Swiping a base and moving into scoring position without having to sacrifice your hitter can put a charge into any coach – but the ultimate goal is to get across the plate. When looking at the top base-stealers in D1 Softball, we also check out the runs-scored column to see who is making the most of their time on base.
Who do you think is the best? Vote at the bottom of the page. The poll closes Monday at noon Pacific, so be sure to get your vote in on time, and share with friends so they can vote as well.
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Rochelle Roberts – BR-154 Louisiana-Monroe
23 SB/24 A in 25 games (9th)
1.36 RPG (9th)
.534 batting avg (3rd)
Just last month, BR-147 Louisiana-Monroe outfielder Rochelle Roberts (pictured above) earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honors after an amazing week that saw the junior hit .667 (12-18) with a team-high 10 runs, seven stolen bases (7-7) and two home runs. She also had six RBIs, three walks, a double and a triple.
Last season, Roberts swiped 36 bases on 42 attempts, scoring 42 runs. So far in 2016, the junior ranks 9th in D1 in both stolen bases (23), runs-per game (1.36) and her .534 batting average ranks 3rd.
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Katie Lacour – BR-200 Southeastern Louisiana
26 SB/30A in 26 games (3rd)
1.19 RPG (22nd)
SLU's Katie Lacour ranks 3rd in D3 with 26 steals (Photo Courtesy Southeastern Louisiana Athletics/Randy Bergeron)
A preseason All-Southland Conference selection, BR-200 Southeastern Louisiana outfielder Katie Lacour is currently third in D1 Softball with 26 steals in 30 attempts. The senior is also sitting in the 22nd spot in the nation in runs scored-per game, crossing the plate 1.19 times per contest this season.
During her junior season, Lacour became the first player in school history to earn All-Southland honors multiple time, and was named NFCA All-Region. She set single-season school records with 89 hits, 46 runs scored, and posted a .484 batting average – good for fifth overall in D1.
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Karley Wester – BR-18 Notre Dame
20 SB/22 A in 24 games (13th)
1.29 RPG (12th)
.469 batting average (27th)
Notre Dame's Karley Wester led the ACC in hitting her first two seasons at South Bend (Photo Courtesy Notre Dame Athletics/Mike Bennett)
A second-year captain at BR-18 Notre Dame, outfielder Karley Wester enters her junior season after posting an amazing two-season run for the Irish. She hit a program-best .441 with 165 hits, 60 RBI, 52 stolen bases and 115 runs scored through her first 111 games.
Wester led the Atlantic Coast Conference in batting average in each of her first two seasons, after a sophomore campaign hitting .429, while also tying ND’s single-season record for runs scored with 65 and hits with 84.
This season Wester has swiped 20 bases in 24 attempts – 13th in D1 while her average of 1.29 runs per game places her 12th in the nation. She also leads ACC with 46 hits.
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Morgan Klaevemann – BR-6 Florida State
17 SB/19 A in 22 games (17th)
1.23 RPG (18th)
Florida State's Morgan Klaevemann was named an All-ACC First Team selection last season (Photo Courtesy Florida St. Athletics/Maury Neipris)
Sophomore outfielder Morgan Klaevemann’s .532 on-base percentage leads BR-6 Florida State, and with 17 stolen bases and 27 runs scored, she’s making the most of her time on the basepaths for the Seminoles this season.
During her freshman campaign, the left slapper earned honors as an All-ACC First Team and NFCA Southeast All-Region Third Team member. She led the Seminoles with a .393 batting average, a mark 7th highest in FSU history. She added five doubles, three triples with 19 runs batted in, 43 runs and 20 stolen bases.
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Cortni Emanuel – BR-16 Georgia
17 SB/18 A in 27 games (32nd)
1.39 RPG (T6)
.527 batting average (4th in D1 – 1st in SEC)
Georgia's Cortni Emanuel leads the SEC in hitting with a .527 average (Photo by David Barnes)
BR-16 Georgia sophomore Cortni Emanuel crossed the plate 38 time so far this season, ranking in tie for third in all of D1 in that category. Her .527 batting average ranks fourth overall, and tops in the Southeastern Conference. She’s also swiped 17 games in 18 attempts.
Emanuel made her mark in her first year in Athens, being named an NFCA All-American, NFCA All-Regional First Team honoree, and a top-10 finalist for the USA Softball Freshman of the Year. She was second for the Bulldogs with a .408 average, adding 53 runs, 18 RBI and a .436 on-base percentage. A major threat on the basepaths, she swiped 45 bases in 49 attempts – the most by a Georgia player since 2007.
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Sami Fagan – BR-10 Missouri
15 SB/15A in 21 games (22nd)
1.19 RPG (T24th)
.589 on-base percentage (7th)
.465 batting avg (28th)
Mizzou's Sami Fagan ranks 7th in D1 with a .589 on-base percentage (Photo Courtesy of Mizzou Athletics)
BR-10 Missouri senior Sami Fagan ranks 7th in all of D1 with a .589 on-base percentage. Fagan has swiped 15 bases without having been caught so far this season and along with her 1.19 runs scored per game, places her in the top-25 in D1 in each category.
Fagan is hitting at a .465 clip, ranking 3rd in the Southeastern Conference, and 28th overall in D1.
[divider] Who Dominates the Basepaths in D1 Softball?
