May 16, 2007

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Marshall Thundering Herd catcher and All-Conference USA First Team honoree Rachel Folden (Baldwin Park, Calif./Diamond Bar) was named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Mideast Region First Team Wednesday.

Folden joins former teammate Amanda Williams as the only three-time All-Mideast Region First Team selections in program history.

Folden finished her junior season as the Conference USA leader with a .408 batting average - the highest single-season average of her decorated career. She also finished as the league leader in slugging percentage (.758), on-base percentage (.560), runs scored (47) and walks (51).

She also finished second in home runs (14), fourth in RBI (47) and eighth in stolen bases (12).

Folden led the team in eight different offensive categories. She finished second on the team with 64 hits, while striking out a team-low nine times in 157 at bats. She later became the first player in school history to record 100-plus total bases in three consecutive seasons.

During the season, Folden became the school's all-time leader in home runs (41) and RBI (163). Last weekend, she tied Jessica Williams for fifth on the school's all-time hits list with her 201st base hit of her career. She trails school record-holder Amanda Williams (265) by 64 hits.

The Herd concluded its second season in Conference USA with a 32-26 overall record, while posting an 11-13 conference mark. Marshall ended its season with a 4-2 loss to eventual conference tournament champion Houston at the Conference USA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola in Orlando, Fla., last weekend.

Chosen by NFCA member coaches from each region, the honorees will now be eligible for selection to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America first, second or third teams. The 2007 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-American team will be announced on Wednesday, May 30, at 5 p.m. (EST) on the NFCA web site, www.nfca.org.

Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Mideast Region First Team
P - Eileen Canney, Northwestern University
P - Tracey Adix, DePaul University
C - Rachel Folden, Marshall University
1B - Garland Cooper, Northwestern University
2B - Nicole Pauly, Northwestern University
3B - Ashley Hall, Purdue University
SS - Tammy Williams, Northwestern University
OF - Stephanie Brown, University of Notre Dame
OF - Katie Logan, Northwestern University
OF - Samantha Polito - University of Wisconsin, Madison
UT/P - Becca Heteniak - DePaul University
UT/NP - Katie Mitchell - Purdue University
Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Mideast Region Second Team
P - Lauren Delany - Northwestern University
P - Brittany Weil - University of Iowa
P - Kylie Reynolds - Kent State University
P - Amy Solava - Loyola University
C - Emily Nichols - University of Iowa
1B - Marcy Wilus - DePaul University
2B - Kat Krause - Loyola University
3B - Amber Patton - DePaul University
SS - Jessica Toocheck - Kent State University
OF - Katie Hnatyk - University of Wisconsin, Madison
OF - Kate Sheaks - DePaul University
OF - Laura Rather - University of Evansville
UT/P - Brittney Robinson - Kent State University
UT/NP - Colleen McGlaughlin - University of Iowa