05/23/07

St. Scholastica pitcher and first baseman Rilee Dawson (Eveleth, Minn./Eveleth-Gilbert HS) has been named by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) to their All-American Second Team for the 2007 season after already having earned First Team All-Region honors along with teammate Erica Kozacek.

Dawson helped lead the Saints to both the 2007 regular season and postseason tournament titles in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).

A First Team All-UMAC selection for a third consecutive season, Dawson also earned All-Defensive Team conference honors this year and was named the 2007 UMAC Player of the Year, the sixth season in a row a Saint has captured the award.

Dawson set a new single-season record for the program with 51 RBIs this year and broke a single-game record as well, smashing three homeruns in consecutive at-bats in a win over Bethany Lutheran College on April 27.

Her three-homerun game was part of a six at-bat string over three games in which she cleared the fences with six straight homeruns, a Saints program first.

After a four-year career at St. Scholastica Dawson has pitched her way up to second on the all-time strikeouts list with 300, behind only current Saints assistant coach Laura Heise (2003-06) who holds the NCAA Division III career record with 1,125. Dawson’s career 2.34 ERA, 10 shutouts, and .708 win-loss percentage move her into second best all-time within each category ranking. Tied for third all-time in program wins (34), opponents hit for only a .240 batting average against her, third lowest in Saints history.

At the plate, Dawson hit 13 career homeruns to tie for third in program rankings, her 91 RBIs rank fourth all-time, and she is fifth in slugging percentage (.578).

Her 13th homerun was not only her first career grand slam but came in the final at-bat of her last collegiate game, a 6-0 win over Presentation College that captured the team’s sixth consecutive postseason UMAC tournament crown and 11th overall in program history.

Dawson joined the program’s prestigious Century Club this year by surpassing the 100-hit barrier, accumulating 105 in her career.

Off the field, Dawson, a graduate student majoring in Physical Therapy, earned UMAC Academic All-Conference and NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete honors following both the 2006 and 2007 softball seasons.