MAY 10, 2007
KING'S PLACES SIX ON ALL-FREEDOM TEAM
(Valonis Repeat as Player of the Year)
WILKES-BARRE -- Senior all-American first-baseman Mari Valoni (Dickson City/Mid-Valley) highlighted six first-team selections with her second straight "Player of the Year" award as the all-Freedom Conference Team was announced Thursday.
Joining Valonis of the first-team were sophomore shortstop Abbey Knoblauch (Tamaqua/Tamaqua), junior outfielder Leanne Harvey (Nanticoke/Nanticoke), sophomore third-baseman Becky Loring (Honesdale/Honesdale), sophomore pitcher Kelsey Shreaves (Absecon, NJ/Holy Spirit), and freshman designated player Lindsey Hoerner (Annville/Northern Lebanon).
Valonis, who was named a third-team Division III all-American a year ago, led King's to a 33-7 record, the 2007 Freedom Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament. She sports a .387 (48-124) batting average with 11 doubles, six home runs, and 35 RBI.
During her career Valonis owns a .365 (187-512) batting average with 37 doubles, 12 triples, and school records of 32 home runs, 180 RBI and a .671 career slugging percentage.
Knoblauch enjoyed another outstanding season to earn her second straight first-team all-conference award. She leads King's with a .434 (53-122) batting average, including four doubles, three triples, and 24 RBI.
Loring enjoyed a solid year, her first as a starter, tallying a .383 (36-94) average with five doubles, five triples, three home runs, and 39 RBI. She was equally outstanding at third base where she made just three errors on 90 total chances to register a .967 fielding percentage at the hot corner.
Harvey moved up to the first-team after garnering second-team laurels last season. She ranks fourth on the team with a .373 (50-134) mark with nine doubles, three triples, one home run, 38 RBI, and scored a team-high 40 runs while stealing 12-of-13 bases.
Shreaves earned her first post-season honor after compiled a 14-3 pitching record with a 1.92 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 102 innings as the Lady Monarchs' number-one starter. She also batted .305 (18-59) with three doubles, two home runs, and 14 RBI.
Hoerner was named the designated hitter after hitting .364 (28-77) average with four doubles, three home runs, and 21 RBI while earning a 11-2 pitching record with a 2.16 ERA while fanning 59 batters in 77.2 innings.
King's is competing in the NCAA Division III National Tournament East Region Championship Thursday through Sunday at Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ.
King's College
133 North River Street Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
1 (888) KINGS PA
Questions or comments to: Bob Ziadie, King's College Sports Information Director
Best if viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher.