Bowling Green State University Athletics
Gina Rango, Liz Vrabel Named MAC Player, Pitcher of Year
May 10, 2005 | Softball
May 10, 2005
AKRON, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Bowling Green State University juniors Gina Rango and Liz Vrabel have picked up two of the most prestigious softball honors bestowed by the Mid-American Conference. Rango has been named the 2005 MAC Player of the Year, while Vrabel has been honored as the MAC Pitcher of the Year. The announcement was made at Tuesday evening's (May 10) banquet at Firestone Stadium, held in conjunction with the MAC Tournament.
The league specialty awards, as is the case with the All-MAC Teams, are the results of voting by the MAC's 13 head softball coaches. Rango and Vrabel each earned all-conference first-team honors Tuesday night, while sophomore Megan McPherson and freshman Allison Vallas were named to the All-MAC Second Team.
Rango, a third baseman, is just the second Falcon to be named MAC Player of the Year in the 18-year history of the award. She joins Amy Lienhardt (1988) and Nikki Rouhana (2001) as BGSU recipients of that honor.
Vrabel is the first hurler in school history to win the MAC Pitcher-of-the-Year Award, which was instituted in 2001.
 Gina Rango: 2005 MAC Player of the Year (photos by Brad Phalin, BGSU Photo Services)  |
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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.
In MAC games only, Rango hit .356 this season, and also led the Falcons in slugging (.508), on-base pct. (.465), walks (11) and stolen bases (seven). She was second in the league in OBP and tied for second in bases on balls. Rango deadlocked for third in steals and tied for fourth in RBI (14), while ranking sixth in the league in hitting in conference games.
Vrabel, from Allison Park, Pa. (North Allegheny H.S.), 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.
MAC regular-season champion Marshall University garnered the other two specialty awards, as Shonda Stanton was named MAC Coach of the Year, while Rachel Folden earned league freshman-of-the-year honors.
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 MAC SOFTBALL SPECIALTY AWARDS
MAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR Gina Rango, Bowling GreenMAC PITCHER OF THE YEAR Liz Vrabel, Bowling Green
MAC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Rachel Folden, Marshall
MAC COACH OF THE YEAR Shonda Stanton, Marshall
