All-MIAC Fastpitch Softball Team

WINONA, Minn. — If Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball coach Jen Miller was concerned about what Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) would do for an encore after her all-conference freshman season, the Cardinal head coach wasn't worried for long.

In fact, as good as Raske was during her inaugural season in a Cardinal uniform, she was even better as a sophomore.

The conference coaches certainly took notice, as Raske was named First-Team Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the second straight year, the conference office announced Friday.

And the Cardinal sophomore was not alone on the MIAC's center stage, as freshman Nat Boissiere (Plymouth, Minn.) was also named to the First Team, while seniors Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.), Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn.) and Anna Ramboldt (Goodhue, Minn.) were all honorable-mention selections.

Raske and Boissiere were the Cardinals' offensive leaders in 2013, as the duo helped SMU to an 18-15 overall record and its third straight MIAC Tournament appearance.

Boissiere led the team with a team-best .455 batting average — going 46-for-101 with six doubles and three homes. The freshman, whose 46 hits were a team-best, also recorded 35 RBIs and a .604 slugging percentage.

Raske, meanwhile, was the team-leader in home runs (6), RBIs (36), total bases (68) and slugging percentage (.636). She hit .39, going 42-for-107 with six doubles, a triple and six home runs, and also finished with 16 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple-RBI efforts — both team highs.

The honorable-mention selections for Carter, Ohl and Ramboldt cap stellar collegiate careers for the Cardinal trio.

Carter, who started every game of her four-year collegiate career — a span of 151 straight starts — posted a .391 batting average (43-for-110), hit eight doubles and one triple, scored a team-best 33 runs and finished with a team-leading seven, three-hit games.

Like Carter, Ohl started every game at first base for the Cardinals in 2013, compiling a .371 batting average. She went 43-for-116 — including her first two collegiate home runs — while finishing with 21 RBIs and a perfect 10-for-10 performance in stolen bases. Ohl led the team with four, four-hit games this season — including back-to-back 4-for-4 performances during the last week of the regular season.

Ramboldt just kept getting better as the season wore on, as the senior third baseman closed out the year riding a 17-game hitting streak, while also reaching base safely in each of the team's last 26 games. Ramboldt finished second to Boissiere in batting average (.398, 37-for-93) and led the team with 11 doubles.

Bethel's Angie Jackson was named MIAC Player of the Year, while St. Thomas' Kendra Bowe was the conference's Pitcher of the Year and Kimberly Lindston of Saint Benedict was tabbed MIAC Rookie of the Year. Rod Radcliffe, who guided Bethel to a second-place regular-season finish and a berth in the conference tournament title game, earned MIAC Coach of the Year honors.

As part of the conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the seventh annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for fastpitch softball, which included SMU's Kristen Thelen (Rochester, Minn.).