EMILY MCLEAN NAMED TO GREAT LAKES REGION FIRST TEAM

Senior Outfielder Claims Honor For Second Straight Season

Emily McLean was selected to the NFCA's All-Great Lakes Region First Team for the second consecutive year.

For the second consecutive season, Ferris State University softball senior outfielder Emily McLean (Rogers City) has been named to the 2006 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Great Lakes Region First Team as announced Thursday (May 11) by the NFCA.

As a result of her first-team selection, McLean is now eligible to receive All-America accolades which will be announced Tuesday, May 16 at the 2006 NCAA-II Championship banquet in Salem, Va.

McLean, the 2005 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year, picked up first-team all-region laurels a season ago as did former teammate Allison McKibbin. McLean's honor represents the ninth time in which a Ferris State player has earned first-team region plaudits and the 14th time overall in the program's history. Furthermore, McLean now joins former two-time All-American Jody Gifford as the only Bulldogs to receive all-region accolades in at least two seasons. Gifford was a three-time (1997-99) first-team honoree.

McLean, a first-team All-GLIAC repeat selection (2005-06), turned in one of her most productive seasons in a Bulldog uniform this spring. She finished as the team's leading hitter with a career-best .399 average, which consisted of a career-high 71 base hits in 178 at bats in 52 contests. The starting leftfielder paced Ferris in base hits, at bats, RBIs (42), home runs (seven), doubles (19), triples (four), runs scored (32), total bases (119), and slugging percentage (.669). McLean's 19 doubles represented a Bulldog single-season record. In the field, she registered a .978 fielding percentage with 39 putouts and six assists.

The right-handed power hitter was tops on the squad with 21 multiple-hit games and 10 multi-RBI contests this season. McLean was the GLIAC's leader in total bases (119) for all games this season and tied for first-place honors in base hits. She ranked second in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs and doubles among the conference's top batters.

In 161 career outings, McLean batted .355 with 182 hits in 178 official at bats while totaling 19 home runs and 104 RBIs. She closed out her four-year career ranking among the school's career leaders in eight categories, including being second in both batting average and homers. McLean is tied for third in doubles (39), fourth in RBIs, sixth in hits, tied for eighth in triples (eight), 11th in at bats, and 19th in games played. The 2004 All-GLIAC Second-Teamer also accumulated 55 multiple hits during her career.

McLean was among 14 players to garner 2006 NFCA Division II Great Lakes Region First-Team kudos. The GLIAC featured five total representatives with three on the first team and two on the second.

Ferris State compiled a 26-26-0 overall record while finishing with a 10-10-0 GLIAC mark for the 2006 season.