Grimm and Ladines Earn NFCA All-Region First Team Honors
5/18/2017 6:21:00 PM | Softball
2017 NFCA Division I All-Region teams
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Seniors Maddy Grimm and Ronnie Ladines were named to the All-Mideast Region First Team, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced on Thursday. Grimm is a four-time all-region honoree, while Ladines garnered all-region honors for the second year in a two
The duo gives the Golden Flashes two First Team selections for the first time since 2010. Grimm was honored at the designated player or utility/non-pitcher position with Ladines at the utility/pitcher position.
Grimm is Kent State's only player to be named All-Region in all four seasons and is the only three-time NFCA All-Region First Team honoree in program history. Â The 2017 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year set the conference record for walks (49) and broke her own school single-season record for RBIs (55) and matched her single-season home run record (19). Grimm is also the MAC leader in slugging percentage (.813) and on-base percentage (.507) in addition to ranking second in runs scored (50) and total bases (122). She leads the Flashes with a .340 batting average and 12 doubles on the season.
The lefty slugger is Kent State's all-time leader in home runs (69), RBIs (192), runs scored (172), total bases (455), walks (131), slugging percentage (.769) and on-base percentage (.457).
Ladines won 19 games in the circle with an impressive 2.00 ERA and threw 75.2 innings against teams in the RPI top-75. She was the MAC leader in innings pitched (231.0) and complete games (28) and ranked third in ERA and strikeouts (210). Ladines threw three shutouts, including a perfect game at Buffalo on April 29.
Offensively, Ladines had a .292 batting average and ranked sixth in the MAC in RBIs (39), 10th in slugging percentage (.584) and tied for 11th in home runs (11). She was named MAC Tournament MVP after launching four homers and driving in seven runs over the Golden Flashes' six games.
In the final 19 games entering the postseason, in which Kent State owned a 16-3 record, Ladines went 11-1 with a 0.83 ERA and 88 strikeouts to just 12 walks in the circle while batting .383 with five doubles, eight home runs, 21 RBIs, 10 walks and 21 RBIs.
The all-region teams were voted on by NFCA member coaches from each respective region, and all the honorees now become eligible for selection to one of three 2016 NFCA Division I All-American squads, which will be announced on Wednesday, June 1.
Kent State (32-26) will compete at the NCAA Waco Regional this weekend, beginning with a contest against No. 15 national seed Baylor on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Every game played in the Waco Regional will be streamed on ESPN3 and all of Kent State's games can be heard live on Golden Flashes Radio.
