EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Members of the No. 1 University of Indianapolis softball team, as well as the University of Missouri-St. Louis, have garnered the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s major postseason awards, it was announced by the league office Thursday evening at the 2013 GLVC Softball Championship Tournament Awards Reception. UIndy sophomore Casey Williamson was named by the conference coaches as the league’s Player of the Year and teammate Megan Foley was tabbed as Freshman of the Year. Missouri-St. Louis’ freshman Hannah Perryman garnered the Pitcher of the Year award. Indianapolis mentor Melissa Frost-Fisher was honored by her peers for Coach of the Year, while a total of 58 student-athletes from both the GLVC East and West Divisions earned All-Conference accolades.
After becoming the GLVC’s first-ever Freshman and Player of the Year honoree last season, Williamson becomes the sixth conference player to ever repeat as the league’s top player, and the first since UIndy’s Megan Russell was tabbed Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010. The two Greyhounds join Lewis’ Sarah Van Gorp (1999, 2000), Cori Lagerhausen (1993, 1994), and Anna Speck (1988, 1989), as well as UW-Parkside’s Wendy Wolff (1996, 1997), in the select company to repeat as Player of the Year. In 52 games this season, the UIndy sophomore ranks second in the conference with a .453 batting average, while pacing the league in hits (73), runs scored (55), runs batted in (50), triples (6), total bases (136) and stolen bases (34). She is also second in the GLVC in doubles (15) and tied for third in home runs (12). At the national level, the Indianapolis, Ind., native’s .851 slugging percentage and .526 on-base percentage rank 17th and 29th, respectively. Williamson’s honor marks the sixth time a Greyhound has earned Player of the Year, she and Russell join Tricia Neely (1990) and Julie Joseforsky (1991) and UIndy honorees.
Perryman is the first underclassman to ever earn GLVC Pitcher of the Year since the awards inception in 2005 and is the second Triton to be recognized as the conference’s top pitcher as Allyson DeFosset was tabbed in 2009. A native of Streamwood, Ill., Perryman captured five of the 11 GLVC Pitcher of the Week accolades awarded this year and finished the regular season by breaking DeFosset’s 2009 school record with 299 strikeouts. That total currently ranks second nationally, while her average of 12.5 strikeouts per seven innings is tops among all NCAA Division II pitchers. In addition, the 21-5 hurler rates fifth in the country with 3.75 hits allowed per seven innings, 11th with nine shutouts, 22nd with 21 victories, and 24th with a 1.46 ERA.
For the third consecutive season, a Greyhound has earned the league’s Freshman of the Year. Following the likes of Cori Eckerle in 2011 and Williamson as a co-honoree in 2012, Foley took the conference’s top newcomer honor after an impressive rookie season in the circle. The Louisville, Ky., native is coming off a regular-season finale where she nearly recorded a perfect game against UW-Parkside, striking out 18 batters – the most for a Greyhound since 2001 – and increasing her school-record strikeout total to 284, which currently ranks fifth nationally. At 25-3, Foley also ranks second in the country in wins (25), third in hits allowed (3.29) and fourth in strikeouts (11.4) per seven innings, and 15th in shutouts (8.0). Foley is the fifth Greyhound in program history to earn Freshman of the Year as in addition to Eckerle and Williamson, Lauren Booten and Megan Russell won back-to-back honors in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
Frost-Fisher, who earns her second consecutive Coach of the Year award and third overall, led the Greyhounds to a 48-4 overall record and 28-2 mark in conference play, both of which rank first in school history. UIndy, the outright GLVC East Division Champions and the top-seed in the 2013 GLVC Softball Championship Tournament, boasted a total of eight All-GLVC East Division honorees, including six first-team selections. In addition to Williamson and Foley, Frost-Fisher guided 2012 GLVC Pitcher of the Year Jennifer DeMotte, senior first baseman Bailey Wittenauer, senior third baseman Kelsey Rummel, and sophomore designated player Taylor Russell to first-team All-Conference distinction. Outside of Frost-Fisher’s three GLVC Coach of the Year honors, only one other Greyhound mentor has been recognized as the league’s top coach – Frost-Fisher’s current boss, Dr. Sue Willey, back in 1989.
