A total of five IUP softball players have been chosen as all-region players for the 2011 season, including first team selections Erin Holloway (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) and Megan McCormick (Evans City/Seneca Valley) by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and Holloway and Raquel Rugani (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour ) by Daktronics.

Kristen Tunno (Seaford, Va./Grafton) and Michelle Bivona (Thorndale, Pa./Coatesville) were on the NFCA second team while Tunno and McCormick were on the Daktronics second team.

Holloway continued to add to her postseason accolades which also include the PSAC Central and Atlantic Region pitcher of the year and MVP of the PSAC tournament when the Crimson Hawks won the conference championship for the first time in school history.

The senior righthander has a record of 27-3 this season with an ERA of 1.25. The 27 wins is just one shy of her own school season record set a year ago with IUP having at least two games remaining at the Division II World Series beginning later this week.

In 201 1-3 innings, Holloway has allowed only 108 hits while striking out 236 and walking only 52. She has 11 shutouts and two saves on the year and opponents are batting just .154 against her. Entering the Super Regional she ranked seventh in the nation in hits allowed per seven innings, 19th in ERA and 31st in strikeouts per seven innings.

Holloway has pitched every inning of IUP's 11-0 run through the postseason, including 6-0 in the PSAC tournament and 5-0 in the NCAA tournament as the Crimson Hawks earned their first-ever berth in the World Series.

Holloway holds every career pitching record in school history and needs only seven more strikeouts to become the third pitcher in PSAC history to reach the 1,000 mark. She also ranks third in conference history in complete games (103) and innings pitched (790 2-3), fifth in wins (78) and sixth in shutouts (32).

McCormick, a junior first baseman, was a third team All-American in 2010 and this year is batting .414 (60-for-145) with 14 doubles, seven home runs, 38 runs scored and 53 RBIs – all team-leading numbers. She leads the PSAC in RBIs, ranks second in hits and doubles, third in on-base percentage (.469) and fourth in runs and total bases (97).

She was the offensive star for the Crimson Hawks during the PSAC tournament and opening round of the Atlantic Regional, going a combined 17-for-32 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in those nine games. She went 4-for-4 with two homers and drove in five runs in the PSAC championship game win over West Chester.

McCormick has the top two season RBI totals in school history, with her 53 this year ranking first to break her own mark of 50 from a year ago. She also holds season records for hits (67), doubles (21) and total bases (113) – all established last season – and her .414 average this year is currently first in the school record book. She is also the all-time career leader in RBIs (125), doubles (40) and batting (.384).

Rugani, a senior designated player, is batting .431 (31-for-72) in her only season at IUP after transferring from St. Francis. Her average would be first in the PSAC if she had enough at bats to qualify, having missed time during the regular season due to injury. If she can maintain close to that average during the World Series, she will take over the top spot on the IUP season list.

In addition to her lofty batting average, Rugani has six doubles and 20 RBIs with a slugging percentage of .514. She put together a 13-game hitting streak that included the first nine games of the postseason and failed to hit safety in only three of her 25 starts all year.

Tunno, a senior rightfielder, is a three-time all-region selection and is batting .367 (47-for-128) with 11 doubles, 17 runs scored and 29 RBIs this season. She ranks second on the team in batting, hits, doubles and RBIs and has not committed an error in 50 chances in the field.

Tunno stands among the all-time IUP leaders in just about every offensive category, with her career batting average of .368 ranking third. She is second in hits (189), fourth in at bats (513), tied for sixth in doubles (29), eighth in total bases (236), tied for eighth in triples (6) and ninth in RBIs (85).

Bivona, a senior leftfielder, is making her debut on the all-region team. She is batting .331 (41-for-124), the fourth-best mark on the team, and ranks second with 33 runs scored and tied for third with eight doubles while adding a triple, two home runs and 21 RBIs.

Over the past four years, Bivona has played in 166 games, the sixth-most in school history and the most of any current IUP player, and has a career batting average of .295 with 127 hits, 22 doubles, 79 runs and 16 stolen bases.