ABI BEAMAN NAMED KCAC SOFTBALL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Avila softball outfielder Abi Beaman has been named the KCAC Freshman of the Year, the conference announced today.

“We are very excited and proud of Abi’s accomplishments. It’s great that the recognition has come from the other coaches in the conference,” said Avila Head Coach Charlie Kennedy. “We knew coming in that she could open some eyes, she was a first-team all-state player in high school. It took her a while to get accustomed to the level of play in the NAIA, but as her swing came around, she showed what she was capable of.”

In her first collegiate season, Beaman has hit .366 with a .496 on-base percentage while slugging .613. Her four home runs, four triples, 24 runs and 31 RBI rank second among all Eagle batters and her nine stolen bases and seven doubles are the fourth-highest total.

This is the second-straight year in which an Avila softball player has won conference Freshman of the Year.

The Frontenac, Kan., native has learned the collegiate game as the season has progressed with her increasing nearly every statistical category month over month as her freshman season has continued. In her first month as a college player, Beaman hit .278, compared to a .333 average in March and an astounding .429 April batting average. Additionally, Beaman has continued to improve in run production. After notching three RBI in February, she followed that up with a nine-RBI March before batting in 19 runners in April.

Beaman has 12 multi-hit games this season and nine games with two or more RBI, including a stretch of three-straight multi-RBI games from April 16-18.

Beaman and the Eagles will continue their season as the No. 3 seed in the KCAC Tournament and will take on No. 6 Sterling on Tuesday from Branson, Mo.