UMBC

Bio

	#30 - Melanie Denischuk
	Class: Senior Height/Weight: 5-8     Hometown: Poway, Calif./Carstairs, Alberta, Canada Position: 1B/3B/C     High School: Hugh Sutherland (Carstairs)/Indian River CC/Auburn   Bats: L

2007 Notes: Selected to the preseason watch list for the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year award… Voted team co-captain… Ranks third all-time with 24 career home runs, is tied for 12th with 82 RBI and is tied for 15th with 34 extra-base hits.

2006: Put together one of the most impressive seasons in UMBC and America East conference history in her first year as a Retriever… Became the first Retriever ever to win America East Player of the Year, and was also the only unanimous all-conference first team selection… Named to the America East All-Championship Team after hitting two home runs and driving in six at the conference tournament… Earned NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region first team accolades… Named UMBC’s Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year… Selected as a top-25 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award… Named team MVP… Shattered school single-season records for home runs (24), RBI (82), total bases (161), slugging percentage (.880), walks (39) and extra-base hits (34)… Also led the team with a .432 batting average and .545 on-base percentage, both second-best ever by a Retriever, and 79 hits, the third-most hits in a single season… Knocked 10 doubles and scored 45 runs, tied for ninth in a season at UMBC… Committed only three errors in 359 chances for a .992 field percentage, second-best on the team among regulars and fifth-best in the league… Put together a 14-game hitting streak from March 28-April 12, during which time she hit .634 (26-for-41)… Amassed 23 multi-hit games – including one four-hit game – and 21 multi-RBI games – including two five-plus-RBI games – on the season… Led the America East in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits, RBI, home runs, total bases and walks… Also ranked fifth in the league in runs scored… Led the nation in RBI per game (1.28) and ranked second in the country in home runs per game (0.38), third in slugging percentage and 14th in batting average… Named America East Player of the Week five times… First award was the conference’s first of the season and covered all 19 games through March 14, during which time she collected 22 hits, 27 RBI and six home runs… Next award came March 28 after hitting .474 (9-for-19) with four home runs, seven runs scored and nine RBI in six games… Earned second consecutive award on April 4 after hitting .619 (13-for-21) with three home runs, 13 RBI and eight runs scored in seven games… Fourth award came a week later (April 10) after batting .636 (7-for-11) with two doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI in four games… Earned fourth-straight award on April 17 after hitting .471 (8-for-17) with four home runs and eight RBI in six games… Named ECAC Player of the Week twice… Selected to UMBC Kickoff Classic all-tournament team after driving in seven runs in five games… Named co-MVP of the UMBC Dawg Pound Tournament after going 9-for-16 (.562) at the plate with two home runs, 11 RBI and four runs scored and driving in the winning run in the championship game… Selected to Delaware State Bash at the Beach All-Tournament Team after hitting .600 (9-for-15) with 15 total bases and seven RBI in five games… Hit three home runs and drove in seven in the Georgetown double-header, with six RBI in Game One… Also smashed two homers in the first game of the Binghamton double-header… Went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI against St. Francis (Pa.) at the Delaware State Bash at the Beach… Drove in six runs  against Howard at the Dawg Pound Tournament… Went 3-for-5 with four RBI, a home run and two runs scored against St. Francis (N.Y.) in the UMBC Spring Classic… Was intentionally walked eight times in three games at Stony Brook, and walked 12 times in four games April 26-30… Was invited to the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team Selection Camp.

Background: Attended Indian River Community College for two years and spent fall 2005 at Auburn before transferring to UMBC… Two-time first-team all-conference selection at Indian River… Named second-team all-state as a freshman and first-team all-state as a sophomore… Chosen to the NJCAA all-tournament team at nationals in 2005… Named IRCC 2004-05 top offensive player… NFCA all-American in 2004-05… Led Indian River to the state championship in 2004 and 2005, a second-place finish at nationals in 2005 and a third-place finish at nationals in 2004… Hit the game-winning two-run home run against Central Arizona in the 2005 National Tournament… Hit .514 on the season as a freshman and .389 as a sophomore… Totaled 14 home runs in her two seasons at Indian River… Also lettered in basketball and badminton in high school… Daughter of Fred and Susan Denischuk… Has an older brother, Blake, who played college baseball at Arkansas State and went on to play professionally in an independent league and in France… Born Nov. 6, 1984… Majoring in economics.