May 15, 2015 NFCA All-Region Teams
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State softball junior outfielder Lexi Knief (Ramsey, N.J.) gained NFCA All-Region honors on Thursday as she was named to the Third Team for the All-Great Lakes Region. Knief had a strong 2015 campaign, leading the Nittany Lions in multiple hitting categories and helping lead the team to 29 wins.
Knief, also a second team All-Big Ten selection, hit a team-best .417 overall, including .448 in conference games. The junior's overall batting average places her third on the all-time single-season list at Penn State. Knief finished the season tied for fourth in the Big Ten in batting average.
The Ramsey, N.J. native set a Nittany Lion single-season record with 75 hits in 2015, topping Nan Sichler's 74 hits in 1988. Knief ranked third in the Big Ten in hits and led the conference with 39 knocks in league games.
Knief led the team with 14 doubles, four triples and a .478 on-base percentage. She also scored 37 runs and drove in 20, while batting leadoff. She tied for ninth in the conference in doubles and tied for second in triples.
The junior had 26 multi-hit games, including six games with three or more hits. Knief had four-hit performances against Wisconsin on April 3 and Michigan on May 7 in the Big Ten Tournament.
Knief also had a strong year in centerfield, committing only one error in 53 games.
Knief is Penn State's 38th All-Region selection in program history and the first since Cassidy Bell in 2013.
The Nittany Lions went 29-28 overall and 9-14 in Big Ten play. Penn State had their most wins in a season since 2011.