COLUMBIA, Ky. -- After leading the Lindsey Wilson College softball team to its first appearance in the NAIA National Championship, junior catcher Ally Goniea and junior pitcher Anyibell Ramirez were named NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans, the national office announced on Friday.
Players are selected to either the first or second teams or as an honorable mention choice by the All-America committee.
Both Goniea and Ramirez played their first seasons with the Blue Raiders in 2010 and led the team to a 47-14 overall record and 22-6 mark in Mid-South Conference play. Lindsey Wilson won the conference's regular season and tournament championships and finished 2-1 in pool play at the national tournament.
Lindsey Wilson nearly advanced out of pool play, but a two-run home run by Simon Fraser lifted it past the Blue Raiders and onward to a 3-0 record in pool play. The Clan not only advanced to the eight-team double-elimination bracket, but sped through the bracket to a national championship.
Goniea started all 61 games behind the plate for Lindsey Wilson and finished with a team-leading .386 batting average with a team-high 10 home runs and 53 RBIs. Goniea also reeled off a team-leading 11 doubles and drew 22 walks.
The Falcon, Col., native, ranks first in the NAIA in putouts per game (9.5) and second in total putouts (578), while her 53 RBIs rank 27th nationally.
Ramirez finished the season ranked third in the nation in strikeouts with 352 which breaks the single-season record for Lindsey Wilson. The junior leads the nation in strikeouts per nine innings with 15.7 and allowed opposing batters to hit just .129 against her, ranking second in the NAIA.
Ramirez's 1.08 ERA is also a single-season record for the Blue Raiders and ranks 10th in the nation. The Barinas, Venezuela, native finished the season with a 24-8 record and a pair of saves in 201.2 innings pitched. While Ramirez faced 674 batters all season, she struck out more than half with an astounding 352 strikeouts.
Following the MSC Tournament, Ramirez was also named the MSC Pitcher of the Year, while Ashley McCool was named the conference's coach of the year.
