May 18, 1998 Release # S217         
Contact: Adam Levin          
Sports Information Director          
Phone #: (207) 786-6411
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DEROCKER NAMED TO ALL-NESCAC SOFTBALL TEAM


  LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates College junior Abbey DeRocker of Queensbury, N.Y., who plays first base, has been named to the All-NESCAC softball team.

DeRocker led the Bobcats with two home runs. She was second on the team in hits (24) and RBI (16) and third in batting average (.369). She established a school record for doubles in a season with 11, leading the team in total bases (41) and slugging percentage (.650). DeRocker ended the season on a seven-game hitting streak, raising her batting average 131 points to .369. In the final two games of the season, a doubleheader sweep of Johnson and Wales University, DeRocker was five for seven with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI.

The Bobcats were 11-8 this season, their third winning season of the 1990s. Their 10-3 record at Russell Street Field established a record for home wins in a season. Bates' biggest win of the season was a 6-4 victory over NCAA Division III tournament qualifier University of Southern Maine.

DeRocker is a 1995 graduate of Holderness School, Plymouth, N.H.

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