#11 Softball 8/17/2016 3:09:00 PM

Stars softball collects honor at Sports Headliner Banquet

McSpadden guides OCU to ninth national crown

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University's softball team will be among the honorees at the 40th annual March of Dimes Sports Headliner Banquet on Aug. 25 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Every year, the March of Dimes holds the banquet to honor athletes, coaches and teams who have taken center stage and brought national attention to the state of Oklahoma.
The success of the event helps the March of Dimes continue to successfully save babies' lives. The money raised goes to funding March of Dimes programs helping premature babies, newborns with birth defects and research to prevent infant mortality.
In 2016, the Stars captured their ninth national championship with a 5-0 triumph over Saint Xavier (Ill.) on June 2 in Sioux City, Iowa. The Stars became the fourth team to take the national title by moving through the elimination bracket of the NAIA Softball World Series.
OCU established a program record with seven all-Americans while winning the NAIA Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket and the Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season championship. The Stars paced the NAIA with a program-record 749 hits, 568 runs scored, 491 runs batted in and a 0.86 earned run average. OCU's hit total surpassed the 736 the 1999 club had. World Series most valuable player Georgia Wall led the NAIA with a 0.47 ERA, while Kyndra Holasek topped the NAIA with 30 doubles and Kali Pugh scored the most runs in the NAIA this season with 84.
In 29 years at OCU, Phil McSpadden owns a 1,545-366 record to lead college softball in wins against four-year competition. The Stars accumulated a 67-3 record for the program's fifth 60-win season in 2016. McSpadden has a spot in the NAIA Hall of Fame, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma City University Athletics Hall of Fame. McSpadden has directed OCU to national titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2016.
In 2016, McSpadden snared NAIA softball coach of the year for the ninth time, NFCA NAIA Southwest Region coaching staff of the year for the sixth time in eight years plus NFCA NAIA coaching staff of the year for fifth time.
Individual tickets for the unique event cost $150 and can be purchased by contacting March of Dimes at (405) 415-1266 or by visiting marchofdimes.org/Oklahoma. The event begins with a reception for honorees, guests and media. The reception is followed by the awards dinner at 7 p.m. A limited number of tickets are available.
The sports headliners of the year are University of Oklahoma basketball player Buddy Hield and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook. Hield was the Naismith Trophy winner, Oscar Robertson player of the year and Wooden Award winner in 2015-16, while Westbrook is a five-time NBA all-star.
Sooners head basketball coach Lon Kruger is being awarded the headliner special award. Last season, Kruger led Oklahoma to the Final Four, becoming the first coach since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to lead four programs to the Sweet 16 or beyond.
Other award winners are Oklahoma City University men's golf Kyle Blaser, Oklahoma State women's tennis and equestrian teams, OU softball team and head coach Patty Gasso, OU men's gymnastics team and head coach Mark Williams, OU women's gymnastics team and head coach KJ Kindler, Tulsa Union High School girls soccer, OU women's track & field coach Jim Vanhootegem, OU football coach Bob Stoops, Oklahoma Baptist tennis player Anastasia Baranova, OU quarterback Baker Mayfield and Denver Broncos cheerleader Hayle Johnson.
The Bob Hersom sports reporting award is being presented to local radio celebrity Al Eschbach. Community award winner is Barry and Becky Switzer for his work with Special Olympics Oklahoma and the Bella Foundation. In addition, March of Dimes is presenting awards to the high school scholar-athletes of the year.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Kyndra Holasek: INF; 5' 7"; Senior; L/R

#18 Georgia Wall: P; 6' 1"; Freshman; R/R

#19 Kali Pugh: INF; 5' 5"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#2 Kyndra Holasek
: 5' 7"; Senior; L/R
: INF

#18 Georgia Wall
: 6' 1"; Freshman; R/R
: P

#19 Kali Pugh
: 5' 5"; Junior; R/R
: INF

Players Mentioned

#2 Kyndra Holasek

#18 Georgia Wall

#19 Kali Pugh

Players Mentioned

#2 Kyndra Holasek

#18 Georgia Wall

#19 Kali Pugh