Junior - 2016

• College Sports Madness Preseason All-Big Ten Second-Team
• Academic All-Big Ten
• Started all 59 games, primarily at first base
• Batted .324, with 39 R, 61 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 76 TB
• Led B1G with 12 sacrifice bunts
• Led team with .995 fielding percentage
• Second on the team in runs (39), hits (61)
• Third on the team in batting average (.324)
• Fourth on the team in RBI (23), total bases (76)
• Ranked tied for second in fielding double plays (19), third in chances (398) and putouts (377) and tied for 15th in sac hits (12)
• Ranked 77th in the NCAA with 0.2 hit by pitches per game
• 16 two-hit games and two three-hit contests
• Went 6-for-10 with four runs and two RBI against Nebraska (March 25-26)

Sophomore - 2015

• All-Big Ten Second Team
• Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
• Academic All-Big Ten
• Started all 53 games as a sophomore, primarily at first base, with four appearances at third.
• Second on the team with a .376 batting average, totaling 65 hits, eight doubles, four triples, a home run, 17 walks, 44 runs, five stolen bases, six sac flies and six sac bunts over 173 at-bats.
• With just six strikeouts on the season, she ranked 13th in the nation in "toughest to strike out."
• Ranked third in the Big Ten in triples, including a conference-leading three during league games.
• Ranked fifth during conference play in runs, seventh in hits and third in double plays turned.
• Posted the 10th-best batting average in Illini history, ranking third in triples, fourth in sac flies and sixth in double plays turned.
• Broke the all-time Illini records for runs scored (27) and double plays turned (10) during Big Ten play, tied the triples record, and ranked eighth in batting average (.405), fourth in hits (32), fourth in sac flies and eighth in total bases (45).
• Led the Illini with a .988 fielding percentage, during a team-best 16 double plays.
• Reached base safely in all but three games on the season (Houston 2/22, Minnesota 3/22, Iowa 4/5), including a streak of 14-straight games to start the year.
• Had four hits and four runs on opening weekend, including an RBI double against No. 12 Georgia and a stolen base vs. Coppin State.
• Collected six hits and a stolen base over five starts at the February Freezer.
• Went 4-for-5 with a walk, two runs and an RBI in the Illini's slugfest against Georgia Southern.
• Recorded two hits and an RBI in the Illini's rematch with No. 13 UCLA (3/7).
• Went 2-for-3 in her first start of the season at third base against NDSU.
• Went 2-for-3 in game one against No. 15 Minnesota (3/20).
• Reached safely in her first seven plate appearances against Indiana, finishing the weekend 8-for-11 with two triples, two walks, seven runs and four RBIs.
• Went 2-for-4 with her third triple of the season against Indiana State.
• Had at least two hits in every game of the Maryland series, including going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI in game two (4/11).
• Hit her fourth triple of the season in the Maryland opener (4/10), tying the Illini all-time Big Ten record with her third in conference play.
• Reached base eight times in the Wisconsin series, with a career-high three walks in game two and going 3-for-4 with a double, an HBP, two runs and two RBIs in the finale.
• Clocked her first career home run, a three run shot, in game two against Nebraska.

Freshman - 2014

• NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
• Saw time in 22 games on the season after missing the majority of pre-conference play with a hand injury.
• Used primarily as a pinch hitter/pinch runner, with two starts at third base.
• Had a double and a walk in 11 at-bats on the year, striking out just once.
• Scored seven runs and went 2-for-2 on the basepaths.
• Made her first career appearance on March 15, scoring runs as a pinch runner against both NDSU and Omaha in the doubleheader, and stealing her first career base in game two vs. UNO.
• Pinch ran in two games of the Iowa series.
• Took her first career at-bat with two outs in the seventh inning against No. 16 Missouri, getting on base to keep the game alive.
• Scored as a pinch runner at Illinois State.
• Doubled against DePaul in her first career start, making her first appearance in the field at third base.
• Scored two runs as a pinch runner against No. 4 Michigan.
• Scored two runs and stole a base as a pinch runner in the final two Penn State games.
• Made her first appearance at second base against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament, entering the game for Allie Bauch, who was injured on the first play of the game.

High School

• 2013 South Suburban Conference Player of the Year.
• 2013 Super 60 Selection.
• 2013 First-Team All-State by Illinois Coaches Association.
• Four-time all-conference selection (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013).
• Two-time Southtown Star All-Area (2012, 2013); 2010 honorable mention.
• Four-time Golden Bat award winner (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013).
• Three-time Golden Base award winner (2011, 2012, 2013).
• Two-time Golden Glove (2010, 2013).
• 2012 Southtown Star Top 100 Players.
• 2013 SSC All-Academic/Athletic Award.
• A four-year starter for Tinley Park High School under Wendy Podbielniak, she hit over .550 in her final two seasons and stole a total of 131 bases in her career.
• Helped lead Tinley the Titans to two Regional Championships (2010, 2012), a Regional Final appearance in 2011, a Sectional Final appearance in 2010, and to third-place finish at the Class 3A State Championships in 2013.
• Played travel ball for the Orland Park Sparks under Joe Tholl.
• Finished ninth at 12U Northern Nationals, then 25th at 14U and 18U ASA Nationals.

Personal

• Born Alyssa Corinne Gunther.
• Daughter of Gary and Rhonda Gunther.
• Has an older brother, Adam.
• Member of the Academically Talented Program (2011-2013).
• National Honor Society (2012, 2013).
• Mathletes Member (2009-12).
• Titan Scholar (2012, 2013).
• Top 5 in class (2011).
• Top 1% of class (2009-2013).
• 2013 Illinois State Scholar.
• Majoring in Kinesiology.

Get to Know Alyssa

Nickname: Gunny
Favorite Movie: Bridesmaids
Three things on your "bucket list": Skydiving, travel to Europe, visit all 50 states
What are you most proud of and why? Making it to state my senior year for softball and winning third place. Not too many people can say they won the last game of their high school career.
Book you've read in the past year: The Kite Runner
Favorite quote: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." -Dr. Seuss
Your weirdest quirk: I get very superstitious about things, especially in sports
Favorite TV Show: Awkward
Favorite subject in high school: Anatomy