Demi Hart

Three members of The College of Wooster softball team were selected to the 2012 All-North Coast Athletic Conference Team, highlighted by outfielder Demi Hart, who received the Newcomer-of-the-Year award and first-team recognition when the league office released its list of honorees Wednesday. Voted to the All-NCAC Second Team were shortstop Lauren Swinehart and pitcher Jenn Horton.

Hart becomes just the second from Wooster to earn NCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year accolades, with pitcher Angie Barone being the other in 2001. The freshman standout hit safely in 31 games this spring, including hitting streaks of 12 and seven, while accumulating a program record .445 batting average. She totaled 12 multi-hit games on the season, including a 5-for-5 effort against Hiram College April 6, where she also hit a pair of triples in the same inning. In addition to batting average, Hart also led the Scots in hits (49) and doubles (13), while ranking second in runs (22), RBI (19), and triples (3).

Swinehart makes her third all-conference appearance after being first-team as a sophomore and second-team as a junior when she was an outfielder. This season, the talented senior made the switch to shortstop, where she filled a major need and helped the team to its winningest season in program history (25-15). She recorded a .284 batting, and of her 33 hits, 12 went for extra bases (5 doubles, 5 triples, 2 home runs). Also noteworthy, Swinehart chipped in 22 runs, 19 RBI, and eight stolen bases. Swinehart made her mark in the school's record book, as she wraps up her career first in doubles (30), tied for first in triples (11), second in hits (125) and home runs (8), and third in RBI (69).

Horton is also a three-time honoree, having been voted honorable mention in her freshman and sophomore seasons. The junior hurler and ace of the staff is second in the NCAC in wins (14) and ERA (1.87), and reached a strikeout total in the 90's for the third-consecutive year. She was named NCAC Pitcher of the Week twice, including after a dominant stretch in conference play, where she went 4-0 in four appearances and posted a 22:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Some of her best performances came against league opponents, including a season-high 10 strikeouts against Denison University April 17, and tough-luck losses to both DePauw University and Allegheny College in the NCAC Tournament. Horton was also a key-producer offensively, with a .303 batting average, 20 RBI, and three home runs.