Saints' Schley headlines UMAC softball awards as Player of the Year
ST. PAUL, Minn.---Following a competitive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) that saw Bethany Lutheran college win its first-ever regular title and the top four teams battle throughout the year, the conference announced a balanced all-conference team announced Monday.
The regular season champion Vikings had Zoe Kinakin named the Rookie of the Year, while the College of St. Scholastica grabbed another Player of the Year award with senior Maggie Schley getting the accolade. The Saints and postseason champion University of Northwestern each led the all-conference list with five players garnering First Team or Honorable Mention, while runner-up University of Wisconsin-Superior interim coach Nick Bursik was selected Coach of the Year by his peers.
While St. Scholastica was pushed out of the champion spot for the first time in over 10 years, Schley was a key player in the Saints finishing 12-4 in conference play for another successful season. At the plate, Schley was one of the most dangerous hitters in league play leading with 26 RBI. She also ranked int he top 10 for batting average (.471), slugging (.922) slugging, on-base percentage (0.526), hits (24), doubles (7), triples (2) and home runs (4). On the mound, Schley was stellar in 55.2 conferenc einnings pitched. In that stretch she posted a 1.76 earned run average (ERA), 41 strikeouts, and seven wins. She also held opposing batters to the second-lowest average (.215).
In conference games, Schley recorded nine multi-hit games including two with at least three. She threw six shutouts on the mound and earned the UMAC Player of the Week award after pitching a no-hitter in a conference win over the University of Minnesota Morris. Schley also recorded 10 strikeouts in a season-opening series against Martin Luther College.
The Rookie of the Year nod goes to Kinakin who was a critical part of the Vikings' 15-1 conference record and the program's first regular season championship. Against UMAC opponents, Kinakin had the second-best average among all UMAC players hitting .512. She also ranked in the top 10 for on-base percentage (0.543) and hits (22). The rookie also recorded five multi-hit games and two with at least three hits. Kinakin also tallied two or more hits in three of the four Viking games in the UMAC tournament.
Bursik took over a Wisconsin-Superior squad late this winter and helped lead the team to a second-straight UMAC runner-up finish. The Yellowjackets lost just twice in the conference season to eventual champion Bethany Lutheran. As a team in UMAC games, the Yellowjackets hit an impressive .359 and were second in slugging (.542) and RBI (101). Under Bursik's direction, the Yellowjacket pitching staff recorded a 2.20 ERA and held opponents to a conference-low .223 average.
St. Scholastica and Northwestern led the all-conference honoree list with five total selections and three First Team nods. Coincidentally, those two teams each boast one individual who has been All-UMAC First Team three times in their career as Schley of the Saints and Mindy Forcier of the Eagles have achieved that accomplishment. Schley has twice been an All-Defensive selection, while Forcier has been picked at the outfielder position each of the last three years.
Four players on the the 2019 First Team and Honorable Mention lists have been named to one of the two teams twice in their careers including Gabby Gidley (Wisconsin-Superior), Lexi Kopacek (Northwestern), Kayla Madison (Northwestern) and Alayna Tulip (Wisconsin-Superior).
Each year the UMAC recognizes the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represented sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Northwestern earned the honor for the fourth-consecutive season. Each team also had one representative on the individual sportsmanship award list.
