And offensively, their numbers were virtual mirror images of one another.

So it was only fitting that when the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team on Tuesday, third baseman Kellie Simons (Richfield, Minn.) and shortstop Katy Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) were both named to the team.

Gannon, who earned First-Team All-MIAC honors for the second time in her three years at SMU, closed out the 2010 season hitting .397 in the Cardinals' 22 conference games, while Simons was close behind with her .390 average. Gannon finished with 78 at-bats, collecting a team-best 31 hits — one more than Simons — while adding 20 runs, five doubles, one triple, three home runs, 16 RBIs, 47 total bases and a .603 slugging percentage.

Simons, meanwhile, boasted 77 at-bats, lacing 30 hits — including a team-best eight doubles, two triples and a home run — while scoring 14 times and equaling Gannon's 16 RBI total. She also finished with 45 total bases and a .584 slugging percentage.

Cardinals' pitcher Mallory Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) and catcher Joanna Mangan (Chicago, Ill.) were each named honorable-mention All-MIAC. Betzold compiled a 2.49 ERA and a 10-8 MIAC record in 101 1/3 innings on the mound. She also struck out 64 batters, while also contributing a .358 batting average with a team-leading 21 RBIs. Mangan, meanwhile, hit .426 in 19 conference games and boasted a .987 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 76 chances from behind the plate.

As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the fourth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for fastpitch softball, which included Mangan as SMU's representative. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.

Complete All-MIAC Fastpitch Softball Team