Three Pioneers earn All-Region honors in softball
Quintana selected first team All-Region

May 9, 2006
MARIETTA, Ohio — The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced its 2006 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III All-Region teams Monday (May 8) and three Marietta College softball players earned All-Central Region recognition. Junior pitcher Kristen Quinatna (Denver, Colo./Littleton) was named to the first team, junior shortstop Jenny Carroll (Lisbon/Beaver Local) was named to the second team and freshman second baseman Nikki Driscoll (Bellaire) was named to the third team.

Quintana (20-6), the John Wells OAC Pitcher of the Year and first team All-OAC selection, rewrote the Pioneers’ record book in 2006. She established new standards for appearances (34), games started (24), complete games (24), victories (20), innings pitched (189.6), shutouts (11) and strikeouts (214). Quintana held opponents to a .182 batting average and posted a 1.11 ERA with four saves. The three-time OAC Pitcher of the Week was also named to the OAC All-Tournament team.

Quintana is the first Pioneer to receive first team All-Region honors since former catcher Jennifer Ludwig earned the award in 2001. Sally Friend was the last Marietta pitcher to be named first team All-Region; her honor came in 1996. The Pioneers have never had an All-American, something Quintana is now eligible to become because of her first team selection.

Carroll, who was also a second team All-OAC performer this year, led the Pioneers with a .381 batting average. The shortstop had a team-best 51 hits to go along with 24 runs scored, eight doubles and 24 RBI. Carroll, who had 15 multiple hit games, set a new school record for games played (44) in a season. The junior also had a school-record 13 game hit streak earlier this spring. On the year, Carroll also fielded a solid .976 with just four errors in 169 total chances

Driscoll made a huge impact in all facets of the game as a freshman. The second baseman finished second on the team in batting average (.320) and RBI (24), while third in hits (41). Driscoll also scored 23 runs and fielded .972 with just four errors in 144 chances. She, like Carroll, set a new school record for games played (44) in a season.

Marietta finished its historic season with an overall record of 33-11. The Pioneers finished runners-up to Muskingum in the OAC Tournament. It was the second time the Pioneers took second place in the OAC Tournament. Marietta also claimed a second place finish in the inaugural OAC Tournament, which was held in 1985.

The 2006 squad put its stamp on Marietta's single-season team record book. The Pioneers set new standards in games (44), victories (33), winning percentage (.750), runs (194), at-bats (1149), hits (329), doubles (49), triples (13), RBI (164), sacrifices (76), put outs (899), fielding average (.968), batters struck out (265), innings pitched (299.6) and ERA (1.57).

The Pioneers lose just a pair of seniors — Sue Schwamberger (Covington) and Stephanie Houston (Newark/Licking Valley) — from this year's talented squad, so they plan to regroup and begin preparing to make a run at the OAC title again in 2007.