LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Fort Lewis College softball players Missy Fundora and Chelsea Rodriguez were named to the All-Desert Stinger first team, Montana State University-Billings Sports Information Director Barrett Henderson announced yesterday.
 
Fort Lewis and Sonoma State were the only two teams to place two players on the all-tournament first team.
 
Fundora, a 5-foot-4 freshman outfielder from Valencia High School in Valencia, Calif., batted .500, going 6-for-12 with three runs scored, a double and an RBI.
 
“Missy is a tough out,” said third-year FLC head coach Kira Zeiter. “She has a full arsenal of things she can do at the plate and covers a bunch of ground in the outfield. She's off to a great start.”
 
Rodriguez, a 5-foot-6 junior from Highland High School in Mesa, Ariz. Who was named to the Preseason All-RMAC squad last month, batted .462, going 6-for-13 with seven RBI, five runs scored, a double and a home run. She also drew six walks to finish with a .632 on-base percentage. At the hot corner, Rodriguez had just one error in 23 chances for a .957 fielding percentage.
 
“This past weekend is what we have come to expect from Chelsea,” said Zeiter. “She's proven to herself and to the conference what she is capable of at the plate and played a solid third base this past weekend.”
 
Among all of the players who represented 28 NCAA Division II schools at the Desert Stinger, Rodriguez was the lone repeat selection on the all-tournament first team from a year ago.
 
 
Her fast start at the 2012 Desert Stinger helped Rodriguez rewrite the FLC record books in 2012. She set single-season records for batting average (.474), hits (73), runs (58) and walks (47). She also owns numerous FLC single-game records, including hits (5, twice), singles (5, at New Mexico Highlands, game 2, April 14, 2012), total bases (11, at Chadron State, game 1, March 18, 2012), home runs (tied with several other players, 2, at Chadron State, game 1, March 18, 2012) and walks (4, vs. New Mexico Highlands, March 19, 2011).
 
Rodriguez was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2012 RMAC tournament, and added National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Central Region first team, RMAC All-Tournament team, All-RMAC second team, RMAC All-Academic first team and RMAC Player of the Week (Feb. 14) honors in 2012. She was a third team All-RMAC pick as a true freshman in 2011.
 
She led all of NCAA Division II in on-base percentage (.610) and walks (0.89 per game) in 2012, becoming the first Skyhawk ever to lead the entire nation in a statistical category. She also ranked among the national Top 25 in batting average (sixth), slugging percentage (ninth), and runs per game (17th).
 
Fort Lewis (2-3 overall) won its final two games of the weekend at the fourth annual Desert Stinger. FLC beat Central Washington 14-10 on Saturday and No. 24 Dixie State 6-5 on Sunday. The Skyhawks lost their first three games at the tournament.
 
West Texas A&M won the Desert Stinger tournament title, finishing unbeaten and edging out Mary — the tourney's other undefeated team — in the run differential tiebreaker.
 
California State-Dominguez Hills' Adrianna Sanchez was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, while Colorado Mines' Kelly Unkrich was the Most Outstanding Pitcher.
                                
The complete all-tournament team includes:
 
Most Outstanding Player: Adrianna Sanchez, Calif. State-Dominguez Hills
Most Outstanding Pitcher: Kelly Unkrich, Colorado Mines
 
First Team
Name, School
Adrianna Sanchez, Calif. State-Dominguez Hills
Kelly Unkrich, Colorado Mines
Kelly Franks, St. Cloud State
Trisha Bouchard, Simon Fraser
Jessica Belsterling, UC-Colorado Springs
*Chelsea Rodriguez, Fort Lewis
Missy Fundora, Fort Lewis
Alexie Levin, Western Washington
Megan Konieczka, Sonoma State
Vanessa Currie, Sonoma State
Kierra Jeffers, Minnesota-Duluth
Shelby Watts, New Mexico Highlands
 
Second Team
Nam, School
Brittney Hadley, Mary
Susie Oury, Metro State
Brittany Brenner, Calif. State-Dominguez Hills
Lauren Harper, Calif. State-Dominguez Hills
Cherlyn Trujillo, Mary
Samantha Lipperd, Sonoma State
Hannah Williams, Humboldt State
Jessica Sipe, West Texas A&M
Anna Cue, Dixie State
Haley Walker, Grand Canyon
Mary Ortega, Notre Dame de Namur
Jourdan Hitchings, UC-Colorado Springs
 
* 2012 first team selection
 
The Skyhawks take this weekend off before opening Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play at UC-Colorado Springs (5-4-1) on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23-24. As is standard for four-game RMAC series, games are slated for noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday at Mountain Lion Field.