Spartans named NFCA All-Region
AURORA, Ill. -- Aurora University’s women’s softball team placed four players on the 2007 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region teams. Junior third baseman Dana Cebular (Brookfield, IL/Riverside-Brookfield H.S.), sophomore outfielder Nikki Veen (Oak Lawn, IL/Oak Lawn H.S.), sophomore designated player Abby Young (Elgin, IL/Hampshire H.S.) and senior pitcher Brittany Butcher (St. Charles, IL/St. Charles East H.S.) were named Great Lakes All-Region by the NFCA.

On the season - in which AU finished with a 35-8 record, won the Northern Athletics Conference Championship with a 21-1 record and won the inaugural NAC Tournament Championship - AU placed Cebular, Veen and Young on the First Team and Butcher on the Second Team.

Cebular, as a junior, continued to rewrite the Spartan record books. She extended her own career record with 27 home runs after having set the single-season record with 11 home runs as a freshman. This season she hit .483 with 16 doubles, seven triples, 10 home runs, 60 runs scored and 38 runs batted in. Cebular had a .897 slugging percentage with a .531 on-base percentage and a .917 fielding percentage at the hot corner. With the 16 doubles, she tied the career mark with 39 (previously held by Melissa Ivlow from 1987-1991). The 60 runs scored is a new single-season record and with 130 total bases on the season, she broke her own record of 105.

Veen, an outfielder, had a stellar sophomore campaign finishing with a .383 average with a team high 40 runs batted in, 10 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 32 runs scored. She had a .570 slugging percentage and .445 on-base percentage.

Young, a designated player that saw significant time as a first-baseman for the Spartans - also just a sophomore - hit .424 with seven doubles, four home runs, 39 runs batted in and 28 runs scored. She had a .568 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base percentage.

Butcher, a Second-Team selection, led the Spartan pitching staff in her senior season. She finished the season with a 13-3 record and a 1.51 earned run average. She had 20 appearances with 18 starts, seven complete games and one save. In her 95-2/3 innings pitched, she had 66 strikeouts and opponents hit .236 against her.

The Spartan women finished the season with a 35-8 overall record and 21-1 in the NAC and were the NAC regular season and tournament champions. The conference title is the fourth straight for the Spartans.  .

Courtesy of Aurora University, Sports Information Department, May 9, 2007.