Lake Forest College Sports Information
May 17, 2004
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Garner Five All-MWC Honors and Two Player of the Year Awards
Watts and Closson named South Division Position Player and Co-Pitcher of the Year 
  

Erin Watts (left) and Ashley Closson were named MWC South Position Player and Co-Pitcher of the Year, respectively.
LAKE FOREST, IL - The Midwest Conference announced its end-of-season softball awards Tuesday (May 17) and five Lake Forest College players made the list. Four were named to the South Division’s First Team and one to the Second Team. In addition, two Foresters were honored with the division’s Position Player and Co-Pitcher of the Year awards.

Sophomore outfielder Erin Watts (Evergreen Park, IL/Evergreen Park) was named MWC South Division Position Player of the Year after leading Lake Forest with a .400 batting average, .433 on-base percentage, and .640 slugging percentage. She drove in a school record 34 runs and her 50 base hits (second), 30 runs scored (tied-for-fifth), 13 doubles (tied-for-second), four triples (tied-for-fifth), 80 total bases (second), and 19 stolen base (second) all rank among the top five season totals in team history.

Junior pitcher/first baseman Ashley Closson (Murphysboro, IL/Murphysboro) joined Illinois College’s Lindsay Stauder as the South’s Co-Pitchers of the Year. Closson finished the season with a 10-6 record and 2.41 earned run average overall and a 6-1 mark with a 2.17 ERA in league contests. Closson also excelled at the plate, batting .333 on the year and recording a .402 on-base percentage.

In addition to Watts and Closson, who each earned her second career all-conference honor, senior second baseman Alissa Mildebrath (Carol Stream, IL/West Chicago) and junior shortstop Melissa Wegner (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) were also named to the First Team. Mildebrath batted .308 on the season with two home runs, 24 runs scored, and 15 driven in. She was named all-conference each of her four seasons and finished her career as the program’s all-time leader with 169 base hits, 110 runs scored, 15 home runs, and 252 total bases. She also ranks second with 30 doubles and 72 runs batted in. Wegner, a first-time all-conference selection, led the team with 35 runs scored, 13 walks, and a dozen sacrifice bunts. She was also at least tied for second on the squad with a .339 batting average, a .404 on-base percentage, a .535 slugging percentage, 43 base hits, nine doubles, two triples, four home runs, 32 RBI, 68 total bases, and 10 stolen bases.

Senior centerfielder Hannah Starck (Aurora, IL/Aurora West) earned her first all-conference honor and was named to the Second Team. Starck, one of the top defensive outfielders in the league, also posted career-highs with a .333 batting average, a .375 on-base percentage, 30 base hits, 22 runs scored, and seven stolen bases.

Complete list All-Midwest Conference Teams