Naperville's Stephanie Lynch From Aurora University Softball Team Receives All-Region Honors

2013 May 13

The Aurora University Spartan women's softball team placed four players on the 2013 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region teams, including Stephanie Lynch of Naperville.

Senior catcher Tristan Wilcox (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon H.S.), senior shortstop Brooke Spencer (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg H.S.),senior designated player Stephanie Lynch (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central H.S.) and sophomore pitcher Natalie Zanella (Caledonia, Wis./Union Grove H.S.) were named Great Lakes All-Region by the NFCA.

On the season in which AU finished with a 39-8 overall record and were the 2013 Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) Champions, the Spartans have garnered significant post-season accolades.

AU placed Wilcox, Spencer and Lynch on the First-Team and Zanella on the Second-Team. Wilcox, Spencer and Zanella were all also named NAC First-Team All-Conference with Wilcox being named the 2013 NAC Position Player of the Year.

Wilcox was a First-Team All-Region selection in 2010 and Second-Team in 2011 and 2012. She finished with a .417 average, including a team-leading 13 home runs, 14 doubles, 36 runs scored and 49 runs batted in on the season. She had a .813 slugging and .520 on-base percentage. Defensively, Wilcox had a .984 fielding percentage and caught 13 runners stealing in 25 attempts.

Spencer, A First-Team All-Region selection in 2011, hit .421 with 32 runs scored, 41 runs batted in, 14 doubles, four home runs, a .607 slugging percentage and a .465 on-base percentage.

Lynch finished 2013 with a team-leading .425 batting average with 44 runs scored, 24 runs batted in, six doubles and one home run. She also was five-of-seven in stolen bases.

Zanella had an 18-2 record, with a 1.42 earned run average. In 20 starts, she tossed 14 complete games with five shutouts and 80 strikeouts in 123.1 innings pitched for the Spartans.

The NFCA First-Team All-Region selections now move on to the All-American selection process. The 2013 NFCA All-American Teams will be announced on Thursday, May 16 at the Division III Softball Championships Banquet in Eau Claire, Wis.