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Oklahoma City, Okla. ? A league-high six Nebraska softball players, including three repeat selections, earned All-Big 12 honors at the championship luncheon in Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Seniors Lizzy Aumua and Jessica Yoachim, along with junior Ashley DeBuhr earned first-team accolades, while juniors Devin Porter and Jamie Waldecker and freshman Crystal Carwile were named to the All-Big 12 second team.
Baylor, which finished third in the Big 12, matched Nebraska’s six honorees, while league champion Texas, along with fourth-place Texas A&M and fifth-place Oklahoma each had five.
Four player-of-the-year awards were also awarded at the luncheon. Kansas’ Serena Settlemier was named the Big 12 Player of the Year, while two-time national player of the year Cat Osterman of Texas, was tabbed the pitcher of the year. Osterman’s battery mate Megan Willis earned defensive player-of-the-year honors, while Baylor’s Brett Reagan was named the league’s freshman of the year. Texas’ Connie Clark was named the 2006 Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Aumua, in her second year at Nebraska, was an All-Big 12 honoree for the first time in her career. A native of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., Aumua is hitting .392 with five doubles, three triples and 16 RBIs. The Huskers’ leadoff hitter, Aumua leads the team with 40 runs scored and ranks second with 22 stolen bases in 26 attempts. She tied a school record by recording five hits in a game against Illinois earlier this season and also holds the Nebraska record for most sacrifices in a season. Also an outstanding outfielder, Aumua ranks second in school history with a .385 career average and has a chance to become the first Husker to hit .400 in a season since Ali Viola batted .424 in 1998.
Yoachim capped a stellar Big 12 career by earning her third consecutive first-team honors. Yoachim is hitting a career-high .383 with an on-base percentage of .436. She is a perfect 28-of-28 in stolen bases this season and has stolen 48 consecutive bases dating back to last season. In 2006, Yoachim became the Nebraska career leader in sacrifices, marking the second school record that she holds. A native of Arkansas City, Kan., Yoachim is only the third Husker in the 11-year history of the Big 12 Conference to be named to be a first-team selection at least three times in a career.
DeBuhr, who earned the final Big 12 Pitcher of the Week award of the season on Monday, earned first-team honors after being a second-team selection in 2005. DeBuhr is 22-6 this season, including an impressive 10-3 mark in Big 12 play. She played a key role in leading Nebraska to a second-place finish, as she record six consecutive victories and a save as Nebraska closed league play on a seven-game winning streak to move from fourth to second in the league standings. DeBuhr boasts a 1.49 ERA and has struck out 234 batters in 174.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .189 against her and DeBuhr has posted 10 shutouts this season to rank second in the conference.
Highlighting the second-team selections was Porter, who was the Huskers’ top hitter during league play. Porter is batting a career-high .288 this season with career-best totals of eight home runs and 25 RBIs. A native of Lakewood, Calif., Porter is having a breakthrough season. Entering this year, Porter was a career .172 hitters and had only one homer and 33 RBIs in her first two seasons combined. After a solid start to the season, Porter powered the Huskers to their second-place league finish by belting four home runs and hitting .360 in Nebraska’s 17 conference games. The second-team accolade marked the first Big 12 honor of Porter’s career.
After being named a second-team selection in her freshman campaign of 2004, Waldecker earned her way back onto the team in 2006. One of the top defensive catchers in the league, Waldecker has been a consistent offensive producer hitting in the No. 3 spot for the Huskers. Waldecker is hitting .248 with five homers and 36 RBIs this season. In Big 12 play, the Garden Grove, Calif., native increased her production, batting .273 with two homers and 12 RBIs. Behind the plate, Waldecker has committed only one error in 361 chances while helping the Husker pitching staff post a team ERA of 1.67.
With her second-team honor, Carwile becomes the first Husker freshman to earn All-Big 12 honors since Peaches James and Nicole Trimboli were both first-team picks in 2001. Carwile stepped up to fill the Huskers’ cleanup role the first weekend of the season and has made an immediate impact. She leads the team with 12 home runs, which doubles the total of all of the home runs hit by freshmen in the 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons combined.
Carwile is just the third NU freshman to hit 10 or more home runs and she is just one shy of Ali Viola’s freshman record of 13 homers. Carwile, who is hitting .306, has also proven to be a clutch hitter. She leads the team with six game-winning RBIs and she has belted five-game winning homers. Of those five homers, three have broken a tie in the Huskers’ final at bat.
2006 All-Big 12 First Team
Player Year Position School
Chelsi Lake Junior Catcher Baylor
Kelly Osborn Senior Left Field Baylor
Ashley Monceaux Junior First Base Baylor
Kassie Humphreys Junior Pitcher Kansas
Serena Settlemier Senior Pitcher/DP Kansas
Jen Bruck Sophomore Pitcher Missouri
Micaela Minner Sophomore Outfield Missouri
Lizzy Aumua Senior Outfield Nebraska
Ashley DeBuhr Junior Pitcher Nebraska
Jessica Yoachim Senior Infield Nebraska
Norrelle Dickson Junior Outfield Oklahoma
Samantha Ricketts Freshman DP Oklahoma
Kristin Vesely Senior Outfield Oklahoma
Lauren Kitchens Junior Outfield OklahomaState
Cat Osterman Senior Pitcher Texas
Chez Sievers Senior Second Base Texas
Desiree Williams Sophomore Shortstop Texas
Jamie Hinshaw Sophomore Third Base Texas A&M
Amanda Scarborough Sophomore Pitcher Texas A&M
2006 All-Big 12 Second Team
Player Year Position School
Lisa Ferguson Junior Pitcher Baylor
Tessa Lynam Senior DP Baylor
Brette Reagan Freshman Third Base Baylor
Jennifer Bigbee Junior Second Base IowaState
Ashlee Killeen Junior Catcher IowaState
Amanda Renth Sophomore First Base Missouri
Crystal Carwile Freshman Infield Nebraska
Devin Porter Junior Infield Nebraska
Jamie Waldecker Junior Catcher Nebraska
Traci Dickenson Freshman Third Base Oklahoma
Savannah Long Sophomore Shortstop Oklahoma
Kim Kaye Sophomore First Base OklahomaState
Amber Hall Senior Outfielder Texas
Megan Willis Sophomore Catcher Texas
Megan Gibson Sophomore Pitcher/DP Texas A&M
Sharonda McDonald Junior Outfield Texas A&M
Rocky Spencer Senior Outfield Texas A&M
Erin Crawford Senior Pitcher Texas Tech
Ashley Parker Junior Outfield Texas Tech
Big 12 Player of the Year: Serena Settlemier, Texas
Big 12 Pitcher of the Year: Cat Osterman, Texas
Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year: Megan Willis, Texas
Big 12 Freshman of the Year: Brette Reagan, Baylor
Big 12 Coach of the Year: Connie Clark, Texas