marjani
KNIGHTEN
SOPHOMORE l INFIELDER l 5-5
BUENA PARK, CALIF. l SUNNY HILLS HS
KNIGHTEN’S CAREER HIGHS
#
» Hits: 3 (three times)
» Runs: 2 (four times)
» Doubles: 1 (eight times)
» Walks: 1 (21 times)
99
» Hitting Streak: 9 games
» RBIs: 3 (four times)
» Home Runs: 1 (six times)
» Stolen Bases: 1 (six times)
Orange County Coaches All-Star team. Knighten also earned first-team All-CIF Southern
Section honors as a junior and a nod as the Freeway League’s best player. Knighten was
selected to play for Orange County in the Orange County vs. Riverside County All-Star
Game following her senior year.
Knighten owned a .456 (171-for-375) career batting average with 30 doubles, eight
triples, 28 home runs, 81 RBIs and 123 runs scored. She also boasted an .803 career
slugging percentage and .501 on-base percentage.
As a senior in 2013, Knighten batted .478 (55-for-115) with 12 doubles, two triples,
nine homers and 30 RBIs. She led Sunny Hills in hits, triples, home runs and runs (42).
Knighten helped the Lancers finish 21-9 and advance to the CIF Southern Section
championship game. Knighten produced 19 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI efforts
in only 30 games. She drove in a season-high six runs against Cerritos and then slugged
two doubles and one home run while producing four RBIs in her next game against Gahr.
Knighten went 3-for-4 with three home runs and five RBIs against Buena Park on April
25. Overall, Knighten hit safely in 27 of Sunny Hills’ 30 games. She was twice named
a Cal-Hi Sports Softball State Stat Star as a senior in addition to earning all-state and
All-America honors.
As a junior in 2012, Knighten batted .512 (44-for-86) with nine doubles, three triples,
11 home runs, 22 RBIs and 31 runs scored. She led the Lancers in nearly every offensive
category, including slugging percentage (1.070) and on-base percentage (.553). She went
5-for-5 with three home runs, one double and four RBIs in a 16-1 victory over Fullerton on
May 8, earning her a nod as a Cal-Hi Sports Softball State Stat Star.
In her sophomore season, Knighten hit a team-best .494 (43-for-87) with four doubles,
two triples, three home runs, 15 RBIs and 29 runs scored. She also posted team-best
totals of a .690 slugging percentage and a .531 on-base percentage.
Knighten burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2010, when she was named a top
softball underclassman and one of the 10 best freshmen by the Orange County Register.
Knighten batted .333 (29-for-87) with team-high totals of five doubles, five home runs,
one triple, 21 runs scored and a .586 slugging percentage. She also ranked second on the
team with a .389 on-base percentage and was third with 14 RBIs.
In club ball, Knighten enjoyed an outstanding career for the Corona Angels. The
sixth Angel to sign with NU over the past six years, Knighten also attended the same
high school as former Husker and Angel Julie Brechtel, who played at Nebraska from
2008 to 2011. Knighten won a 12-and-under national championship with the Angels in
2008, while finishing second at the 2010 14-and-under ASA National Championship.
Individually, Knighten attended the OnDeck National Elite Futures Camp in both 2009 and
2010.
CAREER HONORS & AWARDS
» Second-Team All-Big Ten (2014)
» Two-Time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (2014)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall, 2014)
FRESHMAN SEASON [2014]
MJ Knighten started all 62 games at third base as a freshman, making an immediate
impact on a Husker program that has recorded two straight top-10 national finishes. One
of the Big Ten’s top freshmen, Knighten was recognized as a second-team All-Big Ten
selection. She was one of only three freshmen to earn All-Big Ten accolades along with
Minnesota’s Sara Groenewegen and Michigan’s Megan Betsa, both of whom were among
the 10 finalists for national freshman of the year. Knighten was the only freshman position
player named to an All-Big Ten team in 2014, and she was the first Husker freshman third
baseman to be an all-conference selection since two-time All-American Tobin Echo-Hawk
in 1993.
In her rookie campaign, Knighten hit .311 with eight doubles, two triples, six homers
and 38 RBIs. Her 38 RBIs tied for the sixth-highest freshman total in school history, while
her six home runs tied for eighth among all freshmen in Husker history. Knighten’s 16
extra-base hits also ranked in the top 10 on Nebraska