2016 G-MAC All-Conference Softball Team


XENIA, Ohio – The 2016 All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball Team features talent from the first team, second team and freshman team, as recognized on Wednesday evening.
 
The G-MAC Softball Championship banquet held at the Athletes in Action Complex honored a total of 32 different student-athletes as they filled 41 total selections on this year’s all-conference team.
 
Notably, nine of the first-year student-athletes on the all-freshman team landed additional all-conference status on either the first or second team.
 
The league’s coaches conducted the voting for the all-conference team and also shared a few of their thoughts on the season and their program.
 
Three-time reigning conference tournament champion Trevecca Nazarene placed eight on the first team with three more landing second-team accolades. Second seed Kentucky Wesleyan and third seed Davis & Elkins each had five all-conference selections.
 
The G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year award was handed to Salem International’s Katie Chryssofos. Receiving G-MAC Pitcher of the Year honors for the third consecutive season was Trevecca Nazarene’s Haley Fagan.
 
Selected by his peers, Trevecca Nazarene skipper Ben Tyree was tabbed as the G-MAC Coach of the Year and offensive leadoff sparkplug Meredith Daunhauer of Kentucky Wesleyan reeled in the G-MAC Freshman of the Year plaque.
 
A full list of the 2016 All-Conference G-MAC Softball Team can be viewed here.
 
 
G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year
Katie Chryssofos
Salem International
Senior
Catcher/Utility
 
Chryssofos launched an all-out offensive assault on the career record books this spring, mashing her way into the G-MAC archives permanently for the foreseeable future.
 
With 19 home runs, she set the single-season record in the category and became the league’s all-time leader in a short amount of time with 41.
 
Chryssofos was not a one-dimensional power hitter that sluggers of her caliber can sometimes be stereotyped as. Instead, she batted over .400 and was a league leader in home runs, RBI (61), total bases (120) and walks (27).
 
At times, teams would go out of their way to pitch around her and issue free passes, but she still managed to put up the impressive numbers.
 
The senior provides valuable positional versatility on the diamond as well, filling in on more than one occasion on the infield or outfield.  She helped the Tigers land the final spot in the conference tournament, a seeding where she hopes Salem International can make some noise.
 

G-MAC Pitcher of the Year
Haley Fagan
Trevecca Nazarene
Senior
Pitcher
 
What hasn’t Fagan accomplished in her G-MAC career? The answer is not much.
 
For the third straight year, the Trojans’ ace was pegged G-MAC Pitcher of the Year after compiling 30 wins, punching out 253 hitters and recording an ERA of 1.92 over 43 games.
 
Fagan epitomizes the workhorse needed to make a run in any kind of conference tournament format and she’s a big reason the Trojans advanced to the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional last year and are the top seed again this spring.
 
Adding to her legend, Fagan was named the NFCA/Louisville Slugger National Pitcher of the Week and ranks among the best in a deep region with star-studded arms.
 
Career wise, the soft-spoken senior is the G-MAC’s all-time leader in ERA (1.66), wins (69), appearances (99), games started (92), opponent batting average (.205), innings pitched (602.1), strikeouts (574), complete games (69) and shutouts (21).
 

G-MAC Freshman of the Year
Meredith Daunhauer
Kentucky Wesleyan
Freshman
Outfielder
 
The leadoff hitter for any team is a catalyst or table-setter for the offense and Daunhauer filled that role as admirably as anyone in her first year at the collegiate level.
 
An all-around hitter that quietly flew under the radar as a rookie, Daunhauer posted a .408 batting average to rank third in the conference. She was able to leg out 60 hits, score 31 runs and efficiently racked up 26 stolen bases.
 
In 44 games, Daunhauer got on base at a .424 clip, giving the Kentucky Wesleyan hitters in the middle of the order a chance to drive her home.
 
Hailing from Evansville, Ind., KWC head coach Miles Mallette has to be thrilled his leadoff hitter is set in stone for the next three years of this speedster’s promising career.
 
 
G-MAC Coach of the Year
Ben Tyree
Trevecca Nazarene
 
Tyree’s run with the Trojans since joining the G-MAC constitutes what a dynasty is made of. Trevecca Nazarene has been near unbeatable in league play and that trend continued this season at 23-3.
 
Despite losing stars like Kelsey Kemp, Lindsey Stephens, Mackenzie Leding and others along with early-season adversity from an injury to Bailey Alexander, his players stepped up.
 
The Trojans led the G-MAC in all-conference selections again as every positional starter was named to some kind of first, second or freshman team.
 
TNU enters the postseason as the No. 10 seed in the NCAA DII Midwest Region rankings (as of April 27) and have aspirations of finishing out another weekend on top and securing the conference’s first AQ.