Ten Softball Players Earn All-Northwest Conference Honors

By Sara Brooks, Assistant Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6219

SALEM, ORE. -- Ten members of the Willamette University softball team were recognized as All-Northwest Conference following the 2010 season. The Bearcats finished the regular season at 28-12 overall and 20-8 in the NWC. Willamette placed second in the conference for the second season in a row

Mica Romero (So., SS, Woodland, CA/Woodland Christian HS), Jessica Barry (So., OF, Cupertino, CA/Monte Vista HS) and Kelli Snyder (Fr., C, Longview, WA/Kelso HS) were each named First Team All-NWC.

Romero hit .355 this season and earned a .645 slugging percentage. She has now hit .366 in her career at Willamette, while earning a .605 career slugging percentage. This season, she led the team in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs, doubles, home runs, total bases, walks and sacrifice flies.

Romero broke the single season records for walks (32) and doubles (17). She has been named First Team All-NWC in each of her two seasons at WU.

In her first season with Willamette, Barry led the team in batting average after hitting .411. She scored 33 runs and accumulated 53 hits (both team highs). Barry was also a constant threat on the bases, finishing the season 16 of 18 on stolen base attempts.

Snyder also made the most of her first season at WU. The freshman catcher hit .371, the second highest average on the team. Snyder had a .536 slugging percentage and .450 on base percentage. She earned a .986 fielding percentage behind the plate for the Bearcats.

Sophomores Sierra Lessel (OF, Eugene, OR/Churchill HS) and Talissa Huntsman (UT, Richland, WA/Richland HS) were named Second Team All-NWC, along with junior Bri Compton (UT, Kalispell, MT/Wenatchee CC).

Lessel followed up a successful freshman season with a great sophomore season. She has a .384 career batting average. Lessel was second on the team in hits (43) and runs (30). She smashed three triples and was 16-19 on stolen base attempts. Lessel also was named Second Team All-NWC in 2009.

Huntsman, who previously earned Honorable Mention All-NWC honors in 2009, performed well for the Bearcats in the circle and at the plate. Huntsman hit .333 and earned a .552 slugging percentage. In the circle, she finished the season with a 3.38 ERA and a 7-4 record. She struck out 40 batters in 60 innings of work and held opponents to a .250 batting average.

Junior transfer Compton made a smooth transition into the NWC, hitting .339 with three home runs at the plate. She earned a 3.47 ERA and an 11-4 record as a pitcher. Opponents hit just .276 against Compton.

Willamette had four athletes who were named Honorable Mention All-NWC. They were infielders Nicole Wallace (Sr., Roseville, CA/Roseville HS) and Susie Krewer (So., Sacramento, CA/Mira Loma HS), along with Alex Watilo (So., P, Newcastle, CA/Del Oro HS) and Nichole Robertson (So., OF, Elk Grove, CA/Cosumnes River College).

Wallace, the Bearcats' lone senior, ended her Willamette career with her third All-NWC honor. She played on WU teams that achieved a total of 102 wins during her career. Wallace hit .302 as a senior and increased her career average to .284. She ranks fourth in Willamette history in stolen base percentage at 90.5% (38 of 42).

Wallace also earned a more painful place in the record books. The senior was hit by a pitch 34 times in her career, shattering the previous record of 20 held by current WU Assistant Coach Liz Gilgan '07.

Robertson showed tremendous improvement between her freshman and sophomore campaigns. Robertson hit .330 and started in every game for WU this season. She hit 12 extra-base hits, including three home runs. She finished the season with a .546 slugging percentage.

Willamette's second baseman, Krewer, played solid defense for the Bearcats throughout the season. She also hit .304 and started in every game. She was 4 for 4 on stolen base attempts.

Watilo followed up her impressive freshman season with another good performance in the circle for the Bearcats. She finished the year with a 10-4 record, moving her career record to 23-7. She has earned a 2.50 ERA in two seasons at Willamette.