June 4, 2013
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa shortstop Megan Blank has been invited to the 2013 USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Camp, to be held in Oklahoma City on June 10-12 at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex. Blank, a sophomore, is one of 32 athletes that will vie for 17 spots on the 2013 USA Softball Women’s National Team roster.
“It is a huge honor to be invited to the Selection Camp for Team USA,” said Blank. “It is every athlete’s dream to be able to play for their country, and to be invited to try out for the national team is definitely a dream come true. I am really excited for the opportunity to compete for a spot next week alongside some of the top players in the country. It would be surreal to put on the jersey and play for the USA.”
Blank was named a 2013 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First Team All-Midwest Region selection last month, earning her second all-region honor in as many seasons. She is the sixth Hawkeye in program history to garner all-region honors in each of her first two seasons. Blank became the ninth player in program history to earn all-region recognition as a freshman last year, as she was named to the second team.
Blank earned her second-straight first team All-Big Ten accolade this season, becoming the sixth Hawkeye in program history to earn first team honors in each of her first two seasons. She also garnered All-America and All-Big Ten honors from College Sports Madness.
Blank, who became the ninth player in school history to garner first team All-Big Ten honors as a freshman in 2012, hit .437 in 2013, setting Iowa’s single season batting average record. The previous record was .428, set by Kim Davis in 1993. The sophomore’s career average is .413, also marking the highest in program history. Blank’s 59 RBIs this year mark the second-highest single-season total in program history. Debbie Bilbao posted a school-record 61 RBIs in 1997. Blank belted 11 home runs this season — the third-highest single-season total.
Blank ranked fifth or higher in the Big Ten in eight major hitting categories. The Culver City, Calif., native was second in the Big Ten with 59 RBIs, third with a .437 batting average, a .766 slugging percentage, and 69 hits, fourth with 15 doubles and a .552 on-base percentage, and fifth in walks (35) and total bases (121).
Blank led the team with 19 multiple-RBI games and was second with 19 multi-hit games. She posted a 36-game reached-base streak and notched three or more RBIs eight times. Blank earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors twice this season and was named to the 2013 Lovelace Invitational All-Tournament team.