Northern Illinois University softball sophomore Emily Naegele earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Region second team honors, the association announced.
“Emily’s all region honor speaks to her success at NIU,” said NIU head coach Christina Sutcliffe. “She works hard, leads on and off the field, and is a student of the game. I couldn’t be more proud of her and I’m glad the region recognized how valuable she is to our program.”
Naegele made quite an impression in her first season at NIU and in the Mid-American Conference. The Oak Forest, Ill. native transferred to NIU after one season at Radford University and earned second-team All-MAC accolades. She was also named to the 2014 MAC Softball All-Tournament Team after batting .267 with six RBIs, and two runs scored. She blasted her first career grand slam in the tournament’s opening game.
One of only five Huskies to start all 57 games for the Huskies, it’s even more impressive that all but one of those starts came behind the plate. Third on the team in batting, Naegele posted a .330 average, going 58-for-176. She posted 18 multi-hit games, including a career-high four hits in a 4-for-4 performance in the 2014 MAC Tournament opener against Buffalo.
Naegele set the school record for runs batted in in a single season with 49 RBIs, which led the team was among the league leaders. Her 15 doubles led the Huskies in 2014 and it ranks fifth on NIU’s all-time single season list. Naegele’s six home runs and four triples rank second on the team.
Naegele is the first Huskie to earn all-region honors since Stephanie Tofft in 2011.
For more information on NIU softball and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.