WICHITA, Kan. – A trio of Bradley Softball players earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors announced by the league office Wednesday night, with senior Shannon King (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) and freshman Erika Hansen (Fillmore, Calif./Moorpark) both receiving first-team all-league honors, in addition to freshman Maria Schroeder (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich) earning a spot on the second team.
Bradley had two First-Team All-MVC honorees for the first time since 2011 and the Braves had three all-conference picks for the second straight year. In addition to First-Team All-Valley honors, King was named to the MVC All-Defensive team at second base.
King was Bradley's top hitter in conference play at .382 and tied a school season record with 24 RBI in Valley play. She slugged five of her team-best six home runs in conference action and her season total is tied for the 10th most in school history. Bradley's career record holder for games played, King is one just two players in school history to have 30 or more RBI in two different seasons, ranking second on the squad with 35 in 2015. She had a career-best 12-game hit streak, which included 11 MVC games, this spring.
A four-year starter at second base, King owns a .967 fielding percentage and had just one error in over 100 chances against conference opponents. She enters this week's MVC Tournament ninth in career hits at Bradley and fifth with 95 career RBI.
Hansen is the first Bradley freshman to earn First-Team All-MVC honors since Madeline Lynch-Crumrine in 2011 and just the fifth freshman on The Hilltop to take home first-team recognition. She is 13th in the nation in doubles per game and the first player in league history with 30 runs, 55 hits, 20 doubles, 40 RBI and 30 or more walks.
A three-time MVC Newcomer of the Week selection, she has the most doubles by a Valley player since 1999 and her team-best 41 RBI rank fourth among Bradley season marks. Hansen, who was also selected as MVC Player of the Week on April 6, is hitting .372 on the year and enters Thursday's game against I-74 rival Illinois State with a season-best 13-game hit streak. She is hitting .429 during over the last 20 games.
Schroeder has scored a Bradley freshman record 36 runs this season and joins senior Alyson Clemente (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) as the only players in school history with 35 runs, 30 RBI and 15 or more walks in a season. She started 36 games at catcher and 45 of the 50 games she has appeared in this spring. A .329 hitter this season, she has a team-best .381 average with runners on base.
The team leader with 21 runs scored in league play, Schroeder tied for sixth in run in Valley action. Her 31 RBI rank as the third-best freshman total in school history.
Thursday's MVC Tournament opening round game between #6 seed Bradley and #7 seed Illinois State has been moved up to noon due to forecasted inclement weather in the Wichita, Kan., area early Thursday evening. The winner will advance to face #3 seed Northern Iowa in a 5 p.m. second-round game.
