Yellowjackets' Kraemer sisters, Vikings' Mork headline 2022 UMAC Softball honors
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Following a program-first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season softball championship win, the University of Wisconsin-Superior was well-represented in the postseason awards taking two of the top major awards and leading with six total all-conference honorees, it was announced Monday.
The Yellowjackets' dynamic duo topped the honorees with Kaela Kramer picking up Player of the Year and sister Tayler Kraemer being named Pitcher of the Year. Postseason tournament champion Bethany Lutheran College saw first-year Kaija Mork named Rookie of the Year, while regular season runner-up University of Northwestern Head Coach Alicia du'Monceuax was tabbed Coach of the Year by her peers.
Wisconsin-Superior won the conference title with an impressive 18-3 overall conference record behind the high-powered offense from K. Kraemer. In conference play, the junior dominated leading the league in average (.548), on-base percentage (.605), hits (40) and stolen bases (39). She also ranked in the UMAC top 10 for slugging (.712), OPS (1.317), runs (29), RBI (24), at bats (73) and walks (12).
Even more impressive, though, K. Kraemer leads the nation in stolen bases (67) and stolen bases per game (1.72). She also sits ninth in overall hits with 60. Against UMAC teams, the shortstop had 13 multi-hit games including seven with at least three hits. Three times this season K. Kraemer was selected as the UMAC Player of the Week.
On the mound, T. Kraemer was just as impressive as her sister was at the plate. The sophomore hurler won a UMAC-best 12 games and boasted a conference-leading 1.82 earned run average (ERA). She pitched 80.2 regular season UMAC innings and was third in strikeouts with 50. Four times this season T. Kraemer held UMAC opponents to two hits or less including a no-hitter performance against North Central University on April 20. She was four times selected as the UMAC Pitcher of the Week.
Mork was one of the top hitters in the postseason-champion Vikings' lineup throughout the season. The rookie ranked in the top 10 in UMAC contests for batting average (.431), slugging (.679), OPS (1.116), runs (37), hits (59), RBI (46), doubles (16), triples (3), home runs (4), at bats (137) and sacrifice flies (7). In 10 UMAC games this season, Mork tallied two or more hits and had four games with three. She was selected as the UMAC Player of the Week twice this season.
Northwestern compiled its best finish since 2016 placing second in the conference standings and just one win away from the conference title under du'Monceaux's leadership. The Eagles recorded a 17-4 conference record and 23-13 overall mark for one of the program's best finishes. du'Monceaux's squad was the only UMAC team to defeat Wisconsin-Superior twice this season which included a 5-4 walk off win on April 23 after a two-hour weather delay. The Eagles recorded two shutout wins this season against UMAC teams and had seven games with two or fewer runs allowed.
The all-conference lists were highlighted by six selections for the Yellowjackets and five each for Bethany Lutheran and Northwestern. The Vikings' Zoe Kinakin leads all honorees as the only individual selected First Team three times in her career. T. Kraemer and Briggs Carlson of Northwestern were both back-to-back First Team honorees, while Northwestern's Telma Roesler has been a First Team honoree twice in her career.
Seven players have been named to one of the two teams twice in their careers including Olivia Bancroft-Hart (Wisconsin-Superior), Lisa Hoffer (Martin Luther College), Elena Hoffman (Martin Luther), Liz Kemp (Crown College), Tiffany Kirk (Wisconsin-Superior), K. Kraemer (Wisconsin-Superior) and Jenna Reyes (Northland College).
Northwestern won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Each team also had one representative named to the individual sportsmanship award list.
Player of the Year - Kaela Kraemer, Jr., Wisconsin-Superior
Pitcher of the Year - Tayler Kraemer, So., Wisconsin-Superior
Rookie of the Year - Kaija Mork, Fy., Bethany Lutheran
Coach of the Year - Alicia du'Monceaux, Northwestern
First Team UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
Hometown/High School |
| Eden Ambrose |
Sr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Hugo, Minn./White Bear Lake |
| Briggs Carlson |
Sr. |
Northwestern |
North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West |
| Saylor Donnelly |
Sr. |
Northland |
Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South |
| Mollie Dummer |
Sr. |
Minnesota Morris |
Waconia, Minn./Waconia |
| Jordyn Heckendorf |
So. |
Martin Luther |
Kewaskum, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran |
| Elena Hoffman |
Sr. |
Martin Luther |
Florence, S.D./Great Plains Lutheran |
| Liz Kemp |
Sr. |
Crown |
Northville, Mich./Ladywood |
| Zoe Kinakin |
Sr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Victoria, British Columbia/Lambrick Park Secondary |
| Tiffany Kirk |
Jr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
McHenry, Ill/McHenry East |
| Kaela Kraemer |
Jr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights |
| Tayler Kraemer |
So. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights |
| Maria Lilienthal |
Fy. |
Crown |
Pendleton, Ore./Pendelton |
| Kaija Mork |
Fy. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Sioux Falls, S.D./Brandon Valley |
| Telma Roesler |
Sr. |
Northwestern |
Hastings, Minn. |
| Kayla Senne |
Fy. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Northwood, Iowa/Northwood-Kensett |
UMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
Hometown/High School |
| Olivia Bancroft-Hart |
Sr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Cambria, Wis./Cambria-Friesland |
| Grace Bentley |
So. |
Northwestern |
Omaha, Neb. |
| Olivia Diver |
Jr. |
Minnesota Morris |
Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet |
| Katelyn Halbach |
Jr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Osage, Iowa/Osage |
| Lisa Hoffer |
Jr. |
Martin Luther |
Plymouth, Minn./West Lutheran |
| Jadyn Iverson |
Fy. |
Northwestern |
West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo |
| Bryton Kukowski |
So. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Duluth, Minn./Hermantown |
| Sydney Lane |
Fy. |
Northwestern |
Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian |
| Jenna Reyes |
Sr. |
Northland |
Porterville, Calif. |
| Zoe Thomson |
Fy. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson |
UMAC All-Defensive Team
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Tayler Kraemer |
So. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Pitcher |
Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights |
| Elizabeth Cizek |
Jr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Catcher |
Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard South |
| Zoe Kinakin |
Sr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
First Base |
Victoria, British Columbia/Lambrick Park Secondary |
| Olivia Diver |
Jr. |
Minnesota Morris |
Second Base |
Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet |
| Bryton Kukowski |
So. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Third Base |
Duluth, Minn./Hermantown |
| Kaela Kraemer |
Jr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Short Stop |
Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights |
| Eden Ambrose |
Sr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Outfield |
Hugo, Minn./White Bear Lake |
| Olivia Bancroft-Hart |
Sr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Outfield |
Cambria, Wis./Cambria-Friesland |
| Kate Beer |
Fy. |
Northwestern |
Outfield |
Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake |
| Jordyn Heckendorf |
So. |
Martin Luther |
Outfield |
Kewaskum, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran |
| Zoe Kinakin |
Sr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Utility |
Victoria, British Columbia/Lambrick Park Secondary |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award - Northwestern
Bethany Lutheran – Elizabeth Cizek, Jr., Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard South
Crown – Ally Adams, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper
Martin Luther – Jordyn Heckendorf, So., Kewaskum, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran
Minnesota Morris – Grace Penke, Sr., Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson
North Central – Emma Cochran, Fy., Chewelah, Wash.
Northland – Lenisa Tomasini, So., Ulvalde, Texas/Ulvalde
Northwestern – Ally Ehnstrom, Fy., Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin
Wisconsin-Superior – Zoe Thomson, Fy., Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson