Nemitz, Chidester Garner NFCA All-America Recognition
5/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Junior LHP Nikki Nemitz(St. Clair Shores, Mich./Regina HS) and freshman utility player Amanda Chidester(Allen Park, Mich./Cabrini HS) were named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America teams, as announced today (Wednesday, May 27) by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Michigan has boasted 26 different All-Americans -- combining for 42 distinctions -- in its 32-year program history. U-M has boasted at least one All-America selection in each of the last 15 seasons.
Nemitz received one of five at-large berths to the first team, becoming the 13th Wolverine player to earn multiple All-America selections after her 2007 second-team nod at pitcher. The U-M hurler, unanimously voted as the 2009 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, has registered career statistics from both sides of the ball and leads Michigan with a 27-5 record, 0.89earned run averageand 295 strikeouts. She has boasted 12 games with double-digit strikeouts, including a career-high 18 in Michigan's season opener vs. Pitt and five against Big Ten opposition, and carries a 15-game winning streak into the Women's College World Series.
The first pitcher in U-M program history to start her career with three consecutive 20-win seasons, Nemitz has improved her statistics in each of her collegiate seasons, and her breakout season has moved Nemitz to the leaderboard in several Michigan career pitching categories. She already ranks fourth all-time in strikeouts (658) and seventh in wins (70).
A second-team selection as a utility player, Chidester joins Sara Griffin (utility, 1995), Kelsey Kollen (second base, 1999), Marissa Young (utility, 2000), Angela Findlay (outfield, 2007) and Jordan Taylor (pitcher, 2008) to garner All-America distinction as a Michigan freshman. The Wolverines' leading hitter for much of the 2009 season, Chidester has been an immediate force from the plate with a .352 season average, 19 extra-base hits and 37 runs batted in. Chidester kicked off her collegiate career in eye-opening fashion, recording three consecutive multi-hit performances, including a 3-for-4 effort in the season opener vs. Pitt. She leads the team with 19 multi-hit games and has demonstrated a knack for clutch hitting with 11 game-winning base knocks.
The Wolverines will kick off the 2009 Women's College World Series on Thursday (May 28), squaring off against No. 4-seeded Alabama at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. The contest is slated for a 6 p.m. CDT start and will be broadcast live on ESPN.
NFCA Release
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
