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Donner, Batt, Pautzke highlight All-Journal softball teams

2019 All-Journal Softball Team

First Team

Ashlyn Donner, Sr.,

New Ulm

Donner finished her final season with the Eagles in a big way, striking out 270 on the way to a 20-3 season. She also finished the year with 10 shutouts, two no-hitters and a 0.71 ERA. Donner allowed a .107 batting average against her this season and averaged 1.96 strikeouts per inning.

Pitching in 138 innings this year and allowing just 11 walks and 54 hits, Donner played a major role in New Ulm’s 22-3 season. She also was solid at the plate, hitting .366 with a .463 slugging percentage and a .529 on-base percentage.

Described by Eagles head coach Kristi Andersen Loose as being “one of the most special players to grace the Eagles’ softball field”, Donner ends her final season at New Ulm as a member of the All-State First Team, while also finishing as an All-Section, All-Conference and Senior All-Star Series player.

Joey Batt, Sr., New Ulm

Batt didn’t only end her senior year as one of the top basketball players in the area, she also continued making a name for herself on the softball field, leading the Eagles with a .500 batting average and a .667 slugging percentage. Batt also had three triples, two homers, two doubles, 13 RBIs and was one of the fastest players on the field, piling up 24 stolen bases in 2019.

Batt also was very steady in center field with a .971 fielding percentage.

She only struck out three times this past season and was described by New Ulm head coach Kristi Andersen Loose as “a dream leadoff hitter who will be statistically near impossible to replace.” This season, Batt was an All-State First Team member and was also an All-Section, All-Conference, Senior All-Star Series player.

Josie Pautzke, Sr., Cathedral

Pautzke helped lead New Ulm Cathedral to a fifth-place finish at state this season with a 23-3 record in the circle, a 1.92 ERA and 128 strikeouts in more than 150 innings of work. She also drove in a team-best 32 runs on offense and batted .395 with four doubles and a homer.

A Tomahawk All-Conference player, an All-State First Team player and an All-Star this season, Pautzke also drew 12 walks and only struck out four times all season. A member of last year’s All-Journal First Team, Pautzke ends her career with a .478 batting average, 489 2/3 innings pitched, 386 strikeouts and 15 shutouts.

Cassie Heinrichs, Sr.,

St. Mary’s

Heinrichs was a Tomahawk All-Conference player this year, a Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Section 2A Team member and was named to the All-State Second Team as well, finishing with a .386 batting average and a team-high 11 home runs. She also led the team in hits with 27, RBIs with 27 and tied for the most runs scored with 27.

Heinrichs added seven doubles and drew 11 walks this season also in her third year as a starter at third base for the Knights.

She finishes her career with a .345 batting average, 13 homers and 46 RBIs.

Marah Hulke, Fr., Nicollet

Hulke had a strong freshman year, pitching and playing shortstop for the Raiders and leading her team in several categories. The Valley All-Conference and All-Section player had a team-leading batting average of .514 as the leadoff hitter while also leading the team in hits (37), runs scored (25), triples (6), doubles (7), homers (2) and walks drawn (15).

Hulke was also second on the team in RBIs with 20 and played in 22 games this season.

As a pitcher, she had a 1.62 ERA and was 5-2 in 52 innings of work, striking out 67, walking 10 and allowing 33 hits.

Last season’s All-Journal honorable mention has a career 2.19 ERA and 113 strikeouts in the circle while hitting .444 for her career on offense with 67 hits.

Lauryn Franta, Sr., Cathedral

Franta led the Greyhounds in home runs (6), was second in RBIs (25) and was second in runs scored (22) in her senior campaign while also drawing 12 walks. The four-year starter was an All-Star, an All-State honorable mention and a Tomahawk All-Conference player this season.

She hit .310 for the Greyhounds this season and had 26 hits. She ends her career as a career .400 hitter and had 10 total homers, 17 doubles and 85 RBIs.

Heidi Hoffman, Sr., Cathedral

Described by Cathedral head coach Jamie Portner as being “unflappable”, Hoffman hit .425 for the Greyhounds this season and was named a Tomahawk All-Conference and All-Section player. The first baseman also had five doubles and 21 RBIs to go with a team-high 37 hits.

Hoffman ended her career with a .489 batting average, 10 doubles, 42 RBIs, 38 runs scores and 68 hits.

McKenna Strong, So., Sleepy Eye

Strong had a .435 batting average in her sophomore season with 37 hits, 31 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Strong switched from left field to center field this season and was a leader of the outfield. The Tomahawk All-Conference, All-Section and All-State Second Team player was described by Indians coach Tim Hoffmann as being very aggressive from gap to gap and willing to dive to make outfield plays.

