BOWLING GREEN, Ky.—The WKU softball team closed 2015's historic season by receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA and EPSN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls, as announced by the organizations on Tuesday.
The Lady Toppers finished with 27 points in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, coming in at No. 28 while receiving 20 points in the USA Today/NFCA list to also conclude the year at No. 28. It's the second time in the program's 16-year history that WKU was acknowledged in the final polls, as WKU received votes in both polls in 2013. Fellow Conference USA member and NCAA Regional participant Florida Atlantic also earned votes in both polls.
The 2015 squad had one of the best seasons in school history, completing the year with a 36-14 record, Conference USA Regular-Season and Tournament Championships, and a showing in the NCAA Athens Regional Finals. With a national top-30 and program-best .720 winning percentage, the Lady Toppers defeated three top-25 opponents on the road with No. 19 Nebraska, No. 16 Georgia and No. 14 Tennessee, a Women's College World Series participant.
Accolades came rolling in for the Lady Topper student-athletes, including pitcher Miranda Kramer who became WKU's first NFCA First-Team All-American. In her one year on The Hill, Kramer set an unprecedented mark, as she finished the season 26-10. The lefty's strikeout numbers led the nation, as Kramer totaled 439 strikeouts at 12.6 strikeouts per seven innings. Named Conference USA's Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year, Kramer threw three no-hitters and a perfect game, leading her to a nation's best 2.88 hits allowed per seven innings. The senior's 13 shutouts finished second in the NCAA while her 1.24 ERA is sixth. A top-26 finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year, Kramer concluded her collegiate career with 1,204 strikeouts, which sets her at 39th in NCAA history.
Joining Kramer as a NFCA First-Team All-Region selection and First-Team All-Conference USA honoree, senior Larissa Franklin added a potent bat to the WKU lineup. The Canadian National Team member's .417 batting average is second in WKU's single-season records, as Franklin is the second Lady Topper to ever hit over .400 for a season. The senior tied the school record with a 15-game hit streak while tying for fourth with 70 hits despite missing 16 games due to weather cancellations.
Senior Dani Pugh was named a Second-Team All-C-USA selection after making a formidable battery duo with Kramer. Setting the school record with 486 putouts this season, Pugh carried a powerful bat, leading the team with nine home runs and 37 RBI, including two grand slams.
Returning for the 2016 season are All-Freshman and C-USA All-Tournament Team member Carleigh Chaumont, who had clutch hits for WKU in the C-USA Championship Game and 14-inning win over Georgia, and WKU's second C-USA All-Tournament Team selection Kathryn Downing, stepping up for WKU in postseason at first base to have multi-hit games against UAB and North Carolina.
