Feb. 4, 2014
espnW Preseason All-America First Team
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame junior outfielder Emilee Koerner was one of 12 players selected to the espnW preseason All-America softball first team that was announced on Tuesday.
Koerner, who was named a 2013 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America second team selection following her sophomore campaign, was tabbed to the top 50 watch list of the 2014 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year award last week. The Tustin, Calif., native was a top 10 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award in 2013.
Koerner batted an impressive .439 (.479 at the end of the regular season) to lead the Irish and the BIG EAST Conference in batting average last season, the 16th-best final average in the NCAA in 2013. She also ranked ninth nationally in doubles per game (0.36) and set a single-season program record with 21 total doubles, to go along with a career-high 11 home runs, 47 RBI, a .772 slugging percentage, a .507 on-base percentage and 51 runs scored.
The then sophomore center fielder became the 22nd All-American in team history by being tabbed to the 2013 NFCA All-America second team. Koerner added NFCA Great Lakes all-region first team, all-BIG EAST first team and Notre Dame Monogram Club Most Valuable Player accolades to her resume last season.
Notre Dame opens its 2014 regular season schedule on Feb. 8-9 at the Auburn Plainsman Invitational in Auburn, Ala. For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, follow the Irish @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf on Twitter, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.
–ND–
— Tony Jones, Media Relations Assistant