AKRON, Ohio- Tiffin’s Jessica Miller and Hillsdale’s Joni Russell headlined the Great Midwest Softball awards, announced Wednesday afternoon. Miller was voted both the Freshman and Player of the Year, while Russell claimed Pitcher of the Year honors. Tiffin head coach Paige McMenemy was voted by her peers as the Coach of the Year to cap off the individual awards.
 
Miller proved herself not only as one of the top freshman in the league, but also one of the conference’s best players. She leads the G-MAC  in batting average (.423), runs scored (56), hits (71), and slugging percentage (.732). Miller’s 71 hits include 23 doubles, four triples, and seven home runs for a total of 45 RBIs.  Her 23 doubles is tied for No. 1 in all of Division II. In addition to Miller, six additional individuals from Tiffin were named to either first or second team all-conference. The Dragons claimed their firs G-MAC regular season title and earned the top seed in the conference tournament.
 
Hillsdale’s Joni Russell had a historic season for the Chargers, leading her team to the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament with a record of 19-5. Russel leads the league and all of Division II with an earned run average of .60 through 139.0 innings pitched. She has given up just 19 runs this season in 25 appearances. The Chargers will face No. 7 Cedarville in the first round of the conference tournament.
 
Hayln Cawthorne of Malone University is the Elite 26 Award Winner for academic excellence. Cawthorne earned the award as a junior majoring in sports management and marketing.
 
This year’s tournament will be played over the course of four days in a double elimination bracket. The top eight teams from the conference based on winning percentage will battle for the 2025 G-MAC softball title. The top two teams will advance to the finals, set for Saturday, May 3 at 10:00 A.M. ET.
 
All games will be streamed live on the Great Midwest Digital Network. Spectator and other championship information can be found by visiting the Championship Central page.
 
A full list of award winners can be found HERE.