Bowling Green, Ky. – Five Shawnee State softball players were named All-Mid-South Conference on Thursday night at the MSC Softball Banquet, while eight earned MSC All-Academic honors for the 2018 season.
Kayla Koch (SR/Lucasville, Ohio), Michal Cunningham (SO/Wheelersburg, Ohio) and Marisa Brown (JR/Liberty Township, Ohio) were all named first team All-Mid-South Conference on Thursday. Koch, named to the first team as a first baseman, is batting .333 with five home runs, 13 doubles and 32 RBIs on the season; she also has a .366 on-base percentage and is slugging .532. Koch also has only three errors at first base in 257 chances.
Cunningham, named to the team as a utility player, is batting .350 with a .404 on-base percentage, three homers, 11 doubles and three triples, all while driving in 21 RBIs and scoring 33 runs. Cunningham has split time between third base and catcher this season, settling in recently at third base.
Brown is batting .348 on the season and has an on-base percentage of .371 while also slugging .543. She has hit five home runs and 12 doubles while also driving in 28 RBIs. Brown has played some catcher this season, but has mostly played at designated player, the position she was named to the first team in.
Ashtyn Saunders (SO/Lancaster, Ohio) and Stacy Trenholm (FR/Lancaster, Ohio) were also named second team All-MSC. Saunders, who has missed much of the season due to injury, is batting .472 with a .517 on-base percentage in 24 games played. She has 16 runs and seven RBIs in limited action.
Trenholm has had a breakout campaign for the Bears as a freshman. Playing mostly center field, Trenholm is hitting .341 with a .403 on-base percentage and a .533 slugging percentage. Trenholm has hit four home runs, 12 doubles and one triple while driving in 24 RBIs and scoring 25 runs.
Shawnee State also had eight players named Mid-South Conference All-Academic. Koch and Saunders made the list and were joined by Victoria Bevington (SO/London, Ohio), Katlyn Gleich (JR/Grove City, Ohio), Haley Rawlins (SO/South Point, Ohio), Mackenzie Riley (JR/Proctorville, Ohio), Megan Shupert-Martin (JR/West Portsmouth, Ohio) and McKenzie Whittaker (JR/McDermott, Ohio). The eight Bears named All-Academic is two fewer than 2017; however, Shawnee State also had fewer eligible players for the award in 2018. To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore in their third semester at their institution or a transfer, and have maintained a 3.25 cumulative GPA as calculated by their institution.
Shawnee State softball begin the Mid-South Conference Tournament on Friday morning when the fourth-seeded Bears taken on fifth-seed Cumberland (Tenn.) at Michael O. Buchanon Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. First pitch is set for 10:00am.
