Official D2CCA Release

Official NFCA Release


INDIANAPOLIS – With half of the NCAA Championship Midwest Region bracket consisting of Great Midwest Athletic Conference softball programs, the D2CCA and NFCA appropriately recognized student-athletes for respective postseason honors.
 
National qualifiers Trevecca Nazarene, Hillsdale and Ohio Dominican, all saw their tremendous postseason tournament runs come to an end recently, but it was the first time the Great Midwest had three teams in the softball regional field.
 
Malone’s Bailey Byers, already minted as Great Midwest Player of the Year for the spring season, headlined an impressive list of honors received by student-athletes. The senior catcher/infielder was crowned D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year and also made the cut for the finalist grouping of the Top 15 for 2021 Schutt/NFCA Division II Player & Pitcher of the Year.
 
Byers earned a spot on the NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team for the second time in her career. She had won the conference player of the week award twice and was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II National Player of the Week on April 21. 
 
Byers led all players with a .504 batting average and mashed 15 home runs to go with 43 RBI. She also had 12 doubles and awaits the final announcement of Player/Pitcher of the Year by the NFCA organization on June 3.
 
Twelve different players made the D2CCA All-Midwest Region Team and eight more names made the grade for NFCA All-Midwest Region Team accolades.
 
Five total Great Midwest players were on the D2CCA First Team All-Midwest Region list, including the middle infield standout combo of Hillsdale’s Sam Catron and Trevecca Nazarene’s MaKray Odom. Also making the first team was Hillsdale’s outfielder Natalie Stepanenko and TNU freshman designated player Malone Thrift. Those award winners will be eligible for All-American consideration in the next step of voting.
 
The second team including Byers’ sister, Kelsey, a dominant RHP named Great Midwest Pitcher of the Year. Malone SS Lexi Betz also earned second team honors with three more Hillsdale standouts, RHP Dana Weidinger, C Madison Stoner and OF Renee Bielawa. The Great Midwest had both utility spots accounted for on the second team with TNU’s Carly Sperlich and Findlay’s dynamic arm/bat of Megan Fisher.

D2CCA All-Midwest Region Team
 

Midwest Region Player of the Year	Bailey Byers	Malone	Catcher
First Team	Bailey Byers	Malone	Catcher
First Team	Sam Catron	Hillsdale	Second Base
First Team	MaKray Odom	Trevecca Nazarene	Shortstop
First Team	Natalie Stepanenko	Hillsdale	Outfield
First Team	Malone Thrift	Trevecca Nazarene	Designated Player
Second Team	Kelsey Byers	Malone	Pitcher
Second Team	Dana Weidinger	Hillsdale	Pitcher
Second Team	Madison Stoner	Hillsdale	Catcher
Second Team	Lexi Betz	Malone	Shortstop
Second Team	Renee Bielawa	Hillsdale	Outfield
Second Team	Carly Sperlich	Trevecca Nazarene	Utility (Non-Pitcher)
Second Team	Megan Fisher	Findlay	Utility (Pitcher)

 
NFCA All-Midwest Region Team
 

First Team	Bailey Byers	Malone	Catcher
First Team	Sam Catron	Hillsdale	Second Base
First Team	Carly Sperlich	Trevecca Nazarene	Third Base
First Team	MaKray Odom	Trevecca Nazarene	Shortstop
Second Team	Kelsey Byers	Malone	Pitcher
Second Team	Madison Stoner	Hillsdale	Catcher
Second Team	Lexi Betz	Malone	Shortstop
Second Team	Renee Bielawa	Hillsdale	Outfield