Player of the Year Award* – Maggie Schley, Sr., St. Scholastica
Rookie of the Year Award# – Zoe Kinakin, Fy., Bethany Lutheran
Coach of the Year Award – Nick Bursik, Wisconsin-Superior
First-Team UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
Year |
School |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Brittany Denn |
So. |
Martin Luther |
Infield |
New Ulm, Minn./New Ulm |
| Mindy Forcier |
Sr. |
Northwestern |
Outfield |
Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins |
| Josie Fourre |
So. |
St. Scholastica |
Third Base |
Albany, Minn./Albany |
| Zoe Kinakin# |
Fy. |
Bethany Lutheran |
First Base |
Victoria, British Columbia/Lambrick Park Secondary |
| Kayla Madison |
So. |
Northwestern |
Short Stop |
North Branch, Minn./Forest Lake |
| Bria Majeski |
Jr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Pitcher |
Rockford, Minn./Rockford |
| Emily Nordquist |
Sr. |
Minnesota Morris |
Outfield |
Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial |
| Cheyenne Otto |
Sr. |
Northland |
Infield |
Ashland, Wis./Ashland |
| Telma Roesler |
Fy. |
Crown |
Infield |
Hastings, Minn./Oklahoma Christian |
| Ellie Ronning |
So. |
Northwestern |
First Base |
Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria |
| Maggie Schley* |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
Pitcher |
Mounds View, Minn./Irondale |
| Haylee Sobrero |
Jr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Shot Stop |
Paradise, Calif/Paradise |
| Ashely Taipale |
Jr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Pitcher |
Duluth, Minn./Denfeld |
| Hannah Thul |
So. |
St. Scholastica |
Second Base |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Alayna Tulip |
So. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Third Base |
Arcadia, Wis./Arcadia |
UMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention
| Name |
Year |
School |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Nicole Anders |
So. |
St. Scholastica |
Outfield |
Port Angeles, Wash./Sequim |
| Faith Forcier |
Jr. |
Northwestern |
Catcher |
Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins |
| Gabby Gidley |
Sr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Catcher |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Elena Hoffman |
Fy. |
Martin Luther |
First Base |
Florence, S.D./Great Plains Lutheran |
| Olivia Howe |
Fy. |
St. Scholastica |
Pitcher |
Scandia, Minn./Forest Lake |
| Liz Kemp |
Fy. |
Crown |
Infield |
Northville, Mich./Ladywood |
| Amanda Kishish |
So. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Pitcher |
St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis |
| Lexi Kopacek |
So. |
Northwestern |
Pitcher |
Willmar, Minn./Willmar |
| Courtney Williams |
Fy. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Catcher |
Fairmont, Minn./Fairmont |
| Kallie Wycoff |
Jr. |
Minnesota Morris |
Second Base |
Montrose, Minn./Buffalo |
UMAC All-Defensive Team
| Name |
Year |
School |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Maggie Schley |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
Pitcher |
Mounds View, Minn./Irondale |
| Kelsey Birschbach |
Fy. |
Martin Luther |
Catcher |
DeForest, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran |
| Gabby Gidley |
Sr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Catcher |
Superior, Wis./Superior |
| Ellie Ronning |
So. |
Northwestern |
First Base |
Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria |
| Kaylee Mork |
So. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Second Base |
Brandon, S.D./Brandon Valley |
| Josie Fourre |
So. |
St. Scholastica |
Third Base |
Albany, Minn./Albany |
| Kayla Christopherson |
Jr. |
St. Scholastica |
Short Stop |
Zimmerman, Minn./Zimmerman |
| Nicole Anders |
So. |
St. Scholastica |
Outfield |
Port Angeles, Wash./Sequim |
| Mindy Forcier |
Sr. |
Northwestern |
Outfield |
Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins |
| Audrey Timm |
Sr. |
Martin Luther |
Outfield |
Sparta, Wis./Luther |
| Shelby Bloemendaal |
Fy. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Utility |
Pipestone, Minn./Pipestone |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – Northwestern
Bethany Lutheran – Taylor Kottke, So., Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo
Crown – Demi Brezina, Sr., Washington, Iowa/Iowa Mennonite School
Martin Luther – Allison Grunke, So., Fairfax, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran
Minnesota Morris – Madison Kugler-Hoekstra, So., Erhard, Minn./Underwood
North Central – Emma Bushey, So., Three Lakes, Wis./Three Lakes
Northland – Natalie Erler, So., Skokie, Ill./Niles North
Northwestern – Faith Forcier, Jr., Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins
St. Scholastica – Karissa Ratcliff, Jr., North Branch, Minn./North Branch
Wisconsin-Superior – Lizzy Borgwardt, Sr., Verona, Wis./Verona