APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University softball star Shannon Murray and head coach Kim Tatro took home top individual honors on the All-Midwest Conference North Division team.
Murray (Lawrenceville, Ga./Dacula) was named North Division Pitcher of the Year, and Tatro earned Coach of the Year honors. Both Cathy Kaye (Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Sevastopol) and Anna Wawiorka (Oconto Falls, Wis./Oconto Falls) also were named to the all-conference team.
Murray won Pitcher of the Year honors for the first time and was named to the all-conference team for the second consecutive season.
Murray went 5-6 in conference play but posted an outstanding 2.17 earned run average. She struck out 39 and walked 12 in 67.2 innings. Murray also hit .513 in league play with four doubles and 11 runs batted in in 14 games.
On the season, Murray posted a 13-11 record with a 2.32 ERA in 148 innings. She struck out 93 and walked 22 while tossing a pair of shutouts and pitching a combined no-hitter, the third of her career. Murray also hit a team-high .379 with nine doubles, one triple, one homer and a team-high 22 RBIs.
Tatro was honored as Coach of the Year for the seventh time in 20 seasons at Lawrence. Tatro, who has more wins (321 in softball, 412 overall) than any coach in Lawrence history, led the team to 21 victories this season. Lawrence’s second-place finish in the conference was its best since winning the title in 1999. Tatro also was named Coach of the Year in 2011, 2006, 2002, 1999, 1998 and 1997.
Kaye, who also was named to the all-conference team in 2010 and 2011, hit .283 in league play and scored a team-high 10 runs. She also had two doubles, two homers and five RBIs. On the season, Kaye started every game in center field and hit .307 with 21 RBIs. She led the team with 11 doubles and three home runs, including a dramatic three-run, walk-off homer against St. Norbert College in the MWC Tournament.
Wawiorka is the first Lawrence freshman to be on the all-conference team since Kaye was selected in 2010. The rookie third baseman was second on the team with a .341 batting average in conference play with four doubles and five RBIs. On the season, she was third on the squad with a .319 batting average with 10 doubles, one triple and 14 RBIs. She also led the team with 10 stolen bases.
Lawrence finished the season with a 21-15 record and took second in the MWC Tournament.