Quintet Earn All-Heart Laurels on Diamond
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–Five Statesmen softball players were rewarded for strong 2019 campaigns as the all-Heart of America Athletic Conference teams were announced Wednesday.
Emily Brown (Sr., Waverly, Iowa, Biology), Kiya Harper (Jr., Decatur, Ill., Exercise Science), Sonia Reddy (Jr., Tracy, Calif., Exercise Science), and Abby Young (Jr., Dunlap, Ill., Exercise Science) were all picked for the 20-player second team, while Katie Springer (Sr., Riverside, Iowa, Psychology and Human Services) was one of 20 members of the honorable-mention squad. An additional 20 individuals were selected for the first team.
The award is the second for Brown, who was a first-team honoree in 2017 as well. The remaining four players are all first-time recipients. The five award-winners are the most for the program since 2015.
Harper locked down the biggest honor of the crew, though, as she was named the Heart Co-Newcomer of the Year, sharing the accolade with Olivia Fluehr of Graceland.
The group led William Penn to a 24-33 record this spring and an appearance at the final site of the Heart Tournament.
Harper hit a team-best .359 (37-for-103) during the campaign. Despite only playing in 35 of the team’s 57 games due to injury, Harper paced the Statesmen in home runs (7) and RBIs (31) in addition to scoring 15 times. Her on-base clip of .422 and slugging mark of .641 were also squad bests. Among her 37 hits were six doubles and one triple.
Brown owned a .303 average with a team-high 56 hits in 185 at-bats. The senior also collected four home runs, 21 RBIs, and 26 runs scored. She notched 11 doubles and one triple as part of her base knock total.
Reddy hit .291 (51-for-175) with four homers, 20 RBIs, and a team-best 34 runs scored. Her 12 doubles, three triples, 12 walks, four hit-by-pitches, and six stolen bases (tied) were tops for WPU as well.
The owner of a .344 batting average (33-for-96, two doubles), Young drove in six runs and scored 10 times. Her seven sacrifice hits were also tied for the Statesmen lead.
Springer finished the season with a 10-15 record and a 3.05 Earned Run Average. In 177 innings pitched, she struck out 111 and walked 52, while opponents hit .284 against her. The senior tossed 14 complete games with one shutout and one save.
Defensively, Reddy was also honored on the Gold Glove team at second base. In 221 total chances, the junior recorded 128 putouts, 87 assists, and committed just six errors for a .973 fielding percentage. She helped William Penn turn nine double plays.
Kaleigh Bayless of MidAmerica Nazarene was named Heart Player of the Year. She also shared Freshman of the Year laurels with Alyx Witt of Grand View. Baker’s Olivia Brees collected the league Pitcher of the Year award, while her coach Jamie Stanclift was chosen as Heart Coach of the Year by her peers.
