LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The NFCA revealed 37 student-athletes from 26 different institutions have been voted 2021 NFCA NAIA All-Americans, the Association announced on Monday.
Back-to-back national champion Southern Oregon University led the way with five All-Americans, while Oregon Tech, the 2021 national runner-up, followed with three honorees.
2021 NFCA NAIA All-Americans
Two Raiders – Lauren Quirke and Gabby Sandoval – earned their second first-team honors.
Quirke, a third baseman, was SOU’s offensive leader. She topped the NAIA with 101 hits, was second in total bases (162) and RBI (70), fifth in average (.488) and hits per game (1.66). Quirke also recorded 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 64 runs scored, a .531 on-base percentage, a .783 slugging percentage and was 16-for-18 in stolen bases. At the NAIA World Series, she was 12-for-24 with a home run, a triple, two doubles, eight RBIs and six runs scored.
Sandoval earned an at-large selection at pitcher. She finished 32-4, second-highest win total in NAIA, with a 1.60 ERA and 198 strikeouts over 218.1 innings of work. She registered 14 shutouts and held her opposition to a .203 batting average.
Allie Stines started all 61 games, hitting .440 with an NAIA-best 34 doubles and was named the Diamond Sports/NFCA Catcher of the Year. The catcher ranks second nationally in hits behind her teammate Quirke, fourth in total bases (156), runs scored (67) and triples (9). Behind the dish, she held a .992 fielding percentage and threw out at base runners at a 57.9 percent clip (8-for-19).
Hannah Shimek takes home the honor at second base. Starting all 61 games, she led the NAIA with 69 runs scored, ranked second with 10 triples and fifth with 91 hits. Shimek batted .423, with eight doubles, a .448 on-base percentage and a .567 slugging percentage.
Rounding out the SOU first-teamers is Riley Donovan at the DP or Utility/Non-Pitcher spot. Donovan’s 66 RBI and 22 doubles rank fifth and sixth nationally. The NAIA World Series MVP finished the season hitting .448 (81-for-181) with eight long balls, 57 runs scored, a .516 on-base percentage and a .735 slugging percentage.
Oregon Tech’s Sarah Abramson grabbed first-team honors, while McKenna Armantrout and Aubrie Businger were named to the second team.
Abramson set a single-season program record with 29 wins, posting a 1.64 ERA with 237 strikeouts in 243 innings of work. She allowed just seven home runs in 1,109 plate appearances and held her opponents to a .209 batting average.
Businger hit .382 for the season with nine doubles, nine home runs and 44 RBIs. Businger had 76 assists on the year with a .978 fielding percentage, earning her CCC gold glove honors.
Armantrout led the Owls with a .444 batting average that includes 92 hits, a team-high 18 doubles, and 66 runs scored. She was the team's defensive captain, with 261 put-outs 18 assists with a fielding percentage of .989, leading to CCC gold glove recognition.
NFCA All-Region and All-American athletes must be nominated by their NFCA-member head coach, are voted for by the coaches in their region or division, and ultimately selected by elected All-American committee members to receive this prestigious accolade. These honorees are in the top 1% of student-athletes competing during the 2021 season. All special awards are also selected by the All-American committee members or by the entire division.