June 26, 2001
WACO, Texas - Baylor juniors Kelly Shoppach and Danielle Crockrom have been named B Association Male and Female Athletes of the Year the athletic department announced. Shoppach, a catcher on the baseball team, and Crockrom, a basketball forward, both earned several national honors this season.
Shoppach, a 6-0 Fort Worth, Texas native, was recently named the Johnny Bench Award winner, an honor recognizing him as the nation's top collegiate catcher. Shoppach, the Big 12 Player of the Year, hit .397 for the season and recorded a .998 fielding average, committing only one error in 406 chances. He was named first-team All-America by Baseball America and was also named All-America by Baseball Weekly, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Baylor's nationally ranked baseball team finished the season with a record of 37-24 and was selected to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year. Shoppach was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 48th pick in the second round of the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. In his spare time Shoppach visits local schools with Baylor's Bears and Books program and participated in Santa's Helpers and Food For Families. In addition, he frequently serves as a tour guide for school children touring the Baylor Ballpark.
Crockrom emerged as one of the nation's leading scorers and rebounders this season. The 6-2 Houston native helped lead the Lady Bears to a 21-9 record, a school-record 13 consecutive wins and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. She ranked No. 5 nationally in rebounding at 11.6 a game and was 14th in scoring at 21.1 points an outing. For her efforts Crockrom was named to several All-American teams and ranked by one basketball source as one of the top five returning collegiate players in the country. Crockrom was named first-team All-Big 12 and set two Big 12 season records when she hauled down 347 rebounds and chalked up 19 double-doubles. She was named Big 12 Player of the Week three times and led the conference in rebounding and was No. 3 in scoring. In addition, she was one of 35 athletes chosen to try out for the USA Basketball Squad and was selected as an alternate for the World University Games team. In her three-year career she has scored 1,219 points and grabbed 699 rebounds which ranks her No.8 on Baylor's all-time rebounding list.
Shoppach and Crockrom will be honored at halftime of a Baylor football game this fall.
