Five Jackets named to the All-HCAC Team
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

GREENWOOD, Ind. -- The Defiance College Softball team had five players earn All-HCAC honors for their play during the 2006 season. Justine Johnston, Renee Steffen, Kelsey Sugg, Melanie Bushman, and Alicia Allen each earned the distinction.

Johnston, a freshman pitcher from Wauseon, Ohio, was fourth in conference games in ERA at 1.76 and tied for first in conference wins with five. She held batters to a league-best .185 batting average and was second in strikeouts with 42. She went 17-7 overall with a 1.95 ERA.

Renee Steffen hit .290 in 13 conference games with four RBIs. Steffen's strongest asset was her glove, as she committed only one error in 60 chances for a .983 fielding percentage, which tied for fourth-best in the conference. She hit .294 with 17 RBIs overall on the year.

Melanie Bushman batted .357 with five doubles and seven runs scored in 13 conference games. Bushman was second in the conference in fielding percentage, at a .985 clip. Overall, Bushman hit .328 with four home runs and 23 RBIs.

Kelsey Sugg, last season's HCAC Freshman of the Year, batted .405 in conference play with three runs scored and 11 RBIs. Overall, Sugg batted .343 with six home runs and 34 RBIs.

Alicia Allen batted .333 in conference games with 10 runs scored and two RBIs. On the mound, Allen went 4-2 with a 2.29 ERA. She hit .312 overall during the year while going 7-3 with a 2.20 ERA.

Defiance finished the season 29-15 and 10-4 in the conference.