Yorktown Native and Muhlenberg College Freshman Captures Conference Title

Yorkown High School graduate Erica Wenzel, who is now a freshman at Muhlenberg College recently received All-Centennial Conference honors after she helped her college softball team capture the 2011 Centennial Conference championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

"I was surprised when I found out I received All-Centennial Conference honors, but it means a lot to me," she said. "I am extremely honored to receive that reward."

Wenzel, who plans to double major in Mathematics and Environmental Science, was named to the second team at second base after breaking the school record with 40 runs scored on the year.

She played in 41 of 42 games for the Mules, batting .269 with nine doubles, a triple, two home runs and 15 RBI. She also added six steals and finished second among Mule infielders in fielding percentage.

"My own personal motto for the season was 'No Regrets,'" Wenzel said. "I didn't want to go out on the field thinking that if I had worked harder, I could have fielded that ball or I wouldn't have missed that pitch. So I worked hard during practice to help our team win the games."

In the first game of her college career, Wenzel hit a two-run homer to help the Mules beat Finlandia. The next day, she went 7-for-7 as the Mules swept a pair of games.

"Playing softball has been one of my best experiences at Muhlenberg so far," she said. "Being part of this team was really rewarding in many different ways. First, I made long lasting friendships with my teammates, and I know I can rely on them or ask them for advice."

Wenzel said her team becoming the Centennial Conference Champion has was the best experience so far.

"I also improved as a softball player, and most importantly, I've learned how to manage my time between schoolwork and sports," she said.  

For next year, goals include winning the Conference title again.

"Also, we need to be able to come through in big situations," Wenzel said. "There were some games this year that we could have won. Overall, I had a great freshman year, but there is always room to improve."

On top of her all-conference award, Wenzel was also named to the Centennial Conference Sportsmanship Team. Each conference team nominates one member who has displayed good sportsmanship through the season to the all-sportsmanship team.

After tying for second during the regular season, Muhlenberg went 3-0 during the conference tournament, including a pair of dramatic wins over the top seed, to claim their record-tying fifth crown. The Mules then advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history and finished with an overall record of 25-17, one win shy of the school record.

Erica Wenzel was a members of the Yorktown High School softball squad. Last year she received the annual Yorktown Athletic Club Softball Scholarship Award. While in Yorktown, she played three years for the Huskers varsity squad and seven years for the Yorktown Athletic Club's in-house travel and tournament teams.