Ham, Stuever, James named NJCAA D1 All-American first team

Butler sophomores Maggie Ham, Sydney Stuever and freshman Kate James were named to the NJCAA Division I All-American first team on Thursday. It is the first time in the history of Butler softball that multiple players were named to the All-American team in the same year.

Ham, a sophomore pitcher who hails from George West, Texas, went 30-3 in 40 appearances with a 1.55 earned run average and 288 strikeouts. Ham led the Grizzlies with 175.2 innings pitched with 13 complete games and allowed just 94 hits and 39 earned runs on the season. Ham, who was named the Most Valuable Player for the KJCCC Western Division earlier this month, set new school records for most wins and strikeouts in a single season. Ham was also named the KJCCC Division I pitcher of the week eight times this season. She has committed to play at the University of Oklahoma next season.

Stuever, an outfielder from Colwich, Kan., hit .446 with seven home runs and 33 runs batted in this season. Stuever also led the team in hits (78), stolen bases (36) and doubles (16). Her .446 average was second-best on the team. Stuever also was earned first-team outfield honors on the KJCCC Western Division team and was also named to the NJCAA Division I All-Tournament team, as she hit .400 (8-for-20), scored eight runs and stole three bases in six games at nationals. Stuever earned KJCCC Division I Player of the Week for the week of March 4-10.

James, a freshman catcher from Maize, Kan., hit .437 with 24 home runs and 79 runs batted in. James broke the school record for most home runs in a season (Robyn Sadowski, 17) and had the second-highest mark for RBIs in a season. In addition to leading the team in home runs and RBI, James also led the team in runs (65), doubles (16), slugging percentage (.976) and base on balls (23). Earlier this month, James was named the KJCCC Western Division Freshman of the Year and earned first-team All-Conference honors at the catcher position. James was a three-time KJCCC Division I Player of the Week.

The trio helped the Grizzlies to its most successful season in program history with a 54-4 record, a perfect 16-0 Jayhawk West regular season, a third straight Region VI championship, a District E title and a fourth-place finish at the Division I Tournament. The 2013 squad set school records for the most wins and fewest losses in a season and the most wins in the national tournament (4).

Previous Butler players selected to the NJCAA Division I All-American team were Robyn Sadowski (2006), Sadie Ball (2007), Lauren Supak (2008), Gabrielle Hart (2009) and Kacy Covert (2010). Butler has now had eight All-Americans in the past eight years.