BURNSVILLE, Minn. – Winona State University's Jordyn Kleman and Lani Van Zyl have been named the 2018 NSIC Softball Pitcher and Player of the Year, respectively, with the announcement of the All-NSIC Teams on Wednesday.
Additionally, Greg Jones has been named the 2018 NSIC Softball Coach of the Year. Jones earns NSIC Coach of the Year honors for the third time in his 18-year Warrior tenure and owns a career record of 743-254. Jones has guided WSU to each of its 12 40-win seasons in program history.
In total, the Warriors landed five players on the 2018 All-NSIC Softball Team. Kleman, Van Zly, McKenna Larsen and Alison Nowak were each named to the First Team. Mariah Schultz garnered Second Team honors.
Kleman, the 2017 NSIC Freshman of the Year, endured no sophomore slump in 2018 en route to being named the NSIC Pitcher of the Year. The La Crosse, Wisconsin native is 18-1 with a 1.63 ERA, a .205 opponent batting average and a 0.90 WHIP. She leads the team in complete games (16) and shutouts (8). Kleman has thrown two no-hitters this season, including a five-inning perfect game on April 28th.
Kleman leads the NSIC in strikeouts (142) and her 6.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks ninth among all Division II players. The right-hander went 11-0 with a 1.03 ERA over 75.0 IP in 12 appearances against conference foes.
Van Zyl leads all NSIC players in batting average (.470) and slugging (.808). Her .548 batting average and .598 OBP led all players during conference play. The junior shortstop ranks 12th in Division II in batting average and 18th in total bases (122). Van Zyl's .470 average is currently on pace to set a new Winona State single-season record.
The Fort Dodge, Iowa native has recorded career highs in hits (71), walks (21), runs (50), RBI (55) and homers (11). Van Zyl has 23 multi-hit games this year and has only been held hitless in five ballgames. Her 20-game hitting streak from March 8-April 21 was a career best.
Larsen has had a career year at the plate while maintaining her dominance in the pitching circle. The senior earns All-NSIC honors for the fourth time and is named to the First Team for the second straight season. Larsen is 15-4 with a 1.91 ERA in the circle while batting a career-best .422 at the plate. She has nine doubles, two homers and 38 RBI.
Nowak earns First Team honors for the second straight season. The sophomore is batting .398 and has recorded career-highs in hits (45), doubles (11), runs (19) and RBI (30) as the Warriors' designated player.
Schultz earns Second Team recognition for the second year in a row. The senior is batting .346 with career-bests in runs (43), walks (20) and doubles (8).
No. 5 Winona State University (41-5, 20-2 NSIC) opens play in the NSIC Tournament on Thursday after winning the 2018 regular season championship on Saturday for the fourth title and first time since 2007. The NSIC Tournament is scheduled for May 3-5 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
