Rhea Taylor is Big 12 player of the week

COLUMBIA — MU freshman softball player Rhea Taylor was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the week of March 4.

For Taylor, this is the first honor of her career and first for a MU player since Jen Bruck received the honor on May 2, 2006. Taylor, an outfielder, led the Tigers to seven wins last week, hitting for a .560 average, a .640 slugging percentage and going stealing seven bases without getting caught.

MU senior Amanda Renth was named one of 30 finalists for the 2008 Lowe’s Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award. The award is given to the best Division I softball player who also excels in the classroom and is active in her community.

The award is given to NCAA athletes in eight different sports and honors the athlete’s attributes in the “Four C’s”: classroom, character, community and competition.

Renth is one of three players on the list out of the Big 12.

She is recognized for her accomplishments from her junior year, when she batted .319 with 14 home runs and 59 RBIs, leading her team to a NCAA Regional Tournament appearance. That year, Renth was named to the All-Big 12 first team as well as the Academic All-Big 12 first team.

The winner of the 2008 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award will be named during the Women’s College World Series that runs from May 29-June 4 in Oklahoma City.