May 2, 2008

Bay City, Mich. -

Complete All-GLIAC Release in PDF Format

Mercyhurst College senior outfielder Jessica McNurlen was named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Softball Second Team All-Conference in voting by the conference coaches, released today. Sophomore third baseman Amber Rapose and freshman second baseman Kara Gorgos were named honorable mention all-conference.

McNurlen became one of the most feared hitters in the GLIAC as a senior, starting all 52 games at centerfield heading into the conference tournament. She leads the GLIAC in total bases (100), is tied for first in RBI (35), and ranks second in home runs (8) and hits (57), third in slugging percentage (.610), and fifth in runs scored (30). She had a team-high 10-game hit streak during one stretch of the season in which she was 20-of-36 (.556). She had three multi-homer games, blasting two in a 4-3 win over Shippensburg, two more in a 9-4 win over Lake Superior State, and a pair in an 8-7 loss to Hillsdale. She also had three games with at least four RBI.

Rapose played her first season with Mercyhurst after transferring from Hiram College and started 50 games at third base. She hit .272 and ranked second on the team with five home runs. She went 3-for-4 with a homer, three runs and three RBI in a 12-4 win over Seton Hill.

Gorgos played in all 52 games, starting 51 times as the team's second baseman as a true freshman. She was third on the team with a .292 batting average and showed strong plate discipline for a freshman, leading the team with 18 walks for a .378 on-base percentage. She went 3-for-3 and scored four runs in the Lakers' 9-4 victory over Lake Superior State. Gorgos also went 9-of-10 stealing bases on the year.

Mercyhurst enters the GLIAC Tournament as the No. 7 seed with a record of 24-28. The 24 wins represents the most in program history, surpassing the 23 wins the squad had a year ago. Head coach Sara Headley is also sitting on an even 100 career victories entering the postseason.