It was announced on Tuesday that the University of Redlands softball team gained two All-Region performers and seven All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) honorees. Sophomore catcher Nicky Neumann (Fremont, CA) and senior pitcher Katie Brnca (Riverside, CA) represented Redlands on the National Fast-pitch Coaches Association Division III All-West Region First Team. In addition, Neumann was named the SCIAC Player of the Year while Brnca, junior second baseman Dory Baga (Aiea, HI), sophomore outfielder Remy Kawaguchi (Sammamish, WA) and sophomore designated player Amanda Doeppel (San Diego, CA) joined her on the First Team. Rounding out the Bulldogs’ accolades, sophomore pitcher Olivia Ellis (Colfax, CA) and senior shortstop Melanie Hamlin (Redlands, CA) gained spots on the All-SCIAC Second Team.

Neumann earns her inaugural softball awards with her First Team nods. She led the Bulldogs to their fourth consecutive conference championship with a 19-5 SCIAC record. In addition, Redlands’ season continues with its fourth straight NCAA appearance, which begins Thursday at 8 a.m. against Linfield College (OR) at the University of Texas, Tyler. On the season, Neumann supplied a team-leading batting average of .421 on 67 hits, 15 doubles, four triples and six home runs. She tallied 28 RBI with a slugging percentage of .679 and an on-base percentage of .468. She drew 10 walks and stuck out only once. Neumann went 9-for-10 on stolen bases and provided 242 putouts and 45 assists for a fielding percentage of .976. In addition, she utilized her speed and awareness to pick off 17 base runners.

Following her Second Team honor as a freshman, Brnca has rattled off three straight First Team All-SCIAC awards. In addition, she has gained back-to-back First Team All-Region accolades. This season, she continued her role as the pitching ace for the Bulldogs, boasting an ERA of 1.19 in 164.2 innings pitched with a record of 18-6. By giving up 133 hits and striking out 96, she held opponents to a .224 batting average. Brnca led the conference with a 0.96 ERA in 94.2 innings pitched for an 11-2 record with four shutouts. She tallied 53 strikeouts while holding opponents to a batting average of .208.

Baga earns her first All-SCIAC accolade of her career with a spot on the First Team. In 24 conference games, she ranked second on the team in batting average at .446, which included 29 hits, eight doubles, and four home runs. She also tallied 15 RBI and scored 18 runs. She provided a team-leading 12 sacrifice hits and a slugging percentage of .754, which ranked second on the team. From second base, Baga offered 49 putouts and 50 assists for a mark of .971 in conference competition.

Earning her first All-Conference award, Kawaguchi competed in all 24 conference games as the right fielder. She supplied a batting average of .387 with 29 hits, including two doubles and two home runs. Kawaguchi ranked second on the team with 19 RBI while scoring 10 runs. She contributed 13 putouts and two assists from the outfield.

Doeppel rounds out the First Team awards for the Bulldogs with her inaugural accolade coming in her first year of competition. Starting 21 of the conference games at designated player, she tallied a batting average of .388 with 26 hits. She amassed eight doubles and 10 RBI while scoring five runs.

Following last year’s Second Team nod, Ellis repeats that performance in 2008. With a 6-3 record against conference opponents, she posted an ERA of 1.86 in 60.1 innings pitched. She struck out 57 and held opponents to a .232 batting average.

Finally, Hamlin wraps up her career with her third honor as a member of the Second Team. During conference competition, she offered a .388 batting average, which included 33 hits, five doubles and three triples. She also supplied 13 RBI and seven sacrifice hits to go along with eight stolen bases on nine attempts. At shortstop, she posted 53 putouts and 46 assists for a fielding percentage of .934.

For a complete list of the All-Region teams, please log onto www.nfca.org. The All-SCIAC teams may be found at www.thesciac.org.