Brittney Bargar was named to the NFCA All-Region team for the second time in her career.

NFCA Selects Five Irish Players To All-Region Team

May 14, 2009

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Pitcher Brittney Bargar earned her second Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-Region honor in as many seasons as she was one of five Notre Dame softball players to receive the distinction Thursday. The senior was joined by classmate Beth Northway, junior Christine Lux, sophomore Erin Marrone and freshman Dani Miller. The five honorees comprise the largest group of all-region selections since Notre Dame placed six on the team in 2001.

A total of 264 players from 121 different institutions comprised the 10 regional teams. The NFCA announced just one team per region (First Team), although the team has the same number of members of the previous year’s first and second teams combined. The change gives the regional representatives more leeway in presenting candidates for All-America selection.

The all-region teams were chosen by NFCA member coaches from each region, and all the honorees will now be eligible for selection to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America first, second or third teams. In addition, conference pitchers and players of the year not selected to the regional teams were added for All-America consideration.

The NFCA Division I All-American teams will be announced May 27.

Bargar was a second-team all-BIG EAST tosser and most recently took home the BIG EAST Championship’s Most Outstanding Player trophy. She was a second-team all-region pitcher last year.

As a designated player, Northway was a first-team all-league player and copped a spot on CoSIDA’s Academic All-District second team last week.

After tying her single-season school record with 15 home runs, Lux earned first-team all-BIG EAST and CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, along with being named to the BIG EAST Championship all-tournament team as a sure-handed first baseman

Marrone and Miller share the outfield and a number of similar accolades off the turf. Both were all-BIG EAST performers (Marrone was a third-teamer as Miller was the lone rookie on the first team) and Marrone was on the first team of CoSIDA’s Academic All-District squad.

The quintet will lead Notre Dame into opening-round action of the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional when Friday’s (May 15) contest against Cleveland State begins at 4:30 p.m. (ET) at the Wilpon Softball Complex. Notre Dame is making its 11th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament after claiming its sixth BIG EAST Championship with a 1-0 win over DePaul last Saturday in Louisville.

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