Butler freshman Morgan Bohanan, Regan Mergele and Brynn Minor were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Associtation NJCAA Division I All-American team, which was released Wednesday.
Bohanan, who was named an NJCAA All-American first-team selection last week, made the NFCA first team as an infielder, while Mergele and Minor received third-team honors. Between the NJCAA and NFCA, Butler softball has four players receiving All-American status this year.
Under head coach Doug Chance, Butler now has 15 All-Americans in the program's history. This marks the first time in the program that the Grizzlies have had three NFCA All-American selections in the same season. Since 2013, Butler has had seven players named All-American by the NFCA.
Bohanan, Mergele and Minor helped Butler to its first national title and a 53-4 overall record while winning a sixth straight conference title and its seventh Region VI title in the last 10 seasons.
Morgan Bohanan, INF, Goddard (Kan.)
Bohanan, who played both first and third base for the Grizzlies, led the team in batting average (.490), doubles (30) and on-base percentage (.562) while compiling 77 hits (tied for a team second-best) in 157 at bats. The Goddard native also hit three home runs, drove in 54 runs, recorded 20 base on balls and scored 46 runs. In 24 conference games, Bohanan led all KJCCC Division I hitters with a .528 average and 14 doubles.
During a 25-game stretch (March 21 to May 5), Bohanan hit safely in 22 games while compiling a .589 average (43-for-73) with 18 doubles, 31 runs batted in and 30 runs scored over that span. Bohanan's performance at the plate ranked her as high as second in the nation in batting average and finished 13th. She had a game-high four hits in three games, including a 4-for-5 performance with five runs scored against Garden City on March 5.
At the NJCAA National Tournament, Bohanan hit .421 (8-for-19) with four doubles and four runs scored. In the opening game against Howard (TX), Bohanan was 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in an 11-2 win.
In addition to All-American honors by the NJCAA and NFCA, Bohanan was also a first-team All-Jayhawk Conference Division I selection and an All-American honorable-mention offense selection by Fastpitch News.
Regan Mergele, P, San Antonio (Texas)
Mergele, a right-handed pitcher, finished the season with a 24-3 record, a 1.51 earned-run average and a team-high 134 strikeouts in 143 1/3 innings pitched. In addition to strikeouts and innings pitched, Mergele led the team in complete games (9) and was tied for the team lead in wins (24). She also had two shutouts, which was second-best on the Grizzlies' pitching staff.
Starting in 26 of 31 contests, Mergele allowed just 31 earned runs on 130 hits in 143 1/3 innings. In 12 conference appearances, Mergele was 11-1 with a 1.63 ERA and 57 strikeouts in just 56 innings pitched. She also was a two-time KJCCC D-I Pitcher of the Week (Week 1 and 10).
Mergele's best stretch of the season came in April, as she had seven straight appearances (April 2 to April 16) without allowing an earned run. In those conetsts, Mergele was 6-0 with one unearned run allowed in 28 innings and struck out 24 batters. She recorded a game-high 11 strikeouts in a 4-3 win over Friends JV on Feb. 23.
At the NJCAA National Tournament, Mergele made three appearances, going 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings pitched. She tossed a complete-game, five-hit shutout against Chipola (FL) in the semifinal to help the Grizzlies advance to the national title game.
In addition to NFCA All-American honors, Mergele was a first-team All-Jayhawk Conference Division I selection.
Brynn Minor, at-large, Wichita (Kan.)
Minor, a pitcher/outfielder, led Butler with 83 hits while hitting .459 with six home runs and 47 runs batted in. She was a perfect 17-of-17 in stolen bases, scored 51 runs and had 18 doubles with one triple. On the mound, Minor was one of the top pitchers in the nation with a second-best 1.00 earned-run average. Primarily as a reliever, she was 5-0 with five saves and had 72 strikeouts in 70. 1/3 innings pitched. Minor allowed just 10 earned runs on 40 hits in 35 appearances.
In conference play, Minor dominated the opposition on the mound with a 0.27 ERA in 17 appearances, going 1-0 with two saves. She allowed just one earned run in 26 innings and struck out 36 batters. At the plate, Minor hit a second-best .520 average and led the conference with 39 hits in 24 conference games.
During a 20-game stretch (Feb. 20 to April 6), Minor hit safely in 19 games while hitting .574 (35-for-61) with two home runs, 22 runs batted in, 23 runs scored and eight doubles. She also had 13 straight appearances (April 6 to May 4) without allowing a run. In that span, Minor tossed 21 shutout innings and struck out 30 batters while giving up just six hits.
At the NJCAA National Tournament, Minor hit .333 (7-for-21) with four doubles, one home run, five runs batted in and four runs scored. In the second-round contest against Florida Southwestern State, Minor hit a two-run home run and pitched 10 shutout innings in relief - allowing just four hits and one walk - as the Grizzlies won 5-4 in 15 innings. For her performance during the four-day tourney, Minor was named to the All-Tournament team.
In addition to NFCA All-American honors, Minor was also a first-team All-Jayhawk Conference Division I selection.
| BUTLER SOFTBALL ALL-AMERICANS | ||
| Player | Honor | Year |
| Robyn Sadowski | NJCAA | 2006 |
| Sadie Ball | NJCAA | 2007 |
| Lauren Supak | NJCAA | 2008 |
| Gabrielle Hart | NJCAA, NFCA | 2009 |
| Kacy Covert | NJCAA | 2010 |
| Maggie Ham | NJCAA, NFCA | 2013 |
| Sydney Stuever | NJCAA, NFCA | 2013 |
| Kate James | NJCAA | 2013 |
| Ashley Malone | NFCA | 2013 |
| Sydnee Eck | NJCAA, NFCA | 2014 |
| Monica Islava | NJCAA | 2015 |
| Megan Wurts | NJCAA | 2016 |
| Morgan Bohanan | NJCAA, NFCA | 2016 |
| Regan Mergele | NFCA | 2016 |
| Brynn Minor | NFCA | 2016 |