Katie Franklin didn't play organized softball prior to college -- her main sport used to be tennis. But the New Preston, Conn., native made good use of her athleticism when she joined the Bates softball team as a first-year student. Franklin was a reserve outfielder that first year, but by the end of her time at Bates she earned All-NESCAC honors in each of her remaining three seasons.

A superlative defensive player at center field, Franklin set Bates single-season records in extra-base hits (19) and doubles (14) as a junior, then batted a career-high .406 as a senior, to go with a stellar .625 slugging percentage and a .474 on-base percentage. She was a team captain in both softball and basketball, and a four-year letterwinner in both sports. In her senior year of basketball, Franklin started all 25 of the Bobcats' games and led the team in three-point shooting.

Franklin also found the time to excel academically, carrying a cumulative grade point average of 3.66 and earning membership to the College Key and the Bates College Scholar-Athlete Society. An economics major, the title of her thesis is "Salary Inequality in Major League Baseball: A Study on the Effects of Pay Dispersion on Team Performance."