After being named MIAA freshman of the year in 2007, junior Tish Williams has become the first Washburn player since 1993 to be named MIAA softball player of the year. Williams led the MIAA in home runs and runs scored, while breaking the school record for career home runs with 49.

The announcement was made on May 1 as the team was set to take on Emporia in the MIAA tournament.

Williams was on the all-MIAA second team the last two seasons, and was a first-teamer this year based on her third base exploits. This year, Williams set the school single season record for scored runs with 57. Her 19 home runs topped her own single-season record of 16, which she set last season as a sophomore.

“Honestly I really don’t pay attention to the accolades,” said Williams. “I just stay in my own little zone, in my own little mind and try to play the game the way I know how.”

Williams is just four home runs away from tying the MIAA record, and is on pace to become the conference leader early in her senior year. She finished 10th in the nation in home runs per game this season, in addition to starting all 51 games for the Blues with a .826 slugging percentage.

“Tish is our leadoff hitter,” said junior pitcher Nicole Perkuhn. “She is like the spark plug for the team. When she is having a good day, you know it’s going to be a good day, she really has been wonderful all year.”

Senior Dani White, who also had a monumental season, was named to the MIAA first team for the second consecutive season, leading the MIAA with 68 hits, and she was second in the conference in runs batted in and doubles.

White played 217 games in her Washburn career, in which she managed to achieve yet another school record with 1,515 outs recorded. She finished in second place all-time at Washburn with 51 career doubles and drove in 157 career RBI’s to finish just 10 away from the school-record 167 hit by Chris Torrez.

Despite not having any second team selections, Washburn had six honorable mentions players in this year’s all-conference class: freshman pitcher Samantha Farris, who leads the Blues with 12 wins; freshman Lindsey Moore, who is batting .361 in MIAA play; freshman Lindsey Hempel who leads Washburn with 9 outfield assists; junior catcher Whitney Tapp, who has a .280 batting average in conference; junior second baseman Ashley Podshun, who hit a team best .337 in MIAA play and ranked No. 6 in conference doubles; and senior Maggie West who hit .360 in MIAA this season.