Rockwood Area graduate Samantha Emert and her 2016 softball teammates will be inducted into the St. Vincent College Athletics Hall of Fame Oct. 24.
Under the guidance of coach Nicole Karr, the 2016 softball team will go down as the top team in the program's history to date.
Karr helped lead the Bearcats to their first Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament championship, qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the first time in the program's history. Karr was named PAC coach of the year as well.
In the NCAA tournament, the Bearcats upset the No. 1 team in the country, Virginia Wesleyan College, which stands as St. Vincent's only NCAA tournament victory to date.
The team recorded a 29-15 overall record, which set a single season record for victories for the program. That mark still stands to this day. Shelby Noel and Emert were named National Fastpitch Coaches Association all-region selections, becoming just the third and fourth players to do so in the program's history at the time.
Noel sits in the top five of multiple single season records after her impressive 2016 campaign. She recorded a .456 batting average (top five in program history), 62 hits (most in program history), 38 runs scored (third in program history), nine home runs (third in program history) and 41 RBIs (second in program history).
Emert pitched 23 complete games, earned 18 wins and pitched eight shutouts, which all still stand as single-season program records. Emert also struck out 118 batters and recorded a 1.11 ERA, which both still ranked second in program history. She was named the 2016 PAC player of the year.
Sarah Swettlen, Emily Duerr, Kelsey Hunter and Morgan Murphy all earned all-conference honors.
Emert, a three-time all-PAC first-team selection, finished her career with a 1.91 ERA and 53-28 record over 86 games pitched, including 73 starts, 64 complete games and 18 shutouts. She logged 318 strikeouts and 135 walks in 489 2/3 innings. She fanned a career-high 118 batters in 164 1/3 innings during the 2016 season. Emert batted .325 with 121 hits – 18 doubles and four home runs – 57 runs and 46 RBIs.
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