INDIANAPOLIS – Four Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) schools won softball major awards for the 2022 season, the league announced on Thursday. In addition to the four major award winners, three All-Conference teams were announced, with 15 student-athletes named James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees, and Quincy University voted the team sportsmanship winner.
The All-GLVC softball teams and major award winners are voted on by the league’s 15 head coaches. Per GLVC policy, coaches are not permitted to vote for their own players.
McKendree University junior Olivia Stansbury was named the Conference Player of the Year, Drury University junior Kristina Bettis was named Pitcher of the Year, University of Indianapolis freshman Megan Nichols was tabbed the league’s Freshman of the Year, and University of Southern Indiana’s Sue Kunkle was voted Coach of the Year by her peers.
Stansbury’s name flooded the Conference leaderboards this spring, as the junior ranked first in the top five in the following categories: batting average (.470), slugging percentage (1.052), on-base percentage (.553), home runs (20), and total bases (141). She was also second in hits (63) and runs batted in (51). The first-team recognition is the first of Stansbury’s career, as she was chosen as one of seven unanimous honorees. Stansbury is the first Bearcat in program history to win GLVC Player of the Year honors and just the second major award winner in the sport, as Miranda Gajewski was the 2018 Freshman of the Year.
Bettis took the league by storm this year, finishing the regular season with a 1.25 ERA (third in GLVC), a .155 opponent batting average (first), and 234 strikeouts (first) in 179.1 innings of work (first). Bettis is no stranger to GLVC awards, as she won Pitcher of the Week five times during her junior season, including three-straight from March 21 through April 4. The right-hander is the first major softball award winner in program history and the first All-GLVC First Team selection since 2019, snagging a unanimous nod.
Nichols makes it two-straight years the Greyhounds have won Freshman of the Year honors. She finished toward the top of the GLVC in batting average (.435; second), runs scored (45; second), and hits (73; first). The newcomer picked up First Team All-GLVC laurels, along with four of her teammates.
After being picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll, Kunkle guided the Screaming Eagles to the top seed in the upcoming GLVC Championship Tournament. USI has been one of the best teams in the country this spring, rising as high as No. 15 in the NFCA national poll. The Eagles finished the regular season with a 40-10 record, including going 26-2 in GLVC play. She also mentored six to All-Conference distinction, including junior Allie Goodin to unanimous first-team accolades. It is Kunkle’s third time winning GLVC Coach of the Year with her first coming in 2006 and the most recent in 2017.
UIndy paced the league with five All-GLVC first-team selections, as Kenzee Smith, Dominique Proctor (unanimous), Lexy Rees, and Gianni Iannantone (unanimous) joined Nichols on the top squad. Lindenwood’s Amanda Weyh – a unanimous choice – and Whitney Wendel represented the Lions on the First Team, while William Jewell College graduate third baseman, Allison Rawls was the other unanimous selection to the First Team. In addition to Stansbury, Bettis, and Goodin, rounding out the All-League first-teamers was Rockhurst’s Calli Wibbenmeyer, Truman State’s Emma Walbert, and Quincy’s Ally Maynard.
The league also recognized Quincy as its GLVC Softball James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award team recipient, as well as 15 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award Individual honorees for the sport of softball. 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.
GLVC Player of the Year: Olivia Stansbury, Jr., OF, McKendree
GLVC Pitcher of the Year: Kristina Bettis, Jr., P, Drury
GLVC Freshman of the Year: Megan Nichols, Fr., OF, Indianapolis
GLVC Coach of the Year: Sue Kunkle, Southern Indiana
2022 ALL-GLVC SOFTBALL POSTSEASON AWARDS
All-GLVC First Team
Kristina Bettis, Jr., P, DU #
Amanda Weyh, Jr., P, LWU #
Kenzee Smith, So., P, UINDY
Allie Goodin, Jr., UTP, USI #
Calli Wibbenmeyer, Gr., 1B, RU
Dominique Proctor, So., 2B, UINDY #
Whitney Wendel, Gr., SS, LWU
Allison Rawls, Gr., 3B, WJC #
Lexy Rees, Jr., C, UINDY
Olivia Stansbury, Jr., OF, MCK #
Megan Nichols, Fr., OF, UINDY
Emma Walbert, Sr., OF, TSU
Gianni Iannantone, Gr., UTNP, UINDY #
Ally Maynard, Fr., DP, QU
# Unanimous selection
All-GLVC Second Team
Josie Newman, Fr., P, USI
Haylie Foster, Gr., P, UINDY
Annie Scaramuzzi, Jr., P, UMSL
Lexi Fair, So., 1B, USI
Danielle Dennis, Sr., 2B, UIS
Maya Gallagher, Jr., SS, RU
Emily O'Connor, Jr., 3B, UINDY
Sammie Kihega, So., C, USI
Rylee Kolb, So., OF, DU
Abby Tiemann, Sr., OF, DU
Mackenzie Bedrick, So., OF, USI
Delaney Garden, Fr., UTP, LEWIS
Jillian Mathis, Jr., UTNP, UIS
Katie Back, Sr., DP, USI
All-GLVC Third Team
Marina Esparza, Gr., P, LWU
Ellie Quaethem, So., P, MCK
Mimi Bradley, Sr., P, UMSL
Lauren Beier, Jr., 1B, DU
Cameryn Patterson, So., 2B, TSU
Carly Chovanec, Sr., SS, UIS
Gwen Bostick, Jr., 3B, RU
Emily Clark, Gr., C, RU
Sydnie Foster, Gr., OF, UINDY
Taylor Bushman, Sr., OF, LWU
Sara Serena, Sr., OF, LEWIS
Taylor Shingler, Sr., OF, MU
Jayle Jennings, Jr., UTP, QU
Sydney Sneed, Jr., UTNP, DU
Megan Brown, Gr., DP, UMSL
*Extra Member Due to Tie.
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Meagan Parsley, DU
Grace Harris, UIS
Tara Williams, UINDY
Meghan Bontrager, LEWIS
Madison Corwell, LWU
Olivia Jarvis, MU
Paige Hayden, MCK
Ciarrah Bell, S&T
Mimi Bradley, UMSL
MJ Maguire, QU
Maya Gallagher, RU
Courtney Schoolcraft, USI
Renae Gilmore, SBU
Kayla Quanstrum, TSU
Aly Manhart, WJC
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM AWARD
Quincy