Eau Claire, WI — For the first time since 1999, Messiah softball has an All-American pitcher on its roster.
Sophomore Jessica Rhoads was honored with the award in conjunction with the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championships at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, being named a Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III First Team All-American — one of just 15 athletes to earn the honor.
Rhoads was again phenomenal in the pitching circle, posting a 28-4 win-loss record while recording 384 strikeouts in 717 at-bats — a strikeout rate of 53.5 percent.
Rhoads’ 28 pitching wins was tied for first in all of NCAA Division III competition, while her 0.71 ERA was third-best in the country. She allowed just 3.29 hits per seven innings — the third-lowest amount in the nation — while her rate of 13 strikeouts per seven inning was the second-best clip in NCAA Division III.
“Jess is very, very deserving of this honor,” said Amy Weaver, Messiah head coach. “She’s a wonderful kid, is fun to be around and works harder than anyone else. For the second straight year, she was near the top of the list in several categories at the national level. She really is incredible.”
Rhoads’ honor may have had as much to do with her performance last year as it did this season, as the Dillsburg, Pa. native led Messiah to its first-ever national championship last spring. During that championship weekend, Rhoads struck out 53 batters versus five walks in 28 innings pitched, serving as the Falcons’ only pitcher during the team’s eight-game post-season run.
Things may have finished in similar fashion this year, had it not been for a nagging injury that limited Rhoads’ endurance: Suffering a deep bone bruise in her left knee midway through the season, Rhoads was noticeably hobbled late, unable to pitch in Messiah’s final game of the season — a 1-0 loss to Christopher Newport University in the NCAA Regional Championship game.
“Softball is obviously a lot different than baseball, and most pitchers can throw two games in a day without problem,” Weaver said. “Jess is normally like that, but this year she struggled toward the end of just one game. I think her knee bothered her more than she let anyone know, and the fact that she was able to do all that she did this year was just amazing. She can do anything.”
Rhoads could also hit, as the sophomore again batted clean-up for Messiah, hitting .336 with 26 RBI and seven doubles — none more clutch than her walk-off two-bagger against Salisbury University in the Regional Semi-Final.
Rhoads was named the Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Year for the second straight time at the conclusion of the regular-season, while she holds all but one of the program’s individual pitching records.
With the honor, Rhoads became Messiah’s first All-American pitcher since Jessica Chambers earned First Team accolades in 1999. Rhoads is the program’s first All-American overall since Michelle ‘Boo’ Mumma earned the honor as an outfielder in 2003.
“Jess led us on another incredible run this season,” Weaver said of the team’s 38-9 finish. “She improved on several of our internal records, and really showed her toughness. In my opinion, she’s the best pitcher to ever wear a Messiah uniform.”
Rhoads’ All-American honor followed her second straight Louisville Slugger/NFCA First Team All-East Region selection, an award she shared with classmate Jaclyn Merkel. Senior catcher Abby Bergakker and freshman outfielder Stephanie Schell were each named Second-Team All-East Region selections.
Merkel hit .360 and drove in an impressive 27 runs despite moving to lead-off in Messiah’s batting order, leading the team with four homers. Schell, meanwhile, hit .401 with a team-leading 35 RBI, blasting a squad-best four triples. Bergakker hit at .355, scoring a team-best 39 times while drawing an incredible 31 walks, getting hit by pitches nine different times.
Bergakker’s Second Team honor improved on a Third Team All-East Region award last year.
“Jacki, Abby and Steph all had great years for us,” Weaver said. “All of them would do whatever was asked of them, and put the team first. They are all very deserving of their awards as well.”