Outfielder Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West), pitcher Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka), and infielders Kate McDonnell (Aurora, IL/West Aurora) highlight UW-Whitewater's selections to the 2010 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team.  Cruz, Stang and McDonnell were First Team All-WIAC, and LeBeau was honored as the Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete for Softball.

complete All-WIAC team

UW-W catcher Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) earned honorable mention recognition, and infielder Courtney Baldwin (Spring Grove, IL/Richmond-Burton) was chosen as Whitewater's representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Cruz batted .348 with 12 home runs and 45 runs batted in.  She led the WIAC in the latter two categories.  She also led UW-W with 95 total bases, second best in the conference.  Cruz did not committ an error in the field.  She wound up her UW-W career with First Team All-WIAC three straight years.

Stang went 17-8 with a 1.47 earned run average, and opponents hit just .182 against her.  Her ERA was best in the league, as were her 161 strikeouts (in 161 innings).  She also picked up three saves and had a 3-1 strikeout-walk ratio.  Stang, a junior lefthander, has earned first team all-conference honors three times.  She was the 2009 WIAC Pitcher of the Year, and in 2008 she was the co-Pitcher of the Year.

McDonnell, a junior who played second base for the Warhawks, batted .376 with three home runs and 16 RBI's in 2010.  She made just one error this season.  

LeBeau, UW-W's shortstop and a First Team All-WIAC pick in 2008 and 2009, added All-WIAC Honorable Mention recognition to her Scholar Athlete award in 2010.  She led UW-W with a .381 average, adding five homers and 40 runs batted in.  Her academic resume' includes a double major in accounting and finance, and a 3.65 cumulative grade point average.  She has earned First Team Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America the last two years, is a two time National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athlete, and has been on the WIAC's Scholastic Honor Roll each year at UW-W.  In addition, LeBeau has been on the Dean's List six semesters, has been on the UW-W athletic department Academic Achievement Award list three years, and earned a Chancellor's Scholar Athlete Award this spring.  She is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma and Golden Key honor societies.

LeBeau is the tenth UW-W player to receive the Kruckman Award for softball, more than any other school in the league.  The list began with Kathy McKibben when the award was initiated in 1982, followed by Julie Mennen in 1986, Jill Schyvinck in 1987, and Mary Jo Weberpal in 1989.  Then Mary Beth Alt in 1995, Angela Sheehan in 1998, Laura Hering in 1999, Megan Koeller in 2003, and most recently, Amy Gahl (Beloit/Parkview) last year.

Epifanio, a freshman, started every game for UW-W.  She batted .294 with six home runs and 34 runs batted in.  She was second on the team with eight doubles, and had a .989 fielding percentage in the busiest position on the diamond.

Baldwin joins eight other Sportsmanship Award recipients, one from each school.  The award recognizes the league's emphasis on the ideals of sportsmanship.

UW-Whitewater went 31-15, including a 10-6 record for third place in the WIAC, in 2010.

For additional information:  Brenda Volk, UW-W coach