EAST PEORIA, Ill. – The Great Lakes Valley Conference announced Thursday night that University of Southern Indiana junior Haley Hodges was selected as the Player of the Year in the sport of softball. Additionally, University of Indianapolis senior pitcher Morgan Foley was chosen as GLVC Pitcher of the Year and Truman State University’s Christa Reisinger was named GLVC Freshman of the Year. Additionally, Greyhound head coach Melissa Frost was voted by her peers as GLVC Coach of the Year. These four individuals were recognized for their efforts at an awards reception on the eve of the
2016 GLVC Softball Championship Tournament, which begins Friday, April 29 in East Peoria, Illinois. A total of 41 student-athletes were also recognized as All-Conference honorees and 16 student-athletes were nominated for the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award.
Hodges is the second Screaming Eagle in a row to earn the league’s top honor, as MacKenzi Dorsam was selected last year, while this is just the third ever USI player chosen. Karianne Osowski became the school’s first honoree in 1995. The catcher led the league this season in batting average (.460), slugging percentage (1.007), on-base percentage (.586), runs scored (51), runs batted in (65), RBI per game (1.30), home runs (19), total bases, (138), and walks (41). She also ranked second in the Conference with 0.38 homers per game, 0.82 walks per game, 0.36 doubles per game, 1.02 runs scored per game, and 18 doubles. Her marks for slugging and on-base percentage are the best in NCAA Division II, while her home run total ranks fourth and her RBI and RBI per game are good for fifth nationally. Furthermore, Hodges has top-10 rankings in home runs per game (t-7th) and walks (8th).
Twice in a row, she was named GLVC Player of the Week (April 4 & 11) during her junior campaign and broke the USI single-season records for home runs and RBI while on the precipice of adding her name to the USI annals for runs, doubles and walks in a season. Most recently, the Portage, Indiana, native was named a top-25 finalist for the Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-GLVC First Team.
Foley finished 2016 bookending her career as the GLVC Pitcher of the Year after beginning it as the 2013 GLVC Freshman of the Year. She was five times named GLVC Pitcher of the Week this season while garnering the distinction 11 times in four years, and on March 2 she earned a Louisville Slugger/NFCA DII National Pitcher of the Week accolade.
Statistically, Foley ended the regular season as the league leader in earned run average (0.77), opposing batting average (.131), strikeouts per game (13.26), doubles allowed per game (0.25), hits allowed per game (3.10), and runs allowed per game (0.99). She was also second in the loop in strikeouts (428), batters struck out looking (83), wins (35), innings per game (5.95), and home runs allowed per game (0.15). On the national stage, the ace ranks first in both strikeouts per seven innings and hits allowed per seven innings, second in strikeouts, third in victories, and sixth in ERA. On February 27, the righty became the first DII pitcher to punch out the maximum 21 batters in a seven-inning game in a 2-0, no-hitter versus Hillsdale. Moreover, the Louisville, Kentucky, product was named a top-25 finalist for the Louisville Slugger/NFCA DII National Player of the Year and is a four-time All-GLVC first-team selection. This is the third Hound to earn the GLVC’s top pitching distinction and first since Jennifer Demotte in 2012.
Reisinger becomes the first ever GLVC Freshman of the Year from Truman State and is just the second Bulldog to garner any major softball postseason honor, as Kindra Henze was co-Pitcher of the Year in 2014. Her award comes in large part thanks to prowess on the base paths, as she is above and beyond the best base stealer in the loop with 42 stolen on the year – 15 more than the next closest base runner. Additionally, she leads the league in stolen bases per game (0.98), with one nearly every outing, as well as runs per game (1.02). The rookie also finds herself a top-5 GLVC standout in the following categories: hits per game (2nd, 1.49), at bats per game (2nd, 3.51), triples (t-2nd, 4), runs scored (t-3rd, 44), batting average (4th, .424), plate appearances per game (4th, 3.86), hits (t-4th, 64), and on-base percentage (5th, .470). She too has top-10 clips in the loop with a .636 slugging percentage (6th) and 96 total bases (9th). Those numbers helped her to a GLVC Player of the Week win on March 21 and a nod on the All-GLVC First Team.
This is Frost’s fifth honor as GLVC Coach of the Year, as she was also voted as such for the first time in 2010 and then took a three-peat from 2012-14. The 12-year Greyhound skipper led her 2016 squad to a 46-3 overall record while 27-3 in the GLVC. She guided UIndy to 32-straight wins to open this season after the program started the year ranked fifth in the NFCA DII Top 25 preseason poll. They became the top team in the country on March 27, a position they held for three weeks straight before concluding the regular season ranked No. 2 earlier this week. With Frost at the helm, the team earned the GLVC regular season crown and they enter as the top seed for this weekend’s GLVC Softball Championship Tournament with the Greyhounds’ mentor looking for her second tournament title.
