Softball | 4/30/2024 3:00:00 PM
BURNSVILLE, Minn. – MSU Moorhead landed three student-athletes on the annual All-NSIC Softball Teams.
Azalya Lopez was named All-NSIC First Team while
Annika Norman and
Mack Gallagher were tabbed as All-NSIC Second Team honorees. Lopez was also named to the NSIC All-Defensive Team as a pitcher.
Lopez, a sophomore from Corona, Calif., experienced one of the greatest all-around seasons in program history. She was one of the league's top pitchers, working towards an 18-5 overall record with a measly 2.04 ERA. Her 18 wins is one shy of the single-season program record. Lopez also registered 127 strikeouts in 140.2 innings pitched this season while only doling out 34 base on balls.
She bolstered a 1.12 WHIP and held opponents to a .236 batting average during the season. Lopez had 11 complete games including three shutouts. Lopez dominated NSIC batters, posting a 1.83 ERA with a .229 opponent batting average in conference play.
The sophomore was also dangerous at the plate, hitting for a .321 average in 156 at-bats. She led MSUM in total hits in 2024 with 50 while also registering 30 RBIs. She scored 22 runs during the year and led the Dragons with four triples to go along with two home runs. Lopez earned the All-Defensive nod thanks to a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage in conference competition in 2024.
Gallagher, a sophomore from Frankfort, Ill., earns her second All-NSIC nod in 2024 after being named a First Team performer in 2023. She hit for a .283 average overall in 2024 but hit for a .346 average in NSIC play. Gallagher offered up a 1.059 OPS in NSIC play while also hitting her team-high six home runs in league play.
Overall, Gallagher led the Dragons in RBIs during the regular season with 34. She also had a team-high 12 two-baggers during the season to go along with a .490 slugging percentage. Gallagher is two home runs shy of matching the all-time program record.
Norman, a junior from Geneva, Ill., was potentially the most reliable bat for MSUM all season, slashing for a .317 average in the regular season. The junior was dominant in NSIC play, hitting for a whopping .389 average to lead MSUM. She drove home 18 runs in 2024 with 12 of those RBIs coming in league games.
Norman held a .402 on-base percentage in NSIC play and a .338 clip overall in 2024. By the end of the regular season, Norman had the second-most hits on the roster (45) while also scoring 19 runs for MSUM. She was also solid in the field at both second base and short stop with 78 put-outs, 84 assists and a .964 fielding percentage.
The Dragons begin the postseason on Thursday, May 2 against fifth-seeded Minnesota State in Sioux Falls. S.D. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.
