Just when you thought the NIU softball team had gotten all the recognition it could get, more awards began piling up on the Huskies’ doormat.

Headlining the honorees is centerfielder Jill Justin, who received a nomination for the 1988 Honda-Broderick Cup Softball Award. Justin is one of seven nominees for what is considered to be the Heisman Trophy of softball.

Justin, a junior, helped lead NIU to its first-ever appearance in the Division I National Softball Championship last month in Sunnyvale, Calif. The Huskies finished their season with a 35-11 record and tied for seventh in the country after dropping decisions to champion UCLA (1-0) and Texas A&M (3-0).

Justin struggled some during the championships as she went 1-for-6 in the two games. However, she doubled and drew two walks off UCLA pitcher Lisa Longaker, another Broderick award candidate. The only time Longaker retired Justin was on a line drive that the Bruin ace snared. Justin called it “one of the hardest hit balls of the year.”

Justin was quick to share credit for her nomination.

“I owe it all to my team and coaches,” she said. “I wouldn’t be halfway here without them.”

Justin said she was “excited” to hear of her nomination and that it was an unexpected honor.

“You think the season is over, and then this,” she said. “It kind of brings back the memories of getting to nationals and how well the team did.”

Justin led the nation in hitting for the second consecutive season. The two-time All American finished 1988 with a .484 average. Her 0.39 doubles per game also was best in the country.

As a team, NIU ranked among the top 13 schools in three categories and was the only team besides Oklahoma State to be listed in as many categories. The Huskies were 11th in both hitting and pitching with a .302 batting average and a 0.88 earned run average. NIU placed 13th in fielding with a .964 average.

“We’re excited about all the recognition in the final statistics,” said NIU coach Dee Abrahamson. “It took an entire team effort to get as far as we did this season. One of our goals this year was to be a balanced team, and being ranked in three categories is a definite sign and a great honor.”

“I think one of the keys to success is recognizing it’s more than a two-player game,” she said. “We need people around Jill hitting in the lineup and the other people fielding behind Beth (Schrader) on the mound.”