Six Softball Players Receive NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete Honors

Muskingum University softball players Abigail Orr, Haley Dotson, Haylea Debolt, Nikki Mantle, Cassie Thomas, and Rachel Eberling tabbed NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete Honors for the 2016-2017 academic year. To be eligible for consideration, the student-athlete must have a 3.5 GPA or better. Over 7,300 softball players from across the seven membership divisions earned this honor, while 1,825 Division III players achieved this accomplishment.

Orr, a junior catcher from Wintersville, Ohio, appeared in 34 games. She ranked third on the team in putouts (95), while tallying 16 RBIs, 11 runs scored and three doubles. She capped off the year with a .304 batting percentage, .345 on-base percentage, and a .342 slugging percentage.

Dotson, a senior pitcher/infielder from Piqua, Ohio, finished her senior campaign with a career-high 62 strikeouts in 113 innings pitched with a 2.85 ERA and seven wins. At the plate, she appeared in 32 games and registered eight runs scored, six RBIs, and one double on the season. She also gathered a .289 on-base percentage and a .254 slugging percentage.

Debolt, a junior pitcher from Uhrichsville, Ohio, appeared in 38.1 innings from the circle and tossed six strikeouts. She ranked third on the team in batting average (.333) and slugging percentage (.473) and registered 15 runs scored, 12 RBIs, four doubles, and three home runs.

Mantle, a junior rightfielder from Columbus, Ohio, appeared in 38 games. She finished second on the team in putouts (98) and notched two runs scored.

Thomas, a sophomore infielder from Millersburg, Ohio, saw action in all 40 games last season. She tied for first on the team in runs scored (27) and finished second in doubles (eight). She averaged a .317 batting average, .340 on-base average, a .388 slugging average and added a triple and 14 RBIs.  

Eberling, a sophomore pitcher from Paris, Ohio, appeared in 97 innings from the circle, tossed 37 strikes, and recorded six wins. At the plate, she finished first on her team in slugging percentage (.700) and home runs (six), second in doubles (seven), batting average (.343), and on-base percentage (.432), while adding 15 runs scored and 14 RBIs.