May 8, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a tremendous record-breaking senior campaign, outfielder Cassidy Bell earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, the conference announced Wednesday morning. Bell also found her way on the All-Defensive list while picking up the team's sportsmanship award.
The full release from the Big Ten is available here.
The Bakersfield, Calif., native finished the regular season batting a program-record .454 with 41 RBI. Bell also broke single-season Penn State marks with 19 home runs, 52 runs and 41 walks while posting a 1.000 slugging percentage and .592 on-base percentage. The center fielder was quick on the basepaths as well, leading the team with 17 stolen bases and 12 doubles. Bell totaled 16 multiple-hit and 10 multi-RBI games while reaching base safely in 47 of 48 contests, including at one point extending her hitting streak to 22 games early in the season.
Before the May 6 game against Nebraska, Bell ranked first in the NCAA in slugging percentage (1.016), third in on-base percentage (.596), ninth in both home runs (19) and walks per games (0.87), 12th in batting average (.457) and 15th in runs per game (1.11).
A season ago, Bell broke the school's single-season batting average record with a .423 mark at the plate on the way to first-team All-Big Ten and NFCA All-Great Lakes accolades.
A consistent threat at the dish, Bell moved to the top of the Nittany Lion career leaderboards in home runs (34) and total bases (378) while she is currently second in runs (138) and walks (97), third in RBI (109), fourth in doubles (40), fifth in hits (206) and eighth in stolen bases (41). Bell is also currently in second place with a career .358 batting average.
Penn State takes on Illinois in the first round of the 2013 Big Ten Tournament at 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday. The winner of that contest will face Minnesota, who received a first-round bye, in the second round at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Michigan's freshman shortstop Sierra Romero picked up Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year honors while Wolverine head coach Carol Hutchins earned Coach of the Year after leading her team to the regular-season Big Ten championship. Nebraska's junior hurler Tatum Edwards collected Pitcher of the Year.