Grizzlies land 11 players on All-KJCCC list, Chance named ‘Coach of the Year’
The Butler softball team placed 11 players, eight of which were first teamers, on the All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference list announced the conference office Thursday morning. Along with the All-Conference selections, Butler head coach Doug Chance was named conference 'Coach of the Year'.
Head coach Doug Chance led Butler to their 10th straight KJCCC championship with a current overall record of 47-2. He has led the Grizzlies to a 2nd place ranking in the NJCAA and their fifth straight Region VI Title and 11th in program history. Chance picked up win number 700 earlier this season and has now accumulated 720 wins in his career at Butler.
Eight players picked up first team honors while the other three landed on the second team. First teamers were Emily Adler (2nd base), Ari Cordova (3rd base), Izzy Erickson (Pitcher), Shayna Espy (outfield), Mariah Wheeler (outfield), Hannah Knox (outfield), Gentry Shepherd (utility) and Maddie Redman (pitcher). Anna Icenhower (1st base), Madi Young (shortstop) and Tadum Soetaert (catcher) picked up second team honors.
FIRST TEAM:
Emily Adler | Fr. Infielder | Derby, KS | Rose Hill High School
Emily hit .551 on the season, putting her 4th best in the entire NJCAA, totaling 65 hits, 15 doubles, three triples and six homeruns. She drove home 65 runs and stole 11 bases on the season. Had an on-base % of .589 and a slugging % of .833. She had a fielding percentage of .970 recording just three errors in 99 total chances.
Ari Cordova | So. Infielder | Fort Collins, CO | Poudre High School
Ari finished the season hitting .447 on the year in her 141 at bats. She tallied 63 hits, 16 doubles, two triples and 12 homeruns, second on the team. Ari had 68 RBI's on the year and stole 25 bases while scoring 50 runs. She had a fielding percentage of .809.
Izzy Erickson | Fr. Pitcher | Kimberling City, MO | Reeds Spring High School
Izzy was dominant all season long inside the circle picking up 16 wins with just one loss on the year and a save. Izzy pitching a total of 78.1 innings giving up just 14 earned runs for an ERA of 1.25. She struck out 91 batters while walking just 13 throughout the season. Batters hit just .291 against Izzy this season totaling only 51 hits in 175 batters faced. Izzy also hit .414 on the season recording 12 hits, two doubles and a triple. She drove in five runs and scored nine on the season while stealing six bases.
Shayna Espy | So. Outfielder | Olathe, KS | Olathe Northwest High School
Shayna finished 5th in the NJCAA in batting average this season hitting .544 on the year. Shayna drove in 76 runs, scored 83 times while chalking up 23 doubles and eight triples. Shayna finished the regular season with six homeruns and struck out just once in her 147 at bats. She had a .968 fielding percentage recording 56 catches in the outfield while assisting on five.
Mariah Wheeler | Fr. Outfielder | Wichita, KS | Derby High School
Mariah Wheeler stepped up this season as a true freshman and hung some good first season numbers. Wheeler hit .472 on the year scoring 29 runs off 42 hits. She drove in 45 total runs, hit eight doubles and three triples while tacking on 11 homeruns making her tied for third most on the team. Mariah finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage from her left field position.
Hannah Knox | Fr. Outfielder/Pitcher | Lindale, TX | Lindale High School
Hannah led the team this season in homeruns with 15. She finished 54-120 at the plate hitting .450 on the season. Hannah had a .531 on-base percentage and scored 46 runs on the year. She finished with 17 doubles and three stolen bases. Hannah mostly played right field where she carried a .939 fielding percentage. She also pitched 43.2 innings on the season and had an ERA of 2.73 with a record of 7-1. She struck out 29 on the season and walked just 12.
Gentry Shepherd | Fr. Utility | Wichita, KS | Goddard High School
Gentry was the ultimate utility player for the Grizzlies as she managed to play every single position on the field throughout the season. Gentry was also a threat at the plate hitting seven total homeruns on the season in just 59 at bats. She drove in 25 runs on the season and scored 22 times. Gentry had an on-base percentage of .431 while hitting four doubles. In all her positions played, she finished with a .941 fielding percentage and was a part of three double plays turned.
Maddie Redman | Fr. Pitcher | Stillwell, KS | Blue Valley Southwest High School
Maddie finished the regular season with a perfect record of 19-0. She won three of the Grizzlies Region VI tournament games and is 22-0 on the year. She has an ERA of 1.08 in her 97 innings pitched. She struck out 126 batters while walking just nine and hitting six. Players batting averaged against her was .278 hitting five doubles, no triples and only five homeruns. She finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage recording six putouts while assisting on eight.
SECOND TEAM:
Anna Icenhower | So. Infielder | Yukon, OK | Yukon High School
Anna was a big threat at the plate all season long crushing 11 homeruns on the season while driving in 39 runs. She hit seven doubles on the season and scored 28 runs. Anna had a fielding percentage of .966 from her first base position recording 197 putouts on 206 chances. She was part of seven double plays made during the season and recorded just one error in conference play.
Madi Young | Fr. Infielder | Derby, KS | Derby High School
Arguably one of the best players in the entire country this season, surprisingly, Madi was picked as a second team All-KJCCC player by conference coaches. Not only did Madi lead her team in a number of offensive categories this season but also led the entire NJCAA across a number of stat categories. Currently, Madi is first in the entire NJCAA in runs scored (103), doubles hit (32) and stolen bases (57). She is second in the nation in batting average as she hit .564 this season and is third in the country in hits (93) and on-base percentage (.616). Madi has not been struck out in her collegiate career in over 240 plate appearances. She also finished the regular season with 11 homeruns and five triples while recording 49 RBI's. She also had a slugging percentage of 1.018 throughout the season. Madi has a fielding percentage of .917 assisting on 81 outs, recording 51 putouts and was part of 10 double plays during the season. Madi set new school records this season in runs scored (103) and doubles (32) with more games yet to play.
Tadum Soetaert | Fr. Catcher | Wichita, KS | Wichita Northwest High School
Tadum Soetaert was behind the plate in 29 games this season for the Grizzlies and was a rock for the No. 2-ranked Grizzlies. Tadum hit .317 on the season recording a double and three homeruns while driving in 11 runs and scoring 18 times. She has a fielding percentage of .984 recording 121 putouts while assisting on four with just two errors on the year. She had six stolen base attempts and caught one runner during the season.
KJCCC ALL-CONFERENCE LIST- HERE
Butler won their 10th straight Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Championship finishing 26-0 in Jayhawk play this season. They completed the regular season 43-2 overall and, with their four Region VI Tournament wins, the Grizzlies are on a 43-game win streak dating back to February 6th.
Butler will face Trinidad State Junior College in the Plains District Championship on Monday, May 17th in a best-of-three series with the first game starting at 4:00pm in El Dorado, KS at East Park.
