Cantu, Wilson Earn Spots On NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team
5/20/2021 2:30:00 PM | Softball
First Bluejays to earn NFCA All-Region Second Team recognition since Becca Changstrom (2014)
The NFCA All-Region teams honor softball student-athletes from the association's 10 regions with first, second and third-team selections. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region voted on the teams, and all 380 student-athletes honored now become eligible for the 2021 NFCA All-America squads.Â
The Great Lakes region consists of 31 schools from six different conferences -- BIG EAST Conference (Creighton, DePaul, Providence, St. John's), Big Ten Conference (Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers, Wisconsin), Horizon League (Detroit, Illinois-Chicago, Oakland, Robert Morris, Wisconsin-Green Bay) Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (Canisius, Iona, Monmouth, Niagara, Quinnipiac, Siena), Mid-America Conference (Ball State, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan), Northeast Conference (Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Merrimack College, St. Francis [PA]).Â
Conference players and pitchers of the year from member institutions are added to the third team if they were not already voted to an All-Region squad. In some instances, limited regional nominations prevent a position from being filled. Complete Great Lakes All-Region teams are listed below.
A total of 17 women have earned NFCA All-Region recognition during head coach Brent Vigness's 28-year tenure with the Bluejay softball program and two have also been honored as NFCA All-Americans (Tara Oltman Higgins, 2009 and Renae Sinkler-O'Gorman, 2010).
Cantu led the Bluejays with a .402 batting average, 37 hits and 16 runs scored. The Frisco, Texas native earned All-BIG EAST honors for the third time in her collegiate career to become the 15th player in program history to earn all-conference honors during three different season -- first since Liz Dike (2013, 2014, 2015). She also recorded two home runs, two triples and one double during 2021 to rank third on the Bluejays with a .522 slugging percentage. Cantu -- Creighton's primary lead-off hitter each of the past five seasons -- paced the Bluejays in 2021 by reaching 25 times as the lead-off hitter of an inning during 28 games played. Cantu ended her Creighton career ranked second in program history with a .382 batting average and tied for third in hits (218) and runs scored (129) during 175 games played.Â
Cantu is the first Creighton player in program history to hit .400 or better in a single-season three different times (.401 in 2018, .427 in 2020, .402 in 2021).Â
A native of Aurora, Colorado, Wilson earned a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team after leading the Bluejays and the conference with a .747 slugging percentage. The sophomore designated player also paced Creighton in home runs (8), doubles (5), RBIs (26), total bases (62), walks (12) and on-base percentage (.479). Wilson posted a .398 batting average with 33 overall hits and scored 11 times. She tied for the team-lead in hits with runners in scoring position (10) and two-out base knocks (10).
Creighton completed its 2021 season with a 14-14 record, including an 8-7 mark in BIG EAST play for a fourth place finish in the league.
The 2021 NFCA Division I All-America teams will be announced on Wednesday, June 2.
2021 NFCA Great Lakes Region Teams
First Team
P - Alex Storako, Michigan
P - Meghan Beaubien, Michigan
P - Grace Vesco, St. Francis (PA)
C - Jordyn Rudd, Northwestern
1B - Lou Allan, Michigan
2B - Rachel Lewis, Northwestern
3B - Dayna Denner, Toledo
SS - Kayla Wendl, Illinois-Chicago
OF - Lexie Blair, Michigan
OF - Natalie Higgins, Robert Morris
OF - Faith Hensley, Ball State
UT/P - Morgan Newport, Northwestern
DP or UT/Non-P - Katie Keller, Northern Illinois
Second Team
P - Amber Fiser, Minnesota
P - Autumn Pease, Minnesota
C - Stacey Payton, Ball State
1B - Marissa Rizzi, St. John's
2B - Makenna Partain, Minnesota
3B - Mekenzie Saban, Saint Francis (PA)
SS - Kayla Lissy, Ball State
OF - Natalie DenHartog, Minnesota
OF - Jessica Chilcott, Iona
OF - Ashley Cantu, Creighton
DP - Kailey Wilson, Creighton
Third Team
P - Danielle Williams, Northwestern
P - Kara Zazzaro, Iona
C - Jessica Cothern, DePaul
1B - Cammie Brummitt, Oakland
2B - Kara Paradowski, Canisius
3B - Taylor Bump, Michigan
SS - Morgan Gardner, Central Michigan
OF - Skyler Shellmyer, Northwestern
OF - Mackenzie Swinehart, Western Michigan
OF - Isabelle DeChiaro, Siena
DP - Kaitlin Mattera, St. John's
