Dudley® DII Pitcher of the Year honors stay with Brake
Finishing with the second-most strikeouts in the nation, the Labette pitcher was once again honored
Alex Brake of Labette (Kan.) was once again named the Dudley® NJCAA Division II Softball Pitcher of the Year as was announced Monday by the NJCAA DII Softball Committee. Brake becomes the first player to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
Despite facing an early season gauntlet that featured her team’s first 15 games against some of the top DI opponents in the nation, Brake led the Cardinals’ late push for an NJCAA DII Softball Championship bid. Labette finished with a record of 28-25 with 23 wins credited to the sophomore who finished 23-12 in 36 appearances. Although Brake finished with 12 losses for the year, five of those defeats came at the hands of DI opponents.
Baffling opposing hitters throughout the slate, Brake finished ranked No. 2 in the nation with 292 strikeouts and 9.81 strikeouts per seven innings pitched. In 208.1 innings of work – third-most in the country – Brake compiled a 1.91 ERA which cracked the top 30 in the DII ranks, despite the DI-heavy schedule.
Brake recorded double-figures in strikeouts in 15 of her appearances in 2016. During a 3-1, nine-inning victory over Murray State (Okla.) in early May, she tallied a career-high 16 strikeouts.
At the national tournament, Brake led the Cardinals to two victories including a second-round upset of top-seeded Phoenix (Ariz.). During four appearances, she posted a 3.10 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work. Brake’s performance at the championship was recognized with all-tournament honors.
Having completed her two years of eligibility in the NJCAA, Brake will return home to finish out her collegiate playing career in the NAIA. The Webb City, Missouri, native announced prior to the start of the season that she would transfer to Park.
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