Morningside players broke two school records and one NAIA national record during the 2017 softball season.

Morningside players broke two school records and a NAIA national record during the 2017 softball season.

The Mustangs’ national record breaker was Elin Landgren, a senior catcher from Des Moines, Iowa, who was hit by a pitch 72 times during her career to break the previous NAIA national standard held by Lindsey Krippel of Olivet Nazarene University, who was hit 71 times from 2013-16. Landgren, who was hit a school-record 51 times through the first three seasons of her career, was hit 21 times in her senior campaign.

Landgren hit .259 and ranked second on the Mustangs with 19 walks and 10 stolen bases and third with a .429 on-base percentage.

Rachel Henks, a senior from Lee’s Summit, Mo., enjoyed a record-breaking season as the Mustangs’ ace pitcher. Henks fashioned a 34-10 record with a 1.58 earned run average and one save to set a school record for pitching victories in a season, breaking the Mustangs’ former record held by Whitney McElrath, who went 33-12 in the 2006 season. She posted a 56-15 record for a school-record .789 winning percentage over her two-year Morningside career to break the Mustangs’ former career victory rate of .754 by Kelly Baumert, who had a 92-30 career mark from 2007-10.

Henks allowed only 175 hits in 265.2 innings pitched while limiting the opposition to a miniscule .181 batting average. She had 71 walks and 272 strikeouts and completed 30 of her 37 starts. Henks twirled eight shutouts, including three no-hitters. Henks ranked second in nationally in the NAIA ranks with her 34 victories and third with her 272 strikeouts and 265.2 innings pitched. Her 272 strikeouts was the second highest single-season total in Morningside history, while her 265.2 innings and 1.58 earned run average were the fifth best single-season marks in the Mustangs’ record book.

Rachel Koch, a senior outfielder-shortstop from Denison, Iowa, collected 61 hits in 170 at-bats for a .359 batting average to lead the Mustangs in hitting for the second year in a row. She also ranked among the team leaders with 13 doubles, four home runs, 39 RBIs, 14 walks and 40 runs scored. Koch had the Mustangs’ longest hitting streak of the season when she hit safely in 12 consecutive games from April 3 to April 27.

 Moriah Bohlmann, a senior first baseman from Denison, Iowa, finished right behind Koch in the team batting race with a .356 average and was the Mustangs’ top run producer with a team-high 46 RBIs. Aside from leading the Mustangs in RBIs, Bohlmann also topped the team with 62 hits, 14 doubles, four triples and a .586 slugging percentage and ranked second on the team with six home runs. She had a team-high 18 multiple hit games and hit safely in 39 of the Mustangs’ 52 contests. Bohlmann’s 14 doubles was the 10th highest single-season total in Morningside history.

Emilee Dorpinghaus, a senior second baseman from Ankeny, Iowa, led the Mustangs in three offensive categories with seven home runs, 47 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. Her 47 runs scored was the seventh highest single-season total in Morningside history. Dorpinghaus batted .339 with 10 doubles, three home runs and 35 RBIs.

Abby Conner, a junior third baseman from McCook Lake, S.D., worked opposing pitchers for a team-high 28 base on balls for the fourth highest walk total in Morningside history. Conner hit .327 with nine doubles, three triples, five home runs and 38 RBIs. She ranked second on the team with 41 runs scored, a .512 slugging percentage and a .431 on-base percentage.

Allie Martinez, a senior catcher from Council Bluffs, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ third leading hitter with a .354 batting average and the team leader with a .436 on-base percentage. She slugged 11 doubles and four home runs and ranked second on the team with 43 RBIs. Martinez was the Mustangs’ top hitter with runners on base with 34 hits in 84 at-bats for a .405 batting average.

Mara Amsberry, a junior shortstop from Bennington, Neb., thrived in clutch situations with 21 hits in 48 at-bats for a team-high .438 batting average with runners in scoring position. She hit .322 for the season with 10 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 25 RBIs.

Tracey Edwards, a junior outfielder from Ojai, California, was the Mustangs’ best contact hitter with only four strikeouts in 112 at-bats. Edwards, who batted .348 with six doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs, finished the season with a streak of 50 consecutive at-bats without a strikeout.

Morningside posted a 40-12 record in the 2017 season to extend its streak to 16 consecutive winning seasons since a 25-28 finish in 2001. The Mustangs won the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship with a 17-3 league record for a three-game victory margin over runner-ups Hastings College and Concordia University (14-6) en route to their seventh GPAC crown in the last 11 years. The Mustangs competed in the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round Sioux City Bracket for their eighth national tournament appearance in the last nine years.