AKRON, Ohio- The Great Midwest Athletic Conference released the 2026 softball all-conference teams Wednesday evening, as voted on by the league’s coaches.
 
The coaches voted for respective positions on the first and second teams, while individual award winners were also honored, including the player, pitcher, freshman, and coach of the year as well as the league’s Elite 26 Award winner.
 
The top eight seeds are at the G-MAC championship at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio to battle for a tournament title and an AQ in the NCAA Midwest Regional.
 
The Great Midwest Player of the Year honors went to Annika Bredel of Findlay. Bredel The senior shortstop is in the top three of the conference in virtually every offensive statistic. Her batting average of .441 includes 67 hits, 11 of which are home runs. She has the highest on-base percentage of .537 and has recorded 47 RBIs this season. Bredel and the Oilers earned the No. 4 seed in the conference championship with a league record of 18-6. The Wellington, Ohio native is joined on the first-team all-conference list by teammates Josslynne Frazier, Meghan Heinsman, Alexys Antal, and Anna Jones. The Oilers are set to take on the No. 5 seeded Hillsdale Chargers.
 
Tiffin’s Paige McMenemy was voted by her peers as the league’s Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. McMenemy led the Dragons to another regular season title and the No.1 seed in the conference championship tournament. McMenemy coached three student-athletes to first-team selections, including the conference’s top pitcher in Ella Esterby. The Gahanna, Ohio native had a dominant season in the circle, recording an 11-2 conference record. She finished the regular season in the top three of the league standings in ERA (1.84), opponent batting average (.217), innings pitched (163.2), strikeouts (119), and strikeouts looking (35). Esterby was a first-team selection, alongside teammates Jessica Miller and Lexi Key.
 
Anna Gorshak of Cedarville had a breakout freshman season, making her this year’s Freshman of the Year. Gorshak holds the league’s highest slugging percentage at .800 as well as hits with 69 this season. Her 69 hits included 17 doubles, three triples, and a league-high 12 home runs. The freshman standout led her team to a berth in the conference tournament as the No. 8 seed. Gorshak and the Yellow Jackets were also awarded the league’s Sportsmanship Award, highlighting positive sportsmanship throughout the regular season.
 
The Elite 26 Award softball winner went to Ashland’s Ashley Veldheer, a senior sports management major.
 
A full list of honorees can be found HERE.