HAMMOND, Ind. & WESTVILLE, Ind. – Purdue University Northwest softball seniors Caroline Brown, Haley Loden and Hannah Lopez have all earned 2017 Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, joining 393 others across the country, as announced by the NAIA Wednesday.
Brown (Minooka, Ill./Minooka Community) a behavioral sciences major, led the Pride in the circle with a 1.46 ERA and a 15-9 record with 28 appearances on the season. She struck out a team-high 73 batters in 153 innings pitched and also hit for a .341 average with five RBI and three runs scored.
Loden (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) recorded a .318 batting average with 27 runs scored and four RBI in 47 games played throughout the year. The fitness management major finished the season with a .358 on-base percentage and stole two bases.
Lopez (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany), an elementary education major, played and started in 52 games at third base, and finished with a .237 batting average. Lopez also recorded seven RBI and scored 25 runs with a .385 on-base percentage.
The PNW softball team finished fourth in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 15-9 conference mark and defeated St. Ambrose in the opening round of the CCAC Postseason Tournament.
To qualify for NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, student-athletes must be at least a junior in academic standing, be a member of their teams for at least one calendar year, and carry a minimum 3.5 GPA.