May 10, 2021

Six Bruins earn all-NSAA Softball honors

Four players from the Bellevue University softball team earned first-team all-North Star Athletic Association honors in an announcement made today by the conference office. In addition, two Bruins were named to the second team and one was named to the NSAA Gold Glove Team.

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Four players from the Bellevue University softball team earned first-team all-North Star Athletic Association honors in an announcement made today by the conference office. In addition, two Bruins were named to the second team and one was named to the NSAA Gold Glove Team.

Bruins who earned first-team honors included: senior catcher Allison O'Driscoll, sophomore shortstop Ellie Bliemeister, junior outfielder Maricela Egan, and freshman third baseman Lauren Russell. Second-team selections included second baseman Ashley Young and sophomore pitcher Lauren Jurek. Egan was selected to the NSAA Gold Glove team. Senior outfielder Emily Mendick was Bellevue's recipient of the Champions of Character award.

O'Driscoll, who appeared in 53 of the team's 56 games at the catching position, batted .355 on the year with 10 doubles, three home runs, and 26 RBIs.

Bliemeister started all 56 games at shortstop and as the team's lead-off batter. She was fourth on the team with a .342 batting average and nine home runs. She collected 11 doubles and drove in 37 runs while scoring a team second-best 40 runs.

Egan led the Bruins with a .375 batting average and 16 home runs while finishing second on the team with 56 RBIs. She also stole a team-high 13 bases on the season. She committed just two fielding errors in 130 chances on the season. Egan finished second in the league in RBIs (56), first in home runs (16), and fourth in slugging percentage (.726).

Russell made an immediate impact as a freshman, batting .322 on the season with 13 home runs, 12 doubles, and a team and NSAA-leading 58 RBIs. She was fifth in the league with a .692 slugging percentage.

Young was second on the team with a .362 batting average while leading the Bruins with 18 doubles. Her 18 doubles was the second-highest total in the league. She also added five home runs and 23 RBIs.

Jurek finished the season with a 17-8 record in the circle. She recorded a team-leading 2.42 ERA and 166 strikeouts. At the plate, Jurek batted .286 with seven doubles, a home run, and eight RBIs.

The Bruins ended the season with a 36-20 overall record and a 21-7 mark in the NSAA. BU finished second in the final NSAA regular-season standings. Bellevue established a school record in single-season home runs this season with 77.

2021 North Star Athletic Association Softball All-Conference First Team

Position	First Name, Last Name	Year	School	Hometown
P	Emily Smith &*	Senior	Valley City State (N.D.)	Portage La Prairie, Man., Canada
P	Jaya Allen*	Junior	Dickinson State (N.D.)	Spokane, Wash.
P	Amber Stewart	Senior	Valley City State (N.D.)	Welwyn, Sask., Canada
C	Allison O'Driscoll	Junior	Bellevue (Neb.)	Colorado Springs, Colo.
C	Katelyn Kubitschek	Junior	Dickinson State (N.D.)	Phoenix, Ariz.
INF	Makenzee Stone	Freshman	Valley City State (N.D.)	Blaine, Minn.
INF	Hailey Enriquez	Sophomore	Dickinson State (N.D.)	Sparks, Nev.
INF	Ellie Bliemesiter*	Junior	Bellevue (Neb.)	Lincoln, Neb.
INF	Jocelyn Ontiveros	Junior	Mayville State (N.D.)	Riverside, Calif.
INF	Lauren Russell	Freshman	Bellevue (Neb.)	Denver, Colo.
OF	Riley Perryman	Junior	Valley City State (N.D.)	Cottage Grove, Minn.
OF	Jessica Husband	Junior	Valley City State (N.D.)	Kingwood Park, Texas
OF	Maricela Egan*	Junior	Bellevue (Neb.)	Anaheim, Calif.
OF	Dayna Gutierrez*	Senior	Mayville State (N.D.)	Hemet, Calif.
DP	Autumn Perry	Senior	Valley City State (N.D.)	San Diego, Calif.
UTIL	Xitlali Lopez $*	Senior	Dakota State (S.D.)	Corona, Calif.
At-Large	Shaye Kemball &*	Senior	Mayville State (N.D.)	Winnipeg, Man., Canada
At-Large	Bree Hamblin	Senior	Waldorf (Iowa)	Modesto, Calif.
At-Large	Marissa Hawkins	Junior	Valley City State (N.D.)	St. Paul, Minn.
At-Large	Ashlyn Tingey	Sophomore	Mayville State (N.D.)	Brigham City, Utah

