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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Rango, Vrabel Named to All-MAC First Team
May 10, 2005 | Softball
May 10, 2005
AKRON, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Bowling Green State University juniors Gina Rango and Liz Vrabel have been named to the All-Mid-American Conference Softball First Team. The announcement was made at Tuesday evening's (May 10) banquet at Firestone Stadium, held in conjunction with the MAC Tournament.
Two other Falcons, sophomore Megan McPherson and freshman Allison Vallas, earned All-MAC Second-Team honors. The Falcons had four all-league selections for the second consecutive year. BGSU's total of two first-team selections is the most since the 2001 season, when the Falcons had four first-team picks and five overall selections.
Rango, a third baseman, was named to the first team for the third time in as many years at BGSU. She becomes just the third Falcon to earn first-team honors three times, joining Vicki Miwa (1986, 1987 and 1988) and Michelle Clagett (1987, 1988 and 1990) in that exclusive group.
Vrabel, a pitcher, earns first-team honors for the first time, after being named to the second team as both a freshman and a sophomore. Rango and Vrabel are just the fifth and sixth players in school history to earn All-MAC honors of any kind in three different seasons.
McPherson and Vallas each earn All-MAC accolades for the first time.
Rango currently leads the team with a .368 batting average, and also paces the Falcons in hits (56), triples (five), slugging percentage (.513) and on-base pct. (.439). She is tied for the team lead in homeruns (two), runs batted in (31), walks (16) and stolen bases (15).
Just a junior, Rango has already placed her name at the top of several BGSU career records lists. She is the school record-holder in homers (16) and RBI (100), and also ranks first on the school lists for batting average (.368) and slugging pct. (.556). She is ranked among the top eight in five other BG career categories.
 Liz Vrabel, who earned All-MAC Second-Team recognition in both 2003 and 2004, is a first-team choice this spring (photo by Jeff Harwell)  |
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Vrabel has a 15-13 record on the year, with an earned-run average of 1.92 and a school-record total of 207 strikeouts. She was 9-5 in MAC games, leading the entire league in strikeouts (122), strikeouts per seven innings (9.35), complete games (13), opponent batting average (.167) and shutouts (four - tied for league lead). Vrabel ranked third in the league in ERA (1.15) and tied for third in wins in conference games.
Overall, Vrabel is ranked among the league's top 10 in every pitching category except saves. She is second in strikeouts and K's per seven innings (8.30), fourth in ERA, tied for fourth in complete games (19), fifth in wins and opponent batting average (.214), deadlocked for fifth in appearances (35), tied for sixth in shutouts (four), seventh in innings pitched (174 2/3) and tied for eighth in games started (25). Two of Vrabel's losses this season came to teams ranked number one in the nation at the time of the game, Arizona and Michigan.
Like Rango, Vrabel's name already can be found all over the BGSU career records charts. Vrabel holds the school record for strikeouts, with 545, and her total of 6.99 strikeouts per seven innings places her more than two ahead of the second-place pitcher on that list. Vrabel ranks third in career wins (47) and ERA (1.50) at BG, and is fourth in complete games, innings pitched and shutouts, fifth in games started and sixth in appearances.
 Sophomore Megan McPherson was named to the all-league second team... |
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 ... as was freshman Allison Vallas (photos by Brad Phalin, BGSU Photo Services) |
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Vallas, a first baseman/outfielder, is batting .283 on the year, and has two homers, 31 RBI and 16 walks to tie Rango for the team lead in all three categories. Vallas is tied for fifth in the league in RBI. In MAC play, she hit .309, good for 16th in the league, and had 15 RBI to lead the Falcons and place third in the MAC. Vallas led the Brown and Orange in total bases (.485) in addition to RBI in league games, and tied Rango for the lead with two homers in MAC action.
The Falcons of head coach Leigh Ross-Shaw have an overall record of 27-28, and finished MAC play with a 12-10 record, good for third in the league's West Division. BGSU, the sixth seed for the MAC Tournament, will face third-seeded Miami University at Firestone Stadium Wednesday morning (May 11). The game, the opening contest in the eight-team, double-elimination tourney, is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m.
2005 ALL-MAC TEAM
FIRST TEAM 1B - Kelly Quigley, Akron 2B - Jenny Tisevich, Ohio SS - Gina Muratori, Toledo 3B - Gina Rango, Bowling Green 3B - Amy Hudson, Central Michigan C - Rachel Folden, Marshall OF - Kathy Dearborn, Northern Illinois OF - Katie Niemi, Western Michigan OF - Amanda Williams, Marshall P - Liz Vrabel, Bowling Green P - Randi Nielson, Marshall P - Jill DeRoche, Central Michigan P - Jackie Poggendorf, Miami DP - Kerry Omerza, Akron UT - Tricia VanDerSlik, Western MichiganSECOND TEAM 1B - Christan Dhondt, Central Michigan 2B - Megan McPherson, Bowling Green 2B - Marcy Hansen, Buffalo SS - Sara Zilles, Akron SS - Jessica Williams, Marshall 3B - Leigh Wintter, Marshall 3B - Liz Flack, Eastern Michigan C - Whitney Lebowitz, Kent State OF - Allison Vallas, Bowling Green OF - Christin Sobeck, Central Michigan OF - Christine Bills, Miami P - Tina McCauley, Akron P - Lindsey LaChiana, Northern Illinois DP - Kim Pettitt, Toledo UT - Megan MacKenzie, Akron