The No. 3 hitter in the lineup came through with many clutch hits for the Indians this season and was also described by her coaches as a great role model on and off the field.

Abby Beranek, Jr., Cathedral

Beranek ended her junior year with a team-leading .478 batting average on the way to Cathedral’s fifth-place finish at state. She also was second on the team in doubles with nine and was an honorable mention in the Tomahawk Conference this year.

Beranek also had 18 RBIs and scored 20 runs for Cathedral this season.

Second Team

Carli Botten, Sr.,

New Ulm

Botten ended her senior campaign at shortstop for the Eagles with a .382 batting average, eight doubles, three triples, 19 RBIs and nine stolen bases. The All-Section, All-Conference and All-State Academic player also had a .482 on-base average, a .566 slugging percentage and a .927 fielding percentage.

New Ulm head coach Kristi Andersen Loose said that Botten “peaked at the right time for us and had a solid section tournament with clutch at-bats and solid defense.”

Botten will continue her softball career at Bethel University next spring.

Sarah Mohr, So.,

Cathedral

Mohr, described by New Ulm Cathedral head coach Jamie Portner as “the fastest person on the team”, hit .396 for the Greyhounds this season while driving in 17 runs and scoring 41 runs. She also had six doubles and led the team in walks with 20.

The All-Tournament Team and Tomahawk All-Conference player currently has a .425 career batting average, 12 doubles, 34 RBIs and 75 runs scored.

Jenna Frank, Sr., Wabasso

Just like in prior seasons, Frank was one of the Rabbits’ top hitters in her senior season, batting .397 with a .548 on-base percentage. She also had 29 hits, five doubles, three home runs and a triple.

Frank drove in 17 runs and was also named to the Tomahawk All-Conference team and All-State Second Team this season. She will be playing college basketball in the fall.

Ellie Bute, Sr., New Ulm

Bute had a .375 batting average for the Eagles in her senior year while adding 10 doubles and 21 RBIs. She also made the Big South All-Conference Team this season and had a .551 on-base percentage, a .554 slugging percentage and a perfect fielding percentage.

Although hitting lower in the lineup at No. 8, Bute came through with many clutch hits for the Eagles and was described by New Ulm head coach Kristi Andersen Loose as “our second cleanup kid, who found happiness and comfort in her bottom-of-the-order surroundings.”

Leah Weiss, Sr.,

St. Mary’s

The Tomahawk All-Conference member and two-year starter for Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s pitched 152 2/3 innings this year with a 1.79 ERA, 138 strikeouts and 52 walks allowed. She allowed 127 hits and 39 earned runs and ended the season with a 17-5 record.

She also had a .274 batting average with 17 hits, two doubles, drew 14 walks and added eight RBIs. Weiss was named to the Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Section 2A Team this year and was an honorable mention for the All-State Team.

She wraps up her career with a 2.04 ERA, 201 strikeouts and a 34-8 record. She also finishes her career with a .353 batting average.

Emily Schommer, Fr., Cathedral

Schommer finished a solid freshman campaign with a .413 batting average and 23 RBIs. She was also named to the All-Section Team and Tomahawk All-Conference Team this year and had 31 hits, 15 runs scored, three doubles, a homer and a triple.

The freshman catcher had to step up this season to be a good varsity catcher and head coach Jamie Portner said that not only was she a good catcher, she turned into a great one. Schommer picked five runners off base and threw out four runners this season while allowing just one passed ball all year during the Greyhounds’ strong season that ended with a fifth-place finish at state.

Emma Fischer, Jr., Sleepy Eye

Fischer had a .427 batting average for the Indians in her junior season and had 35 hits, 35 runs scored, six doubles and a homer. The leadoff hitter also stole 12 bases and had a .561 slugging percentage to go with her being named a 2019 Tomahawk All-Conference member as well as being named an All-State player.

Madeline Gag, Sr.

New Ulm

Gag, third baseman for the Eagles, finished her senior season with a .343 batting average, a .488 on-base percentage and a .671 slugging percentage. She was one of the main power-hitters on the Eagles this past season and had five home runs, four doubles and three triples.

Gag was an honorable mention in the Big South Conference this season and had 24 RBIs. She was a tough out and had three of her homers come in the Section 2AAA Tournament.

Hayley Selby, So.,

Nicollet

The Valley All-Conference Second Team member led the Raiders in RBIs this year with 21 while adding 31 hits, six doubles and a .470 average. The third baseman also was one of the team’s go-to pitchers, going 3-5 in 53 innings with a 2.77 ERA, 54 strikeouts, 50 hits allowed and 14 walks.

Selby has career numbers of 36 RBIs, 11 doubles, 61 hits and a .449 batting average and she has a career 3.73 ERA from the circle.

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