2011 softball scholar-athletes announced

The 2011 softball Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes were announced on Tuesday.  Concordia University placed five on this year’s list.  Nicole Baker (Arvada, Colo.), Mikaela Klein (Grand Island, Neb.), Sam Lafontaine (Hermantown, Minn.), Nicole Mapes (Greeley, Colo.) and Nicole Sempek (Columbus, Neb.) all earned the honor. 

This is the second straight Scholar-Athlete award for Baker.  She finished her Bulldog career with a strong senior season.  Baker was one of the top players on the team and earned first team All-GPAC honors for the third straight year. 

Klein tied for the team lead in homers this year for the Bulldogs.  She had a solid season as the Bulldog designated player and earned first team All-GPAC honors for her efforts. 

Lafontaine appeared in 10 games during the 2011 season.  She hit a homer and added four RBI’s and four runs scored in limited action. 

Mapes started 36 games in the Bulldog infield in 2011.  She finished with a .324 average to go along with 13 runs scored and 17 RBI’s. 

Sempek started 24 games on the mound for Concordia in 2011, finishing with a 16-9 record and a 2.48 ERA.  She tossed 21 complete games and struck out 161 in 161 innings of work.  Sempek was a first team All-GPAC selection. 

In order to be nominated by an institution's head coach, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status to qualify for this honor.

Concordia University finished the 2011 season with a 27-17 overall record.  The Bulldogs were 14-8 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.