2021 North Star Athletic Association Softball All-Conference Second Team

Position	First Name, Last Name	Year	School	Hometown
At-Large	Ashley Young*	Freshman	Bellevue (Neb.)	Los Lunas, N.M.
At-Large	Vinitzia Blanco	Sophomore	Dakota State (S.D.)	Chula Vista, Calif.
At-Large	Alissa Foster	Senior	Mayville State (N.D.)	Salinas, Calif.
At-Large	Anne-Elise Gest	Freshman	Valley City State (N.D.)	Joshua, Texas
At-Large	Dallis Mitchell	Freshman	Dickinson State (N.D.)	Phoenix, Ariz.
At-Large	Katie Chapman	Senior	Waldorf (Iowa)	Cresco, Iowa
At-Large	Joelle Aiello $*	Senior	Valley City State (N.D.)	Napa, Calif.
At-Large	Lauren Jurek	Sophomore	Bellevue (Neb.)	Bellevue, Neb.
At-Large	Caitlin Brown	Senior	Viterbo (Wis.)	Lake in the Hills, Ill.
At-Large	Elizabeth Whitesides	Junior	Dakota State (S.D.)	Layton, Utah

* 2019 NSAA Softball All-Conference First Team
$ 2018 NSAA Softball All-Conference First Team
& 2018 NSAA Softball All-Conference Second Team

2021 North Star Athletic Association Softball Postseason Awards
Pitcher-of-the-Year:  Emily Smith – Valley City State (N.D.)
Co-Player-of-the-Year:  Makenzee Stone – Valley City State (N.D.) and Xitlali Lopez – Dakota State (S.D.)
Newcomer-of-the-Year:  Makenzee Stone – Valley City State (N.D.)
Coach-of-the-Year:  Mark Mattson – Valley City State (N.D.)

2021 North Star Athletic Association Champions of Character recipients
Bellevue (Neb.):  Emily Mendick
Dakota State (S.D.):  Xitlali Lopez
Dickinson State (N.D.):  Emilie Sicker
Mayville State (N.D.):  Hayle Boechler
Presentation (S.D.):  Haylie Vallery
Valley City State (N.D.):  Saige Forseth
Viterbo (Wis):  Caitlyn Almberg
Waldorf (Iowa):  Katie Chapman

2021 North Star Athletic Association Softball Gold Glove Team:

Position	First Name, Last Name	Year	School	Hometown
C	Bree Hamblin	Senior	Waldorf (Iowa)	Modesto, Calif.
1B	Jocelyn Ontiveros	Junior	Mayville State (N.D.)	Riverside, Calif.
2B	Bailey Larkin	Sophomore	Mayville State (N.D.)	Shoreview, Minn.
3B	Makenzee Stone	Freshman	Valley City State (N.D.)	Blaine, Minn.
SS	Joelle Aiello	Senior	Valley City State (N.D.)	Napa, Calif.
OF	Maricela Egan	Junior	Bellevue (Neb.)	Anaheim, Calif.
OF	Alissa Foster	Senior	Mayville State (N.D.)	Salinas, Calif.
OF	Dayna Gutierrez	Senior	Mayville State (N.D.)	Hemet, Calif.
P	Xitlali Lopez	Senior	Dakota State (S.D.)	Corona, Calif.