June 2, 2010
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Sophomore Jen Mineau (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Hoosic Valley Central) recorded her final honor of the season as she was selected as one of the 18 members of the 2010 Louisville Slugger®/NFCA All-American First Team. Mineau joins Kenzie Fowler of University of Arizona and Danielle Lawrie of University of Washington as one of the three first-team pitchers, as the First, Second and Third Teams were announced by officials from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association on Wednesday.
The three teams are comprised of 54 student-athletes from 35 different institutions, representing 13 conferences. Institutions from the Pacific-10 and Southeastern conferences are featured prominently throughout all three teams, accounting for nearly half of this season's selections. All eight schools who qualified for this year's Women's College World Series, which begins Thursday in Oklahoma City, have at least one player selected to one of the three teams with Arizona leading the way with four honorees. Mineau is the first Louisville Slugger®/NFCA All-American selection in the history of the Fordham softball program. Mineau is the only student-athlete from the Atlantic 10 and the Mid-Atlantic Region on the First Team.
Mineau has enjoyed a plethora of postseason awards in 2010, including being selected as a top 10 Finalist for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year, named to the Louisville Slugger®/NFCA All-Mid-Atlantic First Team, the All-ECAC All-Star First Team, the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District I First Team, the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and the Atlantic 10 Championship Team. The sophomore was also named the Atlantic 10's Student-Athlete of the Year, Fordham University's Co-Female Athlete of the Year and the softball squad's 2010 team Most Valuable Player.
"I am so excited and proud of Jen," remarked Fordham's head coach Bridget Orchard, the ECAC's and Atlantic 10's Coach of the Year. "She is an amazing player who has worked very hard. This is such a huge honor for her and the Fordham softball program."
Mineau (34-9) finished her standout season at the NCAA Regional Finals in College Park, Md., and at the top of all eight of Fordham's single-season pitching record lists: appearances (50), games started (42), complete games (30), wins (34), innings pitched (282.1), strikeouts (503), shutouts (15) and ERA (1.04). Mineau pitched three no-hitters this season with two perfect games against Charlotte (May 13) and Morehead State (Feb. 20). The perfect game vs. Morehead State was Fordham's first-ever seven-inning perfect game. She along with junior Chelsea Plimpton helped Fordham to a team ERA of 1.34 which, as of games played by May 30, was the NCAA's national statistical best.
In addition to single-season records, Mineau set the record for strikeouts in a single game four times, setting the bar high with 22 strikeouts in a game at La Salle on April 18. Currently, Mineau holds Fordham's career-ERA record with 1.39. She is five strikeouts away from breaking the all-time record of 680.
The sophomore was statistically ranked second in Division I in strikeouts and strikeouts per seven innings, fourth in ERA and walks allowed per seven innings, fifth in victories and seventh in hits allowed per seven innings as of games played through May 30.
With 503 strikeouts this season, she and her Atlantic 10 rival, Sara Plourde of Massachusetts are the only two pitchers in the NCAA division I to have more than 500 strikeouts this season. Plourde is the leader with 556. Lawrie is close with 478, as her season continues into the WCWS. Mineau is 19th in the NCAA's all-time single-season strikeout record book. Both Mineau and Plourde broke the Atlantic 10's single-season strikeout record which was set by Danielle Henderson from UMass in 1999 at 465.
Mineau's All-American honor is Fordham University's fourth this season. In the fall, Jason Caldwell from the football team was named a 2009 All-American by the Associated Press, the College Sporting News and the Sports Network. Ali Arat of the water polo team was selected as an All-American Honorable Mention by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC). In the winter, Brienne Ryan of the women's swimming team tallied Division I Mid-Major All-American accolades by CollegeSwimming.com.
