The 2016 All-Big 12 Softball Team and individual award winners have been announced, with No. 3 Oklahoma leading the way with seven All-Big 12 selections. The Sooners also earned at least a share of all five individual honors.
Oklahoma’s Erin Miller and Oklahoma State’s Vanessa Shippy earned Co-Player of the Year honors, while OU’s Paige Parker was named Pitcher of the Year for the second season in a row. The Sooners’ Shay Knighten took home Freshman of the Year, Kelsey Arnold grabbed Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach Patty Gasso picked up her fifth-consecutive coach of the year after leading the Sooners to a 47-7 record and fifth league title in a row. It is Gasso’s ninth Coach of the Year win since the inception of the Big 12.
Miller hit .401 on the season with 124 total bases, one off the conference lead, to snag OU’s fourth Player of the Year honor in the last five seasons. She tied for the league high in doubles with 20 and sits fifth in the league in both slugging percentage (.701) and on-base percentage (.478). In Big 12 play, the senior from Tulsa, Oklahoma, helped lead the Sooners to a staggering 17-1 record by scoring 21 runs (second in Big 12) and hitting .361 with 38 total bases. Miller also becomes a two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection.
Shippy, an All-Big 12 Freshman Team member a year ago, posted a conference best .430 batting average on the season and scored a league high 55 runs in 53 games. She also posted an impressive .545 on-base percentage and stole 21 bases on the year. The sophomore from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was even better in Big 12 play, hitting .500 over a 17-game span with a league-high 24 runs scored. She also snagged a Big 12-high eight bags and reached base at a ridiculous .627 rate (led the league). Coupled with her .760 slugging percentage in league play, Shippy’s OPS also led the Big 12 at 1.387.
Parker picked up her second conference Pitcher of the Year honor in as many seasons, duplicating her successful freshman season from a year ago. Parker finished the regular season with a 28-3 record and a 1.45 ERA. The 28 victories are tied for the fourth most in the NCAA this season and her 12 shutouts are the second most nationally. The sophomore from Independence, Missouri, has thrown a league high 211 strikeouts over 183.1 innings while holding opponents to a league-low .178 batting average.
She was even better in league games, sporting a 1.43 ERA and going a perfect 13-0 in 13 games pitched. She struck out a conference best 86 over 78.1 innings and spun six of her 12 season shutouts in league games. Parker tossed a five-inning complete-game no-hitter in a non-conference matchup on March 11 versus BYU with 11 strikeouts for her fifth career no-no. The 2015 NFCA Freshman of the Year has won 11 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors thus far in her two collegiate seasons.
Knighten received Freshman of the Year honors following an excellent first campaign in Norman, particularly during Big 12 play. In league action, Knighten hit .412 (fourth in Big 12) and tied for third in the league in RBI with 18. She reached base at a .492 clip during league games and slugged .667 for an impressive 1.159 OPS. Overall on the year, she hit .382 with 11 home runs (tied for fourth in Big 12) and drove in 48 runs (fifth in Big 12).
Arnold was stellar for the Sooners at shortstop all season long and was perfect during Big 12 games. She started all 18 games of league play and did not commit an error in any of the 56 chances she had, leading OU to a league-best .987 field percentage. The Defensive Player of the Year award returns to Big 12 softball this season after previously being awarded from 2004-2012. Arnold is the fourth Sooner to take home the honor in league history.
For the All-Big 12 Teams, Baylor had the second-most selections with five overall, and boast the most first team honorees with four. Texas placed two players on each the First and Second Team, and Texas Tech and Oklahoma State each had three All-Big 12 players. Additionally, Iowa State and Kansas each earned one First Team All-Conference honor.
The All-Freshman Team encompassed eight individuals who were selected as All-Big 12 First or Second Team members, with Iowa State’s Kirsten Caudle and Kansas’ Alexis Reid snagging the other two spots.
NCAA postseason play begins this weekend, May 20-22, with Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas and Oklahoma State competing.
2016 ALL-BIG 12 TEAM & AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Year (Co-winners)
Vanessa Shippy, Oklahoma State, So., UTL
Erin Miller, Oklahoma, Sr., OF
Pitcher of the Year
Paige Parker, Oklahoma, So., LHP
Defensive Player of the Year
Kelsey Arnold, Oklahoma, So., INF
Freshman of the Year
Shay Knighten, Oklahoma, INF
Coach of the Year
Patty Gasso, Oklahoma
First Team All-Big 12
Linsey Hays, Baylor, Sr., OF
Sarah Smith, Baylor, Sr., INF
Heather Stearns, Baylor, Sr., RHP
Kyla Walker, Baylor, Fr., DP
Brittany Gomez, Iowa State, Sr., INF
Chaley Brickey, Kansas, Sr., INF
Shay Knighten, Oklahoma, Fr., INF
Erin Miller, Oklahoma, Sr., OF
Paige Parker, Oklahoma, So., LHP
Vanessa Shippy, Oklahoma State, So., UTL
Tiarra Davis, Texas, Jr., LHP
Lindsey Stephens, Texas, Sr., OF
Second Team All-Big 12
Shelby Friudenberg, Baylor, So., INF
Fale Aviu, Oklahoma, Fr., OF
Caleigh Clifton, Oklahoma, Fr., INF
Nicole Pendley, Oklahoma, So., OF
Sydney Romero, Oklahoma, Fr., INF
Taylor Lynch, Oklahoma State, Fr., INF
Madi Sue Montgomery, Oklahoma State, Fr., INF
Celina Felix, Texas, Jr., INF
Kelli Hanzel, Texas, Jr., INF
Kierra Miles, Texas Tech, Jr., OF
Kiani Ramsey, Texas Tech, Fr., OF
Susan Welborn, Texas Tech, Jr., C
All-Freshman Team
Kyla Walker, Baylor, Fr., OF
Kirsten Caudle, Iowa State, Fr., OF
Alexis Reid, Kansas, Fr., P/UTL
Fale Aviu, Oklahoma, Fr., OF
Caleigh Clifton, Oklahoma, Fr., INF
Shay Knighten, Oklahoma, Fr., INF
Sydney Romero, Oklahoma, Fr., INF
Taylor Lynch, Oklahoma State, Fr., INF
Madi Sue Montgomery, Oklahoma State, Fr., INF
Kiani Ramsey, Texas Tech, Fr., OF