GREENCASTLE, Ind. – In exclusive 2011 all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) voting by the league’s head coaches, Stefanie Faith of Austin College was selected the conference’s Offensive Player-of-the-Year and Sara Bowen of Rhodes College and Lauren Zearfoss of Southwestern University were named Co-Pitchers-of-the-Year. Zearfoss was also recognized as the league’s Newcomer-of-the-Year.

Angela Froboese of Southwestern University was selected as SCAC Coach-of-the-Year for the third consecutive year.

Faith, a senior first baseman from Rowlett, Texas and a three-time First Team All-SCAC honoree, led or was near the top of the conference in virtually every offensive category. She finished the regular season as the SCAC leader in home runs (11), runs batted in (48), slugging percentage (.833) and total bases (100) and was also seventh in batting average (.425), fourth in on-base percentage (.507), sixth in runs scored (36), fourth in hits (51) and fourth in doubles (12). Faith is the SCAC all-time leader and is tied for 12th in NCAA history with 38 career home runs. She is second in the conference record book with 151 career runs batted in and her 173 hits tie for the eighth-most in SCAC history. Faith is the first softball player from Austin College to earn a Player-of-the-Year award since the ‘Roos joined the conference in 2007.

Faith received five votes for SCAC Player-of-the-Year, followed by senior second baseman Emma Minx of DePauw University and junior shortstop Ashley Bice of Birmingham-Southern College, who received two votes each. Senior shortstop Allison Conn of Rhodes received the remaining vote.

Bowen, a senior right-hander from Nolensville, Tenn., and three-time First Team All SCAC selection, led the SCAC during the regular season in strikeouts (9.25 per inning) and was second in overall strikeouts (140). She also led the league in saves (2) and opponents’ batting average (.172) and was second in earned run average (1.78) and third in wins (13). Bowen, who is Rhodes College’s single-season and career wins record holder (39 – eighth all-time in SCAC history), pitched one perfect game and recorded six shutouts during the regular season.

Zearfoss, a junior right-hander from Boerne, Texas and a transfer from Tarleton State University, was selected as SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Week a league-high four times during the 2011 season. She was unbeaten in conference games (8-0) and led the SCAC and was 12th in the nation in earned run average (0.89). Zearfoss was also the regular season pitching leader in strikeouts (166) and strikeouts looking (48) and was second in wins (16) and opponents’ batting average (.175). Zearfoss, who was also selected as the league’s Newcomer-of-the-Year, is the first Southwestern softball player to earn one of the league’s Player-of-the-Year honors in the program’s short three-year history.

Bowen and Zearfoss each earned four votes from the coaches in the balloting for SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year to share the award. Junior Ronni Ferris of Birmingham-Southern College and sophomore Colbie Devost of Trinity University each received one vote.

In the balloting for SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year, Zearfoss received four votes to edge first-year catcher Courtney Williams of Rhodes, who received three votes. Sophomore pitcher Colbie Devost of Trinity followed with two votes and sophomore second baseman Dana Middleton of Sewanee-The University of the South picked up the remaining Newcomer-of-the-Year vote.

A year after leading Southwestern to an SCAC conference tournament title in only the program’s second year of existence, head coach Angela Froboese proved last season was no fluke as she guided the Pirates to an SCAC West-best 13-3 conference mark (27-13 overall). This is the third straight year that Froboese has been tabbed Coach-of-the-Year and she becomes the first coach in SCAC history to achieve that accomplishment. Heading into this weekend’s conference tournament, Froboese has compiled a 79-42 record (.653) in three years at Southwestern and is 164-107 for her seven-year career.

Froboese garnered four votes from her peers for SCAC Coach-of-the-Year honors, edging Birmingham-Southern head coach Kimball Cassady, who received three votes. David Hicks of Rhodes, Roland Rodriguez of Millsaps College and Bonnie Skrenta of DePauw each received one vote.

To view the entire 2011 all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Softball Team, click here.