2019 Softball All-Conference Team (PDF)
AKRON, Ohio – Prior to the playoffs getting underway, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball All-Conference Team was released on Wednesday evening at the annual championship banquet.
Eight teams are getting ready to put their postseason hopes on the line at Firestone Stadium for this year’s conference tournament bracket.
A total of 26 talented student-athletes were voted by the head coaches to either the first or second team and an additional four individual award winners were also unveiled.
Being recognized as the regular-season conference champion with a 21-5 record in league contests was Ohio Dominican. The Panthers are this year’s top seed in the tournament bracket and placed six selections on the all-conference team.
Three different players around the league were honored as NFCA/Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week in 2019 including Bailey Byers (Malone), Mary Collins (Trevecca Nazarene) and Kelly Mix (Ohio Dominican).
Repeating as the Great Midwest Player of the Year is dynamic shortstop and leadoff hitter MaKray Odom from Trevecca Nazarene. The table setter for the Trojans is a ridiculously tough out to get through the order with only two strikeouts in 177 at-bats this season.
Odom led the conference with a batting average of .565 and she was a perfect 51-for-51 in stolen base attempts. Odom is also a top-25 finalist from the NFCA for National Player of the Year honors.
The junior played and started in 47 games this spring with 59 runs, and 12 extra-base hits (8 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs). Odom also had 23 RBI and sported an on-base percentage of almost .600.
The Great Midwest Pitcher of the Year award went to Cedarville’s senior hurler Morgan Arbogast. Arbogast recorded a 2.40 ERA while going 16-10 in the circle for the Yellow Jackets.
She logged over 154 innings pitched and had 136 strikeouts while also being named the conference pitcher of the week twice this season. She went the distance for 15 complete games and made a total of 22 starts.
The Great Midwest Freshman of the Year was Malone’s Kelsey Byers, a rookie pitcher. Byers helped the Pioneers go from an afterthought in the preseason coaches poll into the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament with her contributions on the field.
Byers was the league leader in ERA among qualified starters with a 2.20 mark, throwing her battery mate and sister, Bailey, who was named to the all-conference first team with Kelsey. Kelsey paced the Great Midwest with 19 wins and led all pitchers with 191 innings of work. She punched out 180 hitters and made 30 starts (31 total appearances) for the Pioneers.
Receiving Great Midwest Coach of the Year recognition was Ohio Dominican’s Marcella Vanlandingham. She guided the Panthers to a 32-20 overall record in the regular season and also included a 14-game win streak.
Vanlandingham and the Panthers were 21-5 in the conference schedule to earn the top seed in the conference tournament.
The winner of the Great Midwest Championship receives an automatic-qualifying bid to the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional.