May 8

Five Jackets named to All-HCAC Softball team
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

GREENWOOD, Ind. – With the end of the regular season, five Yellow Jackets earned conference postseason recognition, as Renee Steffen, Kelsey Sugg, Monica Sigurdson, Aarika Davis, and Justine Johnston each were named to the All-HCAC team.

Steffen finished the regular season leading the conference in batting average at .429. Her .477 on-base percentage placed her second in the HCAC while also finishing second in RBIs with 32. She was voted was Defiance College’s Most Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year for 2007 by the DC athletic staff.
Aarika Davis entered her freshman year with a bang, being named HCAC Player of the Week on March 11 in her first week of play, going 3-for-7 with four RBI and two home runs. Davis finished the regular season with the conference lead in walks with 18 and second in the conference in runs scored with 35. Her .542 slugging percentage was best on the Jacket squad.
Kelsey Sugg put together another stellar season, leading DC in a number of categories including hits (54), doubles (13), and total bases (73). She also made an impact within the conference, with the 54 hits placing her second in the HCAC and third in RBIs with 31 She hit her ninth career home run during the HCAC Tournament, tying her with Shawn Mitchell for the most in school history.
Monica Sigurdson had a solid season from the plate, leading DC in on-base percentage at .485. Moved to the designated player halfway through the season, the shift paid off for the team, as DC went 11-5 with her as the DP. She put together a perfect 4-for-4 performance against Franklin College on April 29 with a double and three RBIs.

Justine Johnston emerged as the ace on the Defiance pitching staff with a team-high 12 wins and a 3.80 ERA. A pitcher with a tireless arm, Johnston led the conference in innings pitched, throwing 138.1 innings. Her 119 Ks also was best in the HCAC. Johnston was also recognized by the conference, earning back-to-back HCAC Player of the Week. On April 15, she was honored for finishing the previous week with a 3-0 record, giving up only four earned runs in 16 innings and assisting the Yellow Jackets to a pair of doubleheader sweeps. The following week, she went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts.

Defiance finished the regular season as conference champs with a 13-2 record and ended the 2007 campaign going 23-19.