Hodges is joined on the All-GLVC First Team by her sophomore teammate Olivia Clark-Kittleson (outfield), Foley’s junior teammate Katie Kelly (second base) earned a first-team spot, and Truman’s Henze joins Reisinger as an All-Conference first teamer. The other seven standouts garnering first-team recognition include Bellarmine University juniors Kelly Ely at third base and utility player Ally Foster, who is also a top-25 Schutt Sports/NFCA DII Player of the Year finalist; Lewis University sophomore outfielder Jenna Cairo; McKendree University sophomore designated player Brooke Gajewski and junior first baseman Rachel Hastings; and a pair of previous major award winners from University of Missouri-St. Louis in three-time GLVC Pitcher of the Year and 2016 top-25 Schutt Sports/NFCA DII Player of the Year finalist, senior southpaw Hannah Perryman, and 2014 GLVC Freshman of the Year, junior shortstop and three-time All-GLVC honoree Alex Stupek, round out the 13-team field.
The league also recognized 16 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced in May.
Each of the three All-GLVC teams is made up of 13 players, including four infielders by position (3B, SS, 2B, 1B), three outfielders, one catcher, one designated player, three pitchers and one utility player. Due to a tie at the outfield and shortstop positions, the Third Team is made up of 15 players.
A complete list of All-GLVC performers and major postseason award winners can be found below.
2016 SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Kelly Ely, Jr., 3B, BU
Ally Foster, Jr., UT, BU
Morgan Foley, Sr., P, UINDY
Katie Kelly, Jr., 2B, UINDY
Jenna Cairo, So., OF, LEWIS
Brooke Gajewski, So., DP, MCK
Rachel Hastings, Jr., 1B, MCK
Hannah Perryman, Sr., P, UMSL
Alex Stupek, Jr., SS, UMSL
Olivia Clark-Kittleson, So., OF, USI
Haley Hodges, Jr., C, USI
Kindra Henze, Sr., P, TSU
Christa Reisinger, Fr., OF, TSU
SECOND TEAM
Jessie Noone, So., OF, UINDY
Jenny Thompson, Sr., C, UINDY
Carolyn Nojiri, Jr., OF, LEWIS
Wendy Macias, Sr., P, MU
Hanna Branch, Jr., UT, MCK
Jamie Doggenorf, Jr., OF, MCK
Holly Magre, Jr., P, MCK
Haley Miller, Sr., 3B, SJC
Briana Wagner, Jr., SS, SJC
Caitlyn Bradley, Fr., DP, USI
Marleah Fossett, So., 1B, USI
Kelsea Dorsey, Sr., P, TSU
Brooke Bernard, So., 2B, WJC
THIRD TEAM*
Katie Stamper, So., OF, BU
Natalie Lalich, Jr., UT, UINDY
Brooke Riess, So., DP, UINDY
Tayler Weck, Jr., SS, UINDY
Courtney Ferguson, So., 2B, MU
Nikki Taylor, Jr., P, MU
Bridgette Sappington, Jr., P, RU
Sarah Owens, Sr., P, USI
Janna Green, Sr., OF, USI
Lexi Reese, Jr., SS, USI
Ashley Murphy, So., 1B, TSU
Cate Simon, Sr., 3B, TSU
Lex Van Nostrand, Jr., C, TSU
Madi Giles, So., OF, WJC
Madelynne Greenstreet, Fr., OF, WJC
*15 MEMBERS DUE TO TIE
2016 GLVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Haley Hodges, Jr., C, Southern Indiana
2016 GLVC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Morgan Foley, Sr., P, Indianapolis
2016 GLVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Christa Reisinger, Fr., OF, Truman State
2016 GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Melissa Frost, Indianapolis
2016 JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD NOMINEES
Ally Foster, BU
Kaelie Smith, DU
Amanda Gosbeth, UIS
Jessie Noone, UINDY
Carley Maupin, LEWIS
Nikki Taylor, MU
Jamie Doggendorf, MCK
Andi Davis, S&T
Alex Stupek, UMSL
Rebecca Powers, QU
Lauren Cairo, RU
Kalene Davis, SJC
Janna Green, USI
Jamie Fowle, TSU
Rachel Seefeldt, UWP
Shelby McGraw, WJC