Four Bruins Receive NWC Softball Awards

Nikki Morrison, a senior from Salem, Ore., played a stellar third base and served as a valuable relief pitcher for the Bruins.

Former Sprague star Nikki Morrison batted .243 with 26 hits, 5 doubles, 10 RBI, and 13 runs scored, ranking first on the team in runs, tied for second in RBI, and third in hits. Photo: George Fox Athletics

NEWBERG, Ore. - Four members of the 2007 George Fox University softball team - Kayla Winkler, Nikki Morrison, Kerstyn Tsuruda, and Ashley Olson - have received All-Northwest Conference honors of one kind or another as voted on by the league’s eight coaches and announced recently by the conference.

Winkler was named to the All-NWC Second Team as a utility player, while Morrison, Tsuruda, and Olson all received Honorable Mention, Morrison and Tsuruda as utility players and Olson as a first baseman.

It was the first All-Conference honors for each of them.

The Bruins were 7-29 overall under third-year coach Mark Vergets, winning six more than the year before, and climbed to 7th in the conference at 5-23, with the four All-NWC honorees playing significant roles in the Bruins’ improvement.

Winkler, a senior from McMinnville, Ore., was the Bruins’ No. 1 starting pitcher and played either second base or center field when not on the mound.

She posted a 5-16 pitching record with one save, a 4.58 ERA, and 124 strikeouts in 130.0 innings, tossing 15 complete games in 21 starts.

She led the league in starts, was second in innings pitched, and was third in strikeouts.

At the plate, she batted .287 with 31 hits, 7 doubles, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored, and a .463 slugging percentage. She was the Bruins’ leader in hits, home runs, RBI, and slugging, tied for first in doubles, and was second in batting and runs.

Morrison, a senior from Salem, Ore., played a stellar third base and served as a valuable relief pitcher for the Bruins.

She batted .243 with 26 hits, 5 doubles, 10 RBI, and 13 runs scored, ranking first on the team in runs, tied for second in RBI, and third in hits.

She made only 6 errors all year at the ‘hot corner’ and ranked third in the NWC in assists with 87.

On the hill, she appeared in 7 games, making one start and completing it, with an 0-1 record and a 4.30 ERA in 14.2 innings.

Tsuruda, a sophomore from Waimanalo, Hawaii, filled a big need as the Bruins’ regular catcher and also saw occasional time at both second and short, her normal positions.

She batted .222 with 22 hits, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 7 RBI, and 10 runs scored. She was the team leader and tied for fourth in the league in triples, and tied for the team lead in doubles.

Olson, a freshman from Silverton, Ore., was one of the Bruins’ best clutch hitters, batting a team-leading .289 with 28 hits, 7 doubles, 2 home runs, 10 RBI, 7 runs scored, and a .423 slugging percentage.

She tied for the team lead in doubles, was second in hits and slugging, and tied for second in home runs and RBI.

She was the NWC Hitter of the Week for Apr. 16th-22nd after batting .529 (9-17) with 4 doubles, 2 home runs, including a game-winner vs. Willamette, 5 RBI, and 4 runs scored in 6 games.

League champion Linfield College, the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, took all of the top individual honors as Jenny Marshall was the Player of the Year, Brittany Miller the Pitcher of the Year, and Jackson Vaughan the Coach of the Year.

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