Info courtesy of MLC

Athletics

NEW ULM — Four Martin Luther College softball players earned postseason awards from the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) on Monday.

Sophomore shortstop Brittany Denn was named First Team All-UMAC, while first-year first baseman Elena Hoffman received Honorable Mention All-UMAC honors. Senior outfielder Audrey Timm and first-year catcher Kelsey Birschbach were both named to the UMAC All-Defensive Team.

Denn made the most of her first season at the collegiate level, leading the UMAC in batting average (.479), slugging percentage (.781) and doubles (18) over the full season. In conference play, Denn hit a league-best .536, and also led the UMAC in doubles (12) and hits (30), while ranking second in on-base percentage (.559), fourth in RBIs (18) and slugging percentage (.893), and fifth in runs scored (18).

Denn also made her mark in the MLC record books. Her 18 doubles set a MLC single-season record, and also ranked among the top five in slugging percentage (third), hits (tied for fifth) and batting average (tied for fifth).

Hoffman also made her mark in her debut season, forming a potent one-two punch with Denn in the middle of the MLC line-up.

Hoffman led the UMAC and tied the MLC single-season record with eight home runs on the season, and also led the team in RBIs (29) over the full season. In conference play, Hoffman became more comfortable at the plate and led the UMAC in home runs (seven) while ranking second in both slugging percentage (.958) and RBIs (22).

Timm was named to the All-Defensive Team for the second straight season after starting all 28 games in center field. She recorded four outfield assists, two of which came in UMAC play.

Birschbach was another talented newcomer on the Knights this season and started most of the team’s games behind the plate. In 14 UMAC contests, Birschbach threw out a league-leading six attempted base stealers.

Allison Grunke was named the MLC recipient of the Sportsmanship Award, given to one player on each team who best exemplifies sportsmanship during the season.