2015 NAIA Softball All-Americans Announced
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced the 2015 Softball All-America teams, selected by the NAIA All-America committee. Senior Cassie Jones of Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) is named the NAIA Player of the Year and junior Nicole Nonnemacher of Saint Xavier (Ill.) is honored as the NAIA Pitcher of the Year. The All-America teams are comprised of First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention selections.
Jones, Nonnemacher and Michele Rupard of Central Methodist (Mo.) are the only three-time All-Americans amongst the 2015 honorees. Of that trio, Nonnemacher is the only back-to-back-to-back First Teamer. In addition, Nonnemacher becomes the second individual in NAIA history to win the NAIA Pitcher of the Year accolades in consecutive years since Amy Thomas of former member California Baptist did it in 2007 and 2008.
Not including that trio of players, there were eight other repeat All-American’s.
Jones finishes her storybook career as one of the most decorated pitchers in NAIA softball history. Jones led the NAIA in 2015 in pitching wins (35), ERA (0.85), opponent batting average (.103), and total batters struck out (411). The Valley Grande, Ala., native earned 2015 Southern States Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year accolades. In 46 appearances, she tossed 27 complete games and posted 17 shutouts and went 35-5 on the year. Her 411 season strikeouts stands No. 7 on the NAIA single-season charts. Her 17 shutouts is good for No. 9 (tied) in the NAIA record books. She also is now included in three separate career NAIA records, including fourth-most strikeouts (1,077). The product of Valley Grande, Ala., was an integral part of a World-Series winning program for the second-straight year.
Nonnemacher won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year for the second-straight season after a 27-5 mark in the circle. The Bloomington, Ill., native compiled 16 shutouts in 35 appearances – the shutouts mark is good for No. 10 (tied) on the NAIA season charts. She logged 206.1 innings. In NAIA season statistical rankings, Nonnemacher landed No. 1 in batters struck out per nine innings (13.06), No. 2 in opponent batting average (.119), ERA (1.02) and total strike outs (385), and No. 3 in total wins (27). In the NAIA career record books, Nonnemacher finds herself in three categories, including fewest total runs allowed (119, No. 3) and strikeouts (937, No. 7). She helped the Cougars to a trip to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
Since the Player of the Year award inception in 1998, Jones earns Auburn Montgomery’s first such honor.
| First Team (sorted by position) | ||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Yr. | Hometown |
| Kylee Rounsaville | Oklahoma City | C | Sr. | Mustang, Okla. |
| Randi Wimpy * | Reinhardt (Ga.) | C | Jr. | Cartersville, Ga. |
| Naomi Amu | Cal State San Marcos | DP | Sr. | Oceanside, Calif. |
| Alex Springer | Indiana Wesleyan | DP | Fr. | Fort Wayne, Ind. |
| Ashley Gigax | Bellevue (Neb.) | IF | Sr. | Omaha, Neb. |
| KC Dunne ^ | Davenport (Mich.) | IF | Sr. | Buffalo Grove, Ill. |
| Cassidy Littlefield * | Gerogia Gwinnett | IF | Sr. | Slocomb, Ala. |
| Amanda Trampe * | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | IF | Sr. | St. Louis, Mo. |
| Kyndra Holasek * | Oklahoma City | IF | Jr. | Mustang, Okla. |
| Ryann Ferguson | Concordia (Calif.) | OF | Fr. | Yorba Linday, Calif. |
| Chelsea Showers | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | OF | Sr. | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Brooke Thomas ^ | LSU Alexandria (La.) | OF | Sr. | Mandeville, La. |
| Jocelin Diaz | Oklahoma City | OF | Sr. | Maracay, Venezuela |
| Jamie Rateliff | Oklahoma City | OF | Sr. | Mustang, Okla. |
| Abby Meador | Oklahoma City | P | Fr. | Midwest City, Okla. |
| Nicole Nonnemacher *& | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | P | Jr. | Bloomington, Ill. |
| Summer Leitka | Science & Arts (Okla.) | P | So. | Norman, Okla. |
| Cassie Jones * $ | Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) | P | Sr. | Valley Grande, Ala. |
| Tara Moates | Oregon Tech | UT | Fr. | Klamath Falls, Ore. |
| Cat Maldonado | Southeastern (Fla.) | UT | So. | Carpinteria, Calif. |
| Second Team (sorted by position) | ||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Yr. | Hometown |
| Michele Rupard * $ | Central Methodist (Mo.) | C | Sr. | Kansas City, Mo. |
| Destiny Turner | Idaho, College of | C | So. | Boise, Idaho |
| Brittany Lamar | William Jessup (Calif.) | C | Sr. | Manteca, Calif. |
| Khadijah Bland | Friends (Kan.) | DP | Jr. | Moreno Valley, Calif. |
| Kamara Trice | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | IF | Sr. | Henderson, Tenn. |
| Jessica Grochala | Grand View (Iowa) | IF | Jr. | Des Moines, Iowa |
| Abbey Wilmes ^ | Grand View (Iowa) | IF | Jr. | Des Moines, Iowa |
| Logan Personett | Marian (Ind.) | IF | So. | Seymour, Ind. |
| Kelsey Randall | Southern Oregon | IF | Fr. | Concord, Calif. |
| Kingsley Avery | Ave Maria (Fla.) | OF | Jr. | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Carly Spalding | Columbia (Mo.) | OF | So. | Monroe City, Mo. |
| Erica Miller | Marian (Ind.) | OF | So. | Fort Wayne, Ind. |
| Nicole Larson | Menlo (Calif.) | OF | Sr. | San Martin, Calif. |
| Victoria Decker | Campbellsville (Ky.) | P | Jr. | Leitchfield, Ky. |
| Haley Kinnison | Central Methodist (Mo.) | P | Jr. | Lee's Summit, Mo. |
| Ellie Doughty | Doane (Neb.) | P | Jr. | Omaha, Neb. |
| Claudia Farrell | Grand View (Iowa) | P | Fr. | Des Moines, Iowa |
| Casey Bryan | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | P | So. | Sharps Chapel, Tenn. |
| Jordan Hood ^ | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | P | Sr. | Locust Fork, Ala. |
| Davis Carter | Taylor (Ind.) | UT | Fr. | Greenwood, Ind. |
Honorable Mention
| Name | School |
| Abby Beasley | Arizona Christian |
| Katie Spain $ | Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) |
| Ashlee Hitt | Belhaven (Miss.) |
| Taylor Mohler | Bellevue (Neb.) |
| Reba DePriest ^ | Biola (Calif.) |
| Tori Burke | Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) |
| Lauren Geringer | Central Methodist (Mo.) |
| Bri Boatwright | Central Methodist (Mo.) |
| Grayson Harvey | Concordia (Calif.) |
| Meghan Luebbert | Concordia (Ore.) |
| Emily Maves | Davenport (Mich.) |
| Regan Lawrence | Dickinson State (N.D.) |
| Sara Kreitzer | Indiana Wesleyan |
| Jenna Firestein | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
| Hannah Twilley | Middle Georgia State |
| Payton Anderson | Missouri Baptist |
| Makayla Scott | Mobile (Ala.) |
| McKenzie Shrum | Oregon Tech |
| Erica Smith | Saint Francis (Ind.) |
| Kristy Cook | USC Beaufort (S.C.) |
Player of the Year: Cassie Jones, Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)
Pitcher of the Year: Nicole Nonnemacher, Saint Xavier (Ill.)
* 2014 First Team All-American
^ 2014 Second Team All-American
& 2013 First Team All-American
$ 2013 Second Team All-American
