May 4, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Celebrating the careers of Penn State's six seniors and handing out yearly awards, Nittany Lion softball held its annual banquet Saturday night. Senior Cassidy Bell earned the squad's Most Valuable Player award after her record-breaking season.
Along with Bell (Bakersfield, Calif.), the room filled with teammates, family, coaches, donors and support staff enjoyed heartfelt speeches from fellow seniors Shannon Hutchinson (Sewell, N.J.), Kailyn Johnson (Yorba Linda, Calif.), Rachel Myers (Millheim, Pa.), Alyssa Renwick (Laurens, S.C.) and Lauren Yao (Los Angeles, Calif.).
The coaching staff also awarded its yearly honors at the banquet. Freshman Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.) received the Defensive Player of the Year award for her outstanding work on the mound and in right field in her first season at Penn State. Hutchinson was named Most Improved as she has produced personal bests in nearly statistical category. Junior Jordan Wheatley (Troy, Mich.) picked up the Blue-White Award for her dedication and commitment to the Penn State softball program all year long. As well as being voted MVP by her teammates, Bell earned the Offensive Player of the Year accolade as she has set single-season program records with home runs (19), runs (51), total bases (129), walks (40) and is currently at the top of the batting average list at .463.
The Nittany Lions play two more contests against Nebraska in the regular season. The teams meet at 2:30 p.m. Sunday before closing up with a 1 p.m. Monday meeting at Beard Field and Nittany Lion Softball Park. The Blue and White then travel to the Big Ten tournament May 9-12 in Lincoln, Neb.