SOFTBALL
RICHARDSON, Texas – UT-Tyler freshman Ashley Perez was named Player of the Year, and they selected Patriot Junior Colleen Bentke as Pitcher of the Year in the American Southwest Conference 2018 Softball All-Conference teams and awards as voted on by the league coaches.
Perez, a catcher, was also the Freshman of the Year after leading the league with 15 home runs and 60 RBIs while hitting .492 with 28 runs, 64 hits, 21 doubles, 130 total bases, a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .545 on-base percentage.
Bentke led the ASC with a 1.02 ERA and a 21-1 record for the conference champion Patriots. She threw 131 innings, completing 11 games with eight shutouts and 115 strikeouts.
Perez and Bentke were both First Team All-Conference selections.
Concordia Texas junior pitcher Jorden Russell was named Newcomer of the Year. She posted 11 wins with a league-leading four saves. She threw 161 innings with 111 strikeouts and completed 17 games with three shutouts. Russell also hit .258 with 17 hits, six doubles, and three home runs.
Belhaven senior pitcher Jordan Herring was voted as the ASC Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year. She will be eligible for the American Southwest Conference Fred Jacoby Award.
UT Tyler head coach Mike Reed and his staff earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the ninth time in his career. The Patriots are 38-1, including a 31-game winning streak, after winning the 2018 ASC Championship and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Softball Championships. Whitney Wyly, Leah Brown and Anthony Springer, assisted Reed.
Louisiana College senior pitcher Savannah Settle earned All-Conference First Team honors for the fourth time in her career.
2018 All-American Southwest Conference Softball Teams
Individual Awards
Player of the Year – Ashley Perez, UT Tyler
Pitcher of the Year – Colleen Bentke, UT Tyler
Freshman of the Year – Ashley Perez, UT Tyler
Newcomer of the Year – Jorden Russell, Concordia Texas
Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year – Jordan Herring, Belhaven
Coaching Staff of the Year – UT Tyler
(Head Coach – Mike Reed, Assistant Coaches – Whitney Wyly, Leah Brown, Anthony Springer)
First Team
Pos. | Name | Cl. | Member | Hometown |
C | Ashley Perez | Fr. | UT Tyler | Pflugerville, Texas |
1B | Andrea Gonzales 2 | Sr. | UT Tyler | Elgin, Texas |
2B | Melissa Livermore 3 | Jr. | UT Dallas | Frisco, Texas |
3B | Theresa Gonzales | Jr. | UT Tyler | Elgin, Texas |
SS | Hannah Moore 2 | Sr. | UT Tyler | Cypress, Texas |
OF | Nicole Garcia | Jr. | UT Tyler | Sugar Land, Texas |
OF | Morgan Arst | So. | East Texas Baptist | Marshall, Texas |
OF | Stefanie Polderman 3 | Sr. | UT Dallas | West Vancouver, B.C. |
DP | Lynsey Mitchell | Jr, | UT Tyler | Liberty Hill, Texas |
UT | MacKenzie Anderson | Jr. | East Texas Baptist | Hawley, Texas |
P | Colleen Bentke | Jr. | UT Tyler | Brenham, Texas |
P | Jordan Anderson 2 | Sr. | East Texas Baptist | Hawley, Texas |
P | Savannah Settle 4 | Sr. | Louisiana College | Natchitoches, La. |
At-Large | Victoria Gonzales (2B) | Jr. | UT Tyler | Elgin, Texas |
At-Large | Linzie Lewis (2B) 3 | Sr. | East Texas Baptist | Maypearl, Texas |
At-Large | Linsey Tomlinson (OF) 2 | So. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Huffman, Texas |
Second Team
Pos. | Name | Cl. | Member | Hometown |
C | Destanie Hernandez2 | Sr. | Sul Ross State | El Paso, Texas |
1B | Mattie Stine 3 | Sr. | Louisiana College | Hackberry, La. |
2B | Sami Walters | So. | Louisiana College | Mansfield, La. |
3B | Kaitlyn Moore | So. | Louisiana College | Houma, La. |
SS | Makenzi Dawson 2 | Jr. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Robinson, Texas |
OF | Brittani Whitten 2 | Sr. | Concordia Texas | Roseville, Calif. |
OF | Kursten Jaime | Sr. | UT Tyler | Baytown, Texas |
OF | Devon Walter 3 | Sr. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Southlake, Texas |
DP | Daniella Solis | Fr. | East Texas Baptist | Baytown, Texas |
UT | Avery Kelly | So. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Georgetown, Texas |
P | Whitney Romero 2 | So. | UT Tyler | Lafayette, La. |
P | Hannah Halepaska | So. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Orange Grove, Texas |
P | Jorden Russell | Jr. | Concordia Texas | Leander, Texas |
At-Large | Rocki Tello (P) 3 | Sr. | East Texas Baptist | Katy, Texas |
At-Large | Rachel Ripley (1B) | Jr. | McMurry | Gustine, Texas |
At-Large | Haley Dennett (SS)2 | Jr. | Concordia Texas | Edinburg, Texas |
Third Team
Pos. | Name | Cl. | Member | Hometown |
C | Emily Bounds | Jr. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Moody, Texas |
1B | Sabrina Salts | So. | East Texas Baptist | Houston, Texas |
2B | Kasi Cummings | Jr. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Grandview, Texas |
3B | Anissa Garcia | Fr. | Concordia Texas | Corpus Christi, Texas |
3B | Makayla Reed | Sr. | Belhaven | Saraland, Ala. |
SS | Gabriela Raimondi | So. | Sul Ross State | Charlotte, Texas |
OF | Briley Johnston | Fr. | Louisiana College | West Monroe, La. |
OF | Kaitlyn Blubaugh | Sr. | Belhaven | Daphne, Ala. |
OF | Shelby Bergeron 2 | Jr. | Louisiana College | Morgan City, La. |
DP | Emily Schroeder | Fr. | UT Dallas | Windthorst, Texas |
UT | Hannah Oler 4 | Sr. | Ozarks | Needville, Texas |
P | Jordan Herring | Sr. | Belhaven | Forest, Miss. |
P | Karen Tennis 3 | Sr. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | League City, Texas |
P | Karen Crane | So. | UT Dallas | Grand Saline, Texas |
P | Cece Darilek | So. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Shiner, Texas |
P | Jackie Gonzalez 3 | Sr. | Sul Ross State | El Paso, Texas |
P | Abby Mork | Jr. | Ozarks | Aurora, Colo. |
At-Large | Macey Mize (C) | Jr. | LeTourneau | Waco, Texas |
At-Large | Hannah Wolfe (1B) | So. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Robinson, Texas |
At-Large | Ravin Wilson (SS) 3 | Jr. | UT Dallas | Dayton, Texas |
Honorable Mention
Pos. | Name | Cl. | Member | Hometown |
C | Samantha Halliburton 2 | Sr. | UT Dallas | Beaumont, Texas |
C | Cassidy Blount | So. | Belhaven | Decatur, Miss. |
C | Payton Walker | Jr. | Concordia Texas | Liberty Hill, Texas |
1B | Kelsi Coleman | Sr. | LeTourneau | Mesquite, Texas |
1B | Anaya Losoya | Jr. | Sul Ross State | Alpine, Texas |
2B | Cierra Woodyard | Fr. | Hardin-Simmons | Abilene, Texas |
2B | Alexia Rowe | Sