Shanna Diller (pronunciation: SHAN-na) enters her first season as a special assistant with the Texas Softball program. Diller's acceptance of the position follows a two-year stint as an Assistant Director of Marketing at the University of Illinois, where she served as the primary marketing contact for women's soccer, women's basketball, men's and women's gymnastics and baseball. Prior to joining the department on a full-time basis, Diller was a graduate assistant from 2009-10 for the I FUND, working specifically with the Varsity "I" Association and its mailings, individual sport reunions and other related events. During that time, she also played professional softball for the Rockford Thunder and Tennessee Diamonds. From 2005-08, Diller was the starting third baseman for the Fighting Illini softball program, earning a trio of All-Big Ten Conference selections as well as a pair of placements on ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 5 squads. She also became the first three-time team captain in program history. As a junior, Diller was named the winner of the team's Scholar-Athlete and Gold Glove awards in addition to representing Illinois on the Big Ten Sportsmanship Team. A native of Bloomington, Ill., Diller owns the seventh-best batting average in Illinois career history, checking in with a .314 mark. She also stands second in home runs (37), third in runs scored (163), runs batted in (158) and walks (92), fourth in slugging percentage (.537) and doubles (40), seventh in hits (213), on-base percentage (.403) and at bats (678) and ninth in stolen bases (23). In Illinois single-season history, Diller's 52 runs scored in 2007 are the fourth most. That year Diller also slugged 16 home runs, good for the second most in a year in program history, and posted a .623 slugging percentage, the eighth highest for a Fighting Illini player. As a senior, she hit 17 doubles, tied for the second most in a campaign. Upon completing her eligibility at Illinois, Diller signed a free-agent contract with the Rockford Thunder of the National Pro Fastpitch. The Thunder, behind the pitching arm of former Longhorns' All-American Cat Osterman, claimed the 2009 championship with a 2-0 victory over the USSSA Pride in the third game of the series. Diller led the squad with 18 runs batted in during the title-winning campaign. A summer later, Diller played for the Tennessee Diamonds, batting .294 and collecting 20 hits. Diller graduated from Illinois with a bachelor's degree in advertising and a business minor in December 2008 and followed with her master's degree in sports management in May 2010. |
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