May 8, 2006

Champaign, Ill. - The Illinois softball community honored its three out-going seniors (Rachelle Coriddi, Jenna Hall, and Laura Zobrist) and handed out several awards at the Annual On-Deck Circle Banquet Monday night at the Hawthorne Suites.

Illinois had its best year offensively with a team record 49 home runs and a .413 slugging percentage. The Illini defeated two ranked opponents (No. 10 Baylor and No. 24 Virginia Tech) and posted three dramatic come-from-behind victories on the year.

The following is a summary of the award winners:

On Deck Circle Spirit Award: Molly Lawhead (Monticello, Ill./Monticello H.S.) - Lawhead exemplified what it means to be a true Illini with her role both in the outfield and at the plate. With the knack for throwing runners out on the base paths both in left and right field, she helped keep opponents in check. At the plate Lawhead ranks in the top ten in the Big Ten batting average (.339) and total bases (34) during Big Ten play. For the year, Lawhead is batting .314 with eight doubles, two triples, seven home runs, and 21 RBI.

Scholar-Athlete Award: Laura Zobrist (Washington, Ill./Washington, H.S.) Zobrist ranks ninth in Illinois history in stolen bases (17) and batted.302 as a junior with seven stolen bases. In the classroom, she is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and two-time George Huff Award Winner. She has made 51 career starts in the outfield

Slugger Award: Jenna Hall (Channahon, Ill./Minooka H.S.) Hall has had one of the best years as anyone in the country, having been named one of 25 finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year. Hall ranks second in the nation in batting average (.484) and fourth in slugging percentage (.859) while leading the nation in walks (59) good for a .654 on-base percentage. The most prolific slugger in Illinois history, Hall is Illinois' all-time leader in batting average (.357), home runs (33), RBI (142), slugging percentage (.583) and on-base percentage (.486).

Igniter Award: Rachelle Coriddi (Ft. Worth, Texas/Southwest H.S.) Coriddi is Illinois' all-time career stolen base leader with 87 matching her season-best of 23 this season. This season Coriddi ranks second in the Big Ten in runs scored (46) and stolen bases. She got off to one of the best starts of anyone in the country this season with a .441 batting average, 15 runs scored, and 11-11 stolen bases in her first nine games. Coriddi is also the Illini's all-time leader in runs scored (151).

Gold Glove: Courtney Hoogeveen (Kalamazoo, Mich./Lincoln, Neb. Southeast H.S.) A freshman second baseman, Hoogeveen was a big reason why the Illini rank sixth in the nation in double plays (26) while opponents have grounded into ten of those. Hoogeveen had the best freshman season in Illini history defensively at second base with a .962 fielding percentage.

Most Improved Player: Angelena Mexicano (San Jose, Calif./Mt. Pleasant H.S.) Mexicano's jump both on offense and on defense were phenomenal. After not hitting a home run as a freshman regular, Mexicano slammed 11 long balls this season, which ranks third in the Big Ten. Mexicano leads the conference in RBI in overall games (48) and Big Ten games (23). She had a whopping six home runs and 24 RBI in a 12-game span in late March and early April and hit a walk-off grand slam in a dramatic 7-5 win at Penn State.

Most Valuable Player: Jenna Hall (Channahon, Ill./Minooka H.S.) Hall is just the second MVP in Illinois history joining Lindsey Hamma in 2002.

Coaches Award: Brittany Koester (Chatham, Ill./Glenwood H.S.) Koester has stepped in and become the Illini's starting catcher. She has teamed with sophomore Claire DeVreese to have an impressive second half of the Big Ten season. In a 13-game span in late April, DeVreese had an ERA of 1.74. Coach Sullivan cited Koester's leadership behind the plate and her enthusiasm both on the field and in the dugout.