2016 Softball Roster
Fran Strub
- Height:
- 5-7
- Class:
- Senior
- High School:
- Clear Creek Amana
- Hometown:
- Coralville, Iowa
2016: Appeared in every game except one with 41 starts in the outfield, one pinch-hit appearance, seven pinch running assignments and five defensive replacement gigs ... Big Ten Distinguished Scholar ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Drove in a run and scored in a pinch-hit appearance against Virginia (2/12) ... Fired a rocket from right field to throw out a runner at the plate in a game against No. 8 Tennessee (2/13) ... Threw another runner out at home at North Carolina (2/19) ... Scored a run against No. 8 Georgia (2/27) ... Tallied a run in a win over No. 11 UCLA (2/28) ... Scored in each of the first three games of the USF Clearwater Spring Break Tournament (3/18-3/20) as a pinch runner, including twice from first base ... Finished 3-for-3 at the plate and made several diving catches in right in Northwestern’s Big Ten-opening series at No. 2 Michigan (3/25-3/27) ... Flexed into the lineup in Game One and scored as a pinch runner before making a diving catch in the seventh inning to help preserve a 13-12 victory ... Entered game two as a defensive replacement and got two plate appearances, singling and walking ... Finished 2-for-2 with two doubles, a walk and a run scored in the third game ... Had a great series against No. 21 Minnesota (4/1-4/3), batting .667 (4-for-6) ... Did most of her damage in a 10-2 (5) run-rule victory in game three (4/3), going a career-best 3-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a game-ending, walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the fifth ... Scored twice and cranked a two-run home run in the first game of a series against Iowa (4/9) ... Doubled and scored in the second contest against the Hawkeyes (4/9) ... Stole home in the series finale (4/10) ... Started an eight-run seventh-inning rally at Illinois (4/13) with a game-tying, two-run double ... Doubled twice and walked during a marathon 11-inning game against Nebraska (4/17) ... Walked, was hit by a pitch and scored twice against Loyola (Chicago) (4/27) ... Singled, walked and scored twice in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal game against No. 23 Minnesota (5/14) ... Was instrumental in Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament-opening 2-1 win against Oklahoma State (5/20), finishing 2-for-3 while driving in the first run and scoring the game-winner herself in the seventh inning ... Collected two more hits against the Cowgirls in an NCAA elimination game (5/21).2015: Appeared in 42 games this season with eight starts in left field, 27 pinch running assignments and seven appearances as a defensive replacement ... Academic All-Big Ten ... NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete ... Entered a game against UC Santa Barbara to play center field and ended up with an RBI single at the plate (2/6) ... Scored from second as a pinch runner on an infield error with a skillful hook slide around the tag at the plate against California (2/8) ... Started NU’s game against No. 12 UCLA, stealing a base and scoring a run (2/13) ... Scored twice as a pinch runner on the same day at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, against both No. 13 Arizona and Syracuse (2/20) ... Scored in both of NU’s games at the Louisville Softball Classic (3/8) ... Remained in the game against Ball State to play right field, making a sliding catch for the final out of a Kristen Wood no-hitter ... Made another great grab on a wind-blown ball in the second game of a doubleheader against IUPUI, limiting the Jaguars to one run during a sixth-inning rally that allowed NU to come back and win (3/14) ... Entered a game against Wisconsin (3/28) as a pinch runner and stole a base ... Remained in that game to get an at-bat, in which she crushed her first-career home run—a three-run shot—into Sharon J. Drysdale Field’s right-field bleachers ... Singled, scored twice and started a seventh-inning, come-from-behind rally in a win at Nebraska when she reached on an error to lead off the frame (4/19) ... Made a bottom-of-the-sixth leaping catch while slamming into the wall at Iowa (5/3) ... Scored runs in both of Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament games against Kentucky (5/15) and No. 21 Notre Dame (5/16).
2014: Had one start in right field and 39 other appearances: 34 times as a pinch runner, three times as a defensive replacement and twice as a pinch hitter ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Was 3-for-3 in pinch running opportunities at the Kajikawa Classic, scoring in each of NU's first three games of the year ... Collected her first-career base hit in a pinch hit appearance against Penn State (2/16) ... Scored three times in four pinch hit appearances at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic (2/21-2/23) ... Was 1-for-2 in pinch running attempts at the USF Under Armour Classic, crossing home against Western Michigan (3/8) ... Stole a base as a pinch runner against Wisconsin (3/21) ... In a start against UIC, finished 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored ... Swiped second as a pinch runner at Iowa (4/5) ... Scored from first on an extra-base hit as a pinch runner at No. 14 Minnesota (4/11) ... Found the plate for an NCAA Tournament score as a pinch runner against BYU (5/15).
2013: Appeared in 40 games with one start in center field, 38 pinch running appearances and one pinch hit assignment ... Scored her first-career run as a pinch runner in a win over No. 4 Tennessee (2/22) ... Crossed the plate in a pair of Big Ten games during Northwestern's series sweep against Illinois (4/5-4/7) ... Scored again in the B1G against Iowa (4/13) and in a nonconference win over Northern Illinois (4/16) ... Crossed the plate twice as a pinch runner in a series sweep of Penn State in the opener (4/19) and the finale (4/21) ... Scored during a five-run sixth-inning rally against Purdue in an eventual 6-2 win (4/28) ... Also found the plate in a 4-2 win against regional rival DePaul (4/30).
High School: As a junior, led the state of Iowa with 92 hits in 151 at-bats (.609 average) and 87 runs scored ... Also recorded 15 doubles, 13 triples, 12 home runs, 54 RBIs, 25 walks and 52 steals in 52 attempts ... During sophomore season, led the state of Iowa in hits (80), runs (80) and triples (18), batting .548 with a .618 on-base percentage and a 1.021 slugging percentage ... 2011 Class 3A Iowa Girls Coaches Association Co-Player of the Year ... 2010 and 2011 Class 3A All-State first team ... Four-time first-team All-WaMac Conference ... Three-time all-district first team ... 2011 Iowa City Press Hitter of the Year ... 2010 Class 3A Iowa state all-tournament team ... Team MVP in 2009 and team offensive player and newcomer award winner in 2008 ... Once stole eight bases in a single game in July of 2009 at Cedar Falls ... Team won the 2011 Class 3A Iowa state title with a 42-2 record after finishing fourth in the state with a 39-7 mark in 2010 ... High school coach is Jim White, a member of the IGSA Hall of Fame ... Played club with the Eastern Iowa Barracudas from 2007-10 before competing with the Southeast Iowa All-Stars in 2011 ... Also earned multiple varsity letters in soccer and basketball at Clear Creek Amana ... Four-year honor roll member ... Two-time NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.
Personal: Born Francis O'Brien Strub ... Daughter of Carl (Trip) and Ellen Strub III ... Actor Ashton Kutcher graduated from Clear Creek Amana ... Chose Northwestern over Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Drake and Northern Iowa ... Majoring in human development and psychological services with a minor in business institutions.
