Hunt, Poplaski, Salka draw NFCA all-region honors for first time

NORTON, Mass. - The Wheaton College softball team landed three players on a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-New England team for the first time in four seasons, as seniors Kristen Hunt (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) and Katy Salka (Ayer, Mass./Ayer) and junior Amanda Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) each drew their first honor.

Poplaski was one of three outfielders selected to the second team, while Salka, Wheaton's shortstop, earned second-team at-large honors.  Hunt, a third baseman, collected at-large accolades on the third team.  All three earned New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) all-league laurels earlier this season.  The Lyons had three of the five NEWMAC players on the all-region second and third teams.

Poplaski batted .400 with a team-best 28 runs and a team-high 23 steals.  She paced the Lyons with a .492 on-base percentage to go alongside a team-high-tying 14 walks.  Poplaski added three triples and a trio of doubles while slugging .520.  Hitting .407 with two outs, she led the team with a .500 average with runners in scoring position.  Poplaski finished with 11 multi-hit games, which ranked second on the team, and strung together a nine-game hitting streak at one point, tied for the squad's second longest.

Salka wrapped up her career by batting a squad-best .437 with team highs of 14 doubles and a .630 slugging percentage.  She added 29 RBI, 12 walks and three home runs to go alongside a .485 on-base percentage.  Hitting .511 with two outs, Salka batted .423 with runners in scoring position.  She posted a team-high 17 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI contests, which was second on the squad.  Earlier this season, Salka notched an eight-game hitting streak.

Hunt batted .336 with team-high-tying totals of 30 RBI and five home runs.  She also tallied 25 runs, eight doubles and two triples to go alongside her .582 slugging percentage.  Hunt hit a team-best .556 with the bases loaded and added a squad-high 18 two-out RBI.  She posted 10 multi-hit games, which ranked third on the team, and a team-best nine multi-RBI contests.

The Lyons completed the season with a 20-19 record, including a 9-7 mark in the league.  Wheaton tied for fourth in the NEWMAC while being seeded fifth in the conference tournament.