAA active leaders.
