May 9, 2008
Oklahoma City, Okla.-Missouri softball player Rhea Taylor (Buford, Ga.) was named Big 12 Freshman of the year, six Tigers were named All-Big 12 Conference honorees and five earned Academic All-Big 12 accolades as announced today by the league office. Taylor's honor is the first in Missouri softball history.
Having set the Big 12 and Missouri single season stolen base record at 52, Taylor stands second in the nation for stolen bags. Taylor, who leads the conference with her .408 average, is a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week recipient and has bat leadoff in all 58 of Missouri's games this season.
The last time a Tiger player earned individual post-season honors came during the 1997 campaign when Barb Wright earned the Player of the Year award. Taylor is the first Big 12 North Freshman of the Year since Kara Pierce of Kansas took home the honor in 2001 and is one of only three Big 12 North freshmen to win the award in the 13-year history of the program.
Following game two of the 13th annual Big 12 Softball Championships, four Tigers, seniors Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) and Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.), junior Andee Allen (Barnhart, Mo.) and Taylor were named first team all-conference, while juniors Lindsey Ubrun (Riverside, Calif.) and Stacy Delaney (Freeland, Mich.) were awarded second team honors. The Tigers' six honorees marks Missouri's highest total in three years and ties the second highest all-conference total set in 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2005.
The All-Big 12 honors are a first for Taylor, Allen, Ubrun and Delaney, while Renth received her fourth career award and Bruck her third. Renth becomes Missouri's first four-time All-Big 12 honoree since Jamie Lowry received honors in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. Missouri's six award winners were among a list of 38 that received the annual accolade.
Five members of the Tiger squad were named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team. Renth, juniors
Andee Allen (Barnhart, Mo.),
Katie Milles (St. Louis, Mo.) and
Gina Schneider (Liberty, Mo.) as well as sophomore
Julie Silver (Chesterfield, Mo.) received first team accolades. The honor is the third of Renth's career and second of Allen's. Members of the first team have maintained a 3.20 grade-point average or better. A total of 54 individuals received Academic All-Big 12 honors, with 40 women named to the first team and 14 to the second team. Missouri had the second-most individuals of the Big 12 conference named to the first team. Baylor and Kansas both led the conference with six softball players from each program named to the first team.
