Lady Miners (from left) Kandi Wieberg, Emily Tucker, Kelsey Musselman & Jen O'Hara

For the second year in a row, the Great Lakes Valley Conference's "Player of the Year" in softball hails from Missouri S&T.

Senior third baseman Kelsey Musselman, who leads the conference in four major statistical categories, was named as the league's top player at the conference's awards banquet held Wednesday in Peoria, Ill., on the eve of the GLVC Tournament.

She was also one of four Lady Miners named to the all-league team for the 2008 season as she was joined on the first team by second baseman Kandi Wieberg -- last season's GLVC "Player of the Year" -- and outfielder Emily Tucker, a repeat selection to the first team along with Wieberg. Junior pitcher Jen O'Hara, an honorable mention All-GLVC selection a year ago, was named to the third team.

Musselman currently leads the GLVC with a .426 batting average, .752 slugging percentage, .503 on-base percentage and in home runs with a school record-tying 13. She also ranks among the league leaders in runs batted in with 45 and is one of seven players in the GLVC with at least 60 hits this season.

Wieberg is hitting .331 on the year with 10 home runs and a team-high 16 stolen bases. Her 43 runs scored and 31 walks rank among the top marks in the GLVC as she is completing a record-setting career at Missouri S&T.

Tucker is the GLVC's fifth-leading hitter with a .406 batting average with six home runs and 33 runs batted in. The junior outfielder is among the GLVC leaders in doubles wih 14 and currently owns a slugging percentage of .647 and an on-base percentage of .471, both marks that rank fourth in the league. She is second on the team with 14 stolen bases.

O'Hara is 11-7 in the circle this season with a 2.03 earned run average; she has nine wins in GLVC decisons with a 1.95 ERA in 100 2/3 innings during the conference season. She has pitched 127 2/3 innings with 15 complete games, striking out 68 hitters on the year.

The Lady Miners open play in the GLVC Tournament Thursday against Rockhurst at 10 a.m. S&T is the No. 3 seed for the league tournament and is trying to also earn a berth to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional; the Lady Miners are ninth in the region in this week's rankings.

2008 All-GLVC Softball Team (First team selections)
C: Mallory Paine, Lewis
1B: Kim Locke, Bellarmine
2B: Kandi Wieberg, Missouri S&T
SS: Kelly Dianis, Lewis
3B: Kelsey Musselman, Missouri S&T
DP: Sara Loete, Southern Indiana
UT: Sadie Ball, Drury
OF: Emily Tucker, Missouri S&T
OF: Kathy Wood, Southern Indiana
OF: Jessica Breeden, Indianapolis
P: Kaitlin Colosimo, SIU Edwardsville
P: Courtney Lyons, Lewis
P: Torie Bunzell, Quincy

Third team from Missouri S&T: Jen O'Hara, P.

Player of the Year: Kelsey Musselman, Missouri S&T
Pitcher of the Year: Kaitlin Colosimo, SIU Edwardsville
Freshman of the Year: Torie Bunzell, Quincy
Coach of the Year: George DiMatteo, Lewis