Apke Earns First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete Honor

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Published on May 15 2018 6:20 am
Last Updated on May 15 2018 6:20 am

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Sophomore infielder Allison Apke and senior catcher Maria Schroeder both earned First-Team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors, while senior infielder Elizabeth Leonard was an honorable mention Valley Scholar-Athlete according to an announcement by the league office Monday.

For the second consecutive year and fourth time in the last six seasons, Bradley had at least two First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete honorees with Apke earning the distinction in her first year of eligibility and Schroeder joining Julie Jehle (1993-96) as the only three-time First-Team Valley Scholar-Athletes in program history.

A First-Team All-MVC pick as a sophomore, Apke matched the Bradley season home run record with a league-leading 12 homers in addition to ranking 10th in the Valley with a career-best .353 batting average.  She broke the Bradley season slugging percentage mark, posting a MVC-best .699, and also ranked second in the Valley with a team-best 44 RBI.

Apke, who tied a Bradley single-game record with seven RBI, ranked sixth in the league with a .467 on base percentage, which ranks eighth among Bradley season marks, and put together only the fourth season in MVC history with 11 doubles, 12 homers, 44 RBI and 25 or more walks.  A mechanical engineering (biomedical) major with a 3.34 cumulative grade point average, Apke hit .370 with runners on base and had five outings with four or more RBI in 2018.

Apke had 11 multi-hit outings during her sophomore campaign, which included a 15-game hit streak to tie for the second longest hit streak in program history.  She was named MVC Player of the Week on April 16 and is just the second player in program history with 30 runs and 40 or more RBI in a season, with her 44 RBI ranking third among Bradley season records.

Schroeder was a Second-Team All-MVC selection for the third time in her career after hitting a team-best .354 to rank ninth in the conference.  She also led the league with 39 runs scored and is one of two players to rank among the top 20 in MVC history in both career runs and RBI.

A marketing (social media) major with a 3.86 cumulative grade point average, Schroeder wrapped up her career among the best hitters in school history.  She is tied for third in Bradley history with Kim Suffield at 203 hits and her .336 career batting average is seventh all-time at BU.

Schroeder also ranks among the three in Bradley history in career doubles (39 - 3rd), home runs (17 - 2nd), RBI (127 - 2nd) and runs (136 - 2nd).  BU’s all-time walks leader, her .498 career slugging percentage is sixth on The Hilltop, while her .428 career on base percentage is fourth-best in program history.  The only player in school history with 40 or more hits in all four seasons, she is also the only Brave with 25+ RBI in all four of their years at Bradley.

Leonard hit .279 in her final season on The Hilltop, while ranking second on the squad with a career-best 21 walks to match her career walk total entering the season.  She scored 21 runs and was third on the team behind both Apke and Schroeder on the team with a career-best .393 on base percentage.

A 2016 All-MVC selection, Leonard majored in hospitality leadership and boasted a 3.84 cumulative grade point average.  She hit .344 with runners on base and reached to leadoff an inning 40 percent of the time in 2017.  During her time at Bradley, Leonard started 180 of the 188 games she appeared in and collected 152 career hits.

In order to be eligible, student-athletes must have at 3.2 GPA or higher, be at least a sophomore in athletic and academic standing and meet certain playing requirements.