Purple Raiders rely on area connection

Mineral Ridge High graduates Katie Olive and Ashley Ault were key contributors.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
ALLIANCE -- Four Youngstown-area women -- Katie Olive, Ashley Ault, Carissa Prince and Katie Harmon -- helped the Mount Union College softball team to a 29-10 record this season, including 12-6 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Olive, a sophomore first baseman from Mineral Ridge High, batted .388 and made the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Central Region and All-OAC first teams.
Ault, a senior pitcher and team captain also from Mineral Ridge, posted a 10-1 record and 2.55 earned run average with eight complete games. A four-year letterwinner, Ault had 28 career wins.
Prince, a junior shortstop from Lakeview High in her second year as a starter at that position, batted .373 and was 8-for-8 in stolen bases. She is a three-year letterwinner.
Harmon, a freshman utility player from Western Reserve, played in 17 games as a pitcher, infielder and outfielder and batted .273.
Duignan is All-American
Four other Mount Union players gained honors this season, including team leader Erin Duignan, a sophomore outfielder, who made the NFCA All-American second team as well as All-NFCA Central Region first team.
Duignan also made the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America College Division Academic District 4 second team with a 3.88 grade-point average as a major in athletic training.
Duignan led MUC in several statistical categories, including batting average (.476) and RBIs (school-record 45).
Lindsey Royer, a sophomore pitcher, made the All-NFCA Central Region second team while Cortney Frederick, a junior outfielder, was selected to the third team.
Duignan, Royer and Amanda Yackmack, a junior first baseman, also made All-OAC first team while Frederick was a second-team pick.
kovach@vindy.com