Colorado State University Athletics
Five Rams, Yori Receive Accolades
5/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Headlined by the 2004 Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in Jessica Strickland and a second-straight Coach of the Year award for Mary Yori, five of CSU?s conference-championship team were awarded with first team accolades in the MWC.
Junior catcher Kerry Farrell received her first-ever first-team honor after ranking second on the team with a .368 batting average. The Omaha, Neb., native, led the Mountain West in doubles (18) while ranking third in batting average and fifth with 38 RBI. Farrell?s double total is good for the second spot in the CSU single season record books. Defensively, Kerry has been solid behind the plate for CSU, committing just one error on the year and holding a .997 fielding percentage. In conference games, Kerry leads the Rams hitting .417 with four home runs and 19 RBI in 20 games.
Senior pitcher Megan Masser earned all-MWC honors for the second-straight year after pacing CSU with 12 victories, a 1.78 ERA and 108 strikeouts. After four years with Colorado State, the Pueblo, Colo., native, ranks second in career strikeouts (355) and games pitched (103) while holding the school record in all-time saves (10). Megan ranks second in the Mountain West in strikeouts looking (39) while ranking fourth in the league in saves (7). During the 2004 season, Masser became just the fourth player in CSU history to hit the 40-win plateau.
Freshman pitcher/first baseman Jessica Strickland earned all-MWC honors in her first year with the Rams and also brings home the MWC Freshman of the Year award. Strickland, a native of Lakewood, Colo., excelled not only as a pitcher but as a hitter in her rookie campaign. In 2004, she tied the CSU single season saves record with seven and currently ranks fourth in the nation and first in the Mountain West in that category. She has also pitched more innings (108.2) and had more appearances (27) than any CSU hurler while posting an 11-4 mark in the circle. At the plate, Jessica is third on the team in batting average (.367) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.644).
Senior first baseman Ricki Walker earns her third-straight first team selection. Currently, she is the only player in the conference to hit over .400 with a .406 batting average on the year. The Aurora, Colo. native, is nationally ranked in doubles (10th) and batting average (31st) while leading the Rams in both hits and batting average. Walker ranks second in career batting average (.371) and career doubles (41) while sitting second on CSU?s single season doubles and batting average lists. Last season, Walker was the only Ram to earn all-American honors as she boasted Easton third team all-American honors.
Junior second baseman Stephanie Roberts leads the 2004 Rams in runs scored (46), walks (26) and stolen bases (5). The Parker, Colo., product is 29th in the nation in runs while ranking third on the CSU all-time home runs (20) and walks (58) lists. In 2004, Roberts set the CSU single season walks mark gaining 26 free passes on the year. Roberts tied for the team lead with five home runs in MWC play and had a .636 slugging percentage over the team?s 20-game league schedule.
Fourth year Head Coach Mary Yori received her second-straight Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Rams to a 40-13 season and their first MWC regular season title with a 16-4 mark in the league. Yori has compiled a 106-98 record since coming to Fort Collins and has a 565-256 record during her head coaching tenure.
