Lopez snags Freshman of the Year, Showalter earns Coach of the Year

Softball program secures first Freshman of the Year since 2001, first Coach of the Year honor in history of program.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - April 24, 2012) - CSU-Pueblo third baseman Ariel Lopez (Fr., Fontana, Calif.) and head coach Shane Showalter were reach recognized by the RMAC Tuesday as Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, headlining the Pack's 2012 all-conference selections.

Lopez was tops among the RMAC's freshmen in most offensive statistical categories, including 15 doubles, and 47 RBI. She shared the Freshman of Year award with Regis' Rachel Illias. Lopez also earned third-team All-RMAC honors.

Showalter, currently in his tenth season as CSU-Pueblo's head coach, wins his first RMAC Coach of the Year honors after leading the ThunderWolves to a second-place finish and a 26-17 record, which is the top overall mark of any team in the RMAC. Despite narrowly missing out on the conference championship, CSU-Pueblo still has a strong shot to be an at-large bid for the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

He shared Coach of the Year honors with Colorado Christian skipper, Daven Bond.

Rounding out the Pack's all-conference awards was second-team selection Justine Bosio (Jr., Santa Barbara, Calif.) at pitcher and third-team selection Samantha Rios (Jr., Fullerton, Calif.) at shortstop.