Madi Leonard and Cassi Glixman earn NFCA All-American Honors

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has announced their 2015 All-Americans with two Griffins selected to the third team as announced by the Association today. The NFCA has three All-American teams representing eight NCAA Division III districts. Fontbonne represents the lone SLIAC representation of the 29 institutions and 45 honorees this season. Twelve schools have multiple representations on the three All-America teams. Fontbonne finished the season ranked No. 18 in the NFCA final rankings, going 30-11 under head coach Bill Rosner and associate head coach Mike Akers. The Griffins advanced to the NCAA Tournament for their sixth consecutive year.

Junior pitcher Madi Leonard and senior first baseman Cassi Glixman were each named third-team All-Americans for each student-athletes' first representation of the high-caliber honor. There are 33 first-time All-Americans this year.

Leonard (Imperial, Mo./Seckman), whose been nationally ranked all season in wins and strikeouts, finished her junior collegiate season 24-6 with 226 strikouts and a 1.33 earned-run average. The righty pitched 174 innings this season, with 12 complete games, 155 shutout innings and 58 consecutive shutout innings from March 31st - April 16th. Her consecutive scoreless innings places her seventh all-time among NCAA Division III players. Leonard won 20 consecutive starts on the mound, the 12th most consecutive wins in the NCAA Division III all-time record book. She earned first-team all-SLIAC honors for the third time and was the 2015 SLIAC Pitcher of the Year and 2015 SLIAC Tournament MVP. She is top all-time in Fontbonne strikeouts, recording 523 K's in three seasons, also first in wins with 53 under her belt, second all-time in most starts pitching with 75, and second all-time in most innings pitched notching 415 innings on the mound.

Cassi (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway North) led the Griffins this season with 54 RBI's and a .785 slugging percentage. The senior first baseman recorded 59 hits, one short of her 2014 school-record 60 hits, 42 runs, 18 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs. Cassi stole seven bases on nine attempts, had a .985 fielding percentage, .477 on-base percentage and .437 batting average. She was named the SLIAC Player of the Year for the second year in a row and earned her fourth all-region selection and second first-team all-region selection this season. In her career, Cassi totaled a .421 batting average (second all-time), .647 slugging percentage (third all-time), 199 hits (second all-time by one hit), 146 runs (record), 155 RBI's (record), 51 doubles (second all-time), 16 home runs (third all-time) and 36 walks. The senior finished magna cum laude in one of Fontbonne toughest Family and Consumer Science programs- Dietetics.

Leonard and Glixman are two of six total All-Americans from Fontbonne softball history to gain such an accomplishment. Other winners include Danni Glixman (2013 3rd team), Marisa Simon (2011 honorable mention), Annie Dillinger (2006 1st team) and Ashley Weaver (2006 3rd team).