WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Three Purdue softball players land on the lastest Softball America position rankings, heading into the final conference weekend of the season.
Anna Moore, Haley Painter, and Moriah Polar each earned a spot on the list for their respective position groups, at second base, utility, and outfield. This is the third honor for Polar, second for Moore, and first this season for Painter.
Moore continues to be a force this season, emerging as not just one of the top freshmen in the country, but one of the top players. Moore is a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, a two-time D1 Softball National Freshman of the Week, a member of the NFCA Top 25 Freshmen of the Year list, and a Softball America National Freshman Star of the Week.
The Indianapolis native is batting .384 on the year with 53 hits, while leading the team in RBI and home runs. Moore has the second-best batting average of all Big Ten freshman, and is second in hits (53), and third in RBI (56).
Painter earns her second-career Softball America nod, but her first as a Boiler, and first as the utlity position. The senior has shown her versatility this season, playing first base, outfield, and hitting in the designated player position.
Painter is batting .318 on the season with 10 home runs, 12 doubles, and 52 RBI. In her final collegiate softball season, she set a career-high in RBI (52), sacrifice flies (6), and stolen bases (7). Painter is just four home runs away from reaching the 50-career mark.
Polar, recently crowned as Purdue's first-ever USA Softball Top 25 Player of the Year nominee, continues her unprecedented season with another honor. The junior is second in the country in batting average (.554), the national leader in hits (92), and leads the conference in both categories.
While setting career highs in runs scored (60), hits (92), doubles (14), home runs (4) and RBI (47), Polar has also broken two school records, and tied a third. Facing the trials and tribulations of coming back from injury last season, Polar came back even stronger, and continues to dominate on the diamond.
The Boilers will take on Iowa this weekend for the final conference series before Big Ten tournament play beginning May 6.
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