Three From MIAA Earn Softball All-America Honors

Leonard, Campbell named on both NFCA, D-II SIDs lists

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Three MIAA softball student-athletes have earned recognition on one or both of the All-America Teams which were released Thursday (May 21).

Central Missouri senior LHP Megan Leonard and Emporia State junior 3B Miranda Campbell were selected to both the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II All-America Team and the Daktronics/Division II Sports Information Directors All-America Team. Pittsburg State freshman UT Amanda DeCastro joined the duo on the coaches list.

Leonard was a second-team choice on the Daktronics/D-II SIDs squad and received third-team honors on the Louisville Slugger/NFCA list.

She currently has Division II's second-best strikeouts per seven innings ratio, as she finished the season with an 11.81. Leonard was 17-4 with a league-leading 1.06 ERA (13th in Division II) and .139 opponents batting average in 2009. She tied the D-II record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched (83 2/3) and led the MIAA with 11 shutouts as she captured conference Pitcher of the Year honors.

Campbell joined Leonard as a second-team Daktronics/D-II SIDs choice and a third-team Louisville Slugger/NFCA selection.

She led the MIAA in batting with a .429 batting average to go with 11 home runs and 46 RBI. Campbell ranks third in Division II with 0.83 walks per game and is ninth in the nation in on-base percentage (.562).

Campbell was a second-team selection on both teams in 2008.

DeCastro was an at-large third-team choice on the Louisville Slugger/NFCA squad as a non-pitching utility selection.

She earned the MIAA's Freshman of the Year award while splitting time between first, second, third and rightfield for the Gorillas. DeCastro finished with a .399 batting average (fourth in the MIAA) with seven home runs and 41 RBI. She set the MIAA single-season doubles record by collecting her 25th two-bagger during the MIAA Tournament and is third in NCAA-II with an average of 0.47 doubles per game.

Click here for Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America Team

Click here for the Daktronics/D-II SIDs All-America Team