Batterymates Ritter, Marx Named NFCA All-Americans
5/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Senior pitcher Jennie Ritter (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) and senior catcher Becky Marx (St. Joseph, Mich./Lakeshore) from the University of Michigan softball team earned Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America recognition, announced today (Wednesday, May 31) by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Ritter earns her second straight first team honor and becomes the only pitcher in U-M softball history to earn a pair of All-America honors at the position, let alone a pair of first team accolades. Marx, a third-team selection, becomes the third Wolverine to earn All-America honors at catcher and is the first catcher in eight years to earn the honor after Melissa Gentile was named second team All-America in 1998.
One of 10 finalists for the USA Softball College Player of the Year award, Ritter finishes her collegiate career as one of the most decorated Wolverines in program history and one of the top pitchers in the history of NCAA softball. Ritter is U-M's all-time leader in strikeouts (1,205), shutouts (43), no-hitters (5), innings pitched (835.0), appearances (151) and starts (115), and she ranks second all-time in wins (98) and complete games (90). Ritter erased her own single-season strikeout record with 451 K's this season while twice setting a new high for strikeouts in a single game with 18 against Central Michigan on April 18 and 19 against No. 20 Oklahoma on May 21 in the deciding game of the NCAA Region 9 Championship.
She hit double-digit strikeouts 26 times in 2006, posting a 0.77 earned run average and holding opposing hitters to .139 batting. Ritter recorded the first postseason no-hitter in U-M softball history in Michigan's 4-0 win over Youngstown State in the opening round of the NCAA Region 9 Championship and made Big Ten Tournament history by becoming the only pitcher to post three straight shutouts and pick up three straight wins as the Wolverines took their ninth conference tournament title.
Marx was an instrumental part of Ritter's senior success and led the Wolverine bats with a team-best .327 batting average, 13 home runs, 49 RBI and a .626 slugging percentage. Marx caught 24 of Michigan's 27 shutouts and both of U-M's no-hitters in 2006, including 16 of Ritter's 17 complete-game shutouts. Marx hit the most single-season home runs for any catcher in U-M softball history and moved into a tie for 10th place on Michigan's all-time home runs list with 19 career dingers, despite just two seasons of competition with the Maize and Blue. She had a three-run home run against No. 5 Tennessee in the second game of the NCAA Super Regional and hit .545 in the Big Ten Tournament to earn all-tournament honors.
Ritter will continue training for the upcoming USA Softball Women's National Team selection camp (June 13-17) at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., while Marx earned an invitation to the World University Games selection camp (June 9-11), also held in Chula Vista. Ritter will be joined by volunteer assistant coach Jessica Merchant, while Marx will be accompanied by senior second baseman Tiffany Haas (North Tustin, Calif./Foothills) and sophomore first baseman Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./Lockport).
All-American Notes
Jennie Ritter earns her second straight first team All-America honor, becoming the third Wolverine to earn multiple first team honors in a collegiate career. Leading the list is Sara Griffin (1995-98), who earned first team honors in 1995, 1996 and 1998 as a utility player, followed by Traci Conrad (1996-99), who was named first team All-America in 1997 (at-large) and 1998 (first base).
Jennie Ritter is the only pitcher in U-M softball history to earn two All-America honors at the position.
Becky Marx is the third U-M catcher to earn All-America honors, following Alicia Seegert (1984-87), who was named to the first team in 1986 and second team in 1987, and Melissa Gentile (1997-2000), who earned second team All-America honors in 1998.
Jennie Ritter and Becky Marx earn the 35th and 36th All-America distinctions for the Wolverines in program history. Marx becomes the 20th Wolverine to earn All-America status in 29 years of Michigan softball.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
