Concordia places four on 2011 GPAC All-Conference Team

The 2011 Great Plains Athletic Conference Softball All-Conference Team was announced on Tuesday.  Concordia seniors Clarissa Eloge and Nicole Baker and juniors Mikaela Klein and Nicole Sempek were first team All-Conference selections. 

Eloge (Rising City, Neb.) has been a first team All-GPAC selection for four straight years and was the GPAC Player-of-the-Year in 2009.  She finished her Bulldog career in style this year with a solid senior campaign.  She led the team in most offensive categories and was one of the top players in the conference.  Eloge led the team in batting average (.417), doubles (17), RBI’s (24), on-base percentage (.490) and stolen bases (12).  She was tied for the team lead in hits (55) and was second on the team with 30 runs scored.  She was one of two Bulldogs to start all 44 games this season. 

This is the third straight first team All-Conference selection for Baker (Arvada, Colo.).  The senior outfielder appeared in 42 games with 41 starts this season for the Bulldogs.  She was second on the team with a .385 average and led the team in at bats (143), runs scored (39), triples (6), total bases (92) and slugging percentage (.643).  She was tied for the team lead in hits (55) and homers (5) and was second on the team in doubles (10), RBI’s (23), on-base percentage (.401) and stolen bases (8).

Mikaela Klein (Grand Island, Neb.) appeared in 35 games with 32 starts as a designated player this season.  The junior was fifth on the team with a .308 batting average.  She was tied for the team lead with five homers and was third on the team in doubles with nine.  Klein was tied for third with 21 runs batted in, and her .551 slugging percentage was good for third best on the team.

Sempek (Columbus, Neb.) was one of the top pitchers in the conference again this season.  She ranked in the top five in multiple categories including strikeouts (161), wins (16) and appearances (28).  She finished the season with a 16-9 overall record to go with a 2.48 ERA.  She started 24 games with 21 complete games on the year.  Sempek totaled 161 innings and allowed just 64 runs (57 earned) with just 19 walks and the 161 strikeouts.  She finished with five shutouts, and batters hit just .236 against her this season.  Sempek has 55 wins so far in her Bulldog career. 

Concordia finished the 2011 season with a 27-17 overall record with a 14-8 mark in conference play.  The Bulldogs advanced to the GPAC Tournament and fell just short of a bid to the NAIA Championships.