Joining Williamson and Perryman as unanimous All-Conference selections was William Jewell junior utility player Rachel Hayden, who made up the 16-member West Division first-team squad, which was increased by three due to ties.
Including both first- and second-team selections, Indianapolis and Missouri-St. Louis garnered a league-best eight selections apiece, while Lewis followed with six and William Jewell boasted five.
A complete list of the 2013 GLVC All-Conference honorees follows:
2013 GLVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Casey Williamson, Indianapolis
2013 GLVC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Hannah Perryman, Missouri-St. Louis
2013 GLVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Morgan Foley, Indianapolis
2013 GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Melissa Frost-Fisher, Indianapolis
FIRST-TEAM EAST DIVISION
1B – Bailey Wittenauer, Sr., UINDY
2B – Stephanie Winter, So., SJC
SS – Michelle Vucsko, Sr., LEWIS
3B – Kelsey Rummel, Sr., UINDY
C – Scarlett Powers, So., BU
OF – Casey Williamson, So., UINDY#
OF – Jayme Hefler, Sr., LEWIS
OF – Lauren Hanford, Sr., LEWIS
DP – Taylor Russell, So., UINDY
UT – Ally Foster, Fr., BU
P – Jennifer DeMotte, Sr., UINDY
P – Morgan Foley, Fr., UINDY
P – Brooke Harmening, So., USI
SECOND-TEAM EAST DIVISION
1B – Kelsey Ullrich, So., LEWIS
2B – Tabby Shewmaker, Fr., BU
SS – Janna Green, Fr., USI
3B – Madi Ratliff, Sr., BU
C – Jennifer Thompson, Fr., UINDY
OF – Erika Goodwin, Fr., UINDY
OF – Kylie Weeks, Jr., SJC
OF – Kaitlyn England, Fr., USI
DP – Kelsey Jankowski, Jr., USI
UT – MacKenzi Dorsam, So., USI
P – Kelly Bowler, So., LEWIS
P – Ali Brems, So., LEWIS
P – Sarah Jo Franklin, Sr., SJC
FIRST-TEAM WEST DIVISION
1B – Brianna Butler, So., UMSL
*2B – Brittany Madsen, Jr., WJC
*2B – Katie Wood, So., UMSL
*SS – Natalie Johnson, Sr., RU
*SS – Haleigh Jenkins, Sr., UMSL
3B – Jordyn Amos, So., UIS
C – Kaylea Smith, Sr., S&T
OF – Stacy Razo, Sr., DU
OF – Ashley Barrett, Jr., WJC
OF – Rachel Potvin, So., WJC
DP – Faith Song, So., WJC
UT – Rachel Hayden, Jr., WJC #
*P – Becca Strope, So., S&T
*P – Hannah Perryman, Fr., UMSL#
*P – Brittni Chapman, So., UMSL
*P – Wendy Macias, So., QU
SECOND-TEAM WEST DVISION
1B – Brooke Carroll, Sr., UIS
2B – Shelby Steinkamp, Jr., MU
SS – Sarah Gray, Sr., UIS
3B – Alex Jacobson, Jr., RU
C – Madison Zbaraschuk, So., UMSL
OF – Regina Norris, Sr., DU
OF – Jena Boudreau, So., UMSL
OF – Ashleigh King, Jr., UMSL
*DP – Ashleigh Roscetti, Sr., QU
*DP – Demi Plathe, Fr., RU
*UT – Katelyn Weaver, Jr., UIS
*UT – Andi Davis, Fr., S&T
*P – Cheyanne Bowman, Fr., UIS
*P – Lauren Francis, Sr., QU
*P – Julie Jouglard, Sr., MU
*P – Sydney Fairfield, Fr., RU
* tie
# Indicates Unanimous Selection