ST. LOUIS – Westminster softball swept the top four postseason awards, while nine Blue Jays were named to SLIAC All-Conference teams.
Erica Burney was awarded the Player of the Year for the second year in a row, just the third player in SLIAC history to win the award multiple times. This season, she finished the regular season with three home runs, 26 RBI, and a .436 batting average. She also has an on-base percentage of .530 and a slugging percentage of .649. Burney was also selected as a member of the first team.
Alyson Hahn was named the Pitcher of the Year after being nearly unbeatable and unhittable on the mound. She becomes the first player in Westminster SLIAC history to earn this award. She finished the regular season with a record of 12-3, pitching 13 complete games and six shutouts with an ERA of just 2.17. She allowed just 63 hits, 36 runs, and two homeruns during her senior season to win the award. Hahn was also selected as a member of the first team.
Josie Cotter earned the Newcomer of the Year award after being one of the explosive offensive batters in the conference this season. She is the first Blue Jay in SLIAC history to win the award. The freshman led the team in homeruns with five, RBI with 39, and batted .375 on the year. She also struck out just four times, while recording an on-base percentage of .441 and a slugging percentage of .625. Cotter was selected as a member of the second team.
Head Coach Joe Henderson earned his first Coach of the Year award after leading the team to a record of 23-11 in the regular season and 16-2 in the conference to win the program's first-ever outright regular season title, also leading the program to back-to-back 20-win seasons. Currently tied for the program lead with 59 wins, he is poised to become the winningest coach in Westminster softball history with one more victory. Henderson is the third coach in program history to have earned this award.
Along with the top awards, Westminster named six more student-athletes to All-Conference teams, including Amber Tepen on the first team. Tepen broke the school record for doubles during the season and currently had 35. She led the team in doubles with 12 and was tied for the lead in hits with 41. Her 31 RBI was second on the team.
Along with Cotter, three more Blue Jays were named to the second team including Aubrie Vaughn, Anne Baker, and Katie Price.
Vaughn served as the starting catcher for the majority of the season, playing in 34 games and recorded a .374 batting average. She blasted three home runs during the season, including two grand slams, and batted in 26 RBI on 34 hits.
Anne Baker broke the record for runs scored during the season and currently has 90. She batted .329 this season and was a near-perfect .932 in fielding percentage this season. She recorded 11 RBI on 25 hits and scored 22 runs.
Katie Price was the team's No. 2 pitcher behind Hahn as a freshman, and found equal success on the mound, posting a record of 10-3. She pitched 10 complete games, allowing 66 runs and striking out 52 batters. When Price wasn't pitching, she often served as an infielder, posting 22 hits in 67 at bats and recording 13 RBI.
Westminster also named two members to the third team, including Callie Collier and Mackenzie Myers.
Collier was tied for the lead in hits this season with 41 and was the team's starting centerfield for most of the season. She also led the team in runs scored with 31, posting a batting average of .353. With her 41 hits as the lead-off batter, she also tallied 25 RBI.
Myers played multiple spots in the infield during the season, proving extremely effective in every defensive position with a fielding percentage of .971. On top of her defense, she recorded 19 RBI in 29 hits and a .350 batting average. She was also second on the team in stolen bases with four.
Lexi Knisley was also named to the All-Sportsmanship team for her consistent display of sportsmanship throughout the season.
Westminster will continue in the winner's bracket of the SLIAC Tournament after defeating Fontbonne 7-0 in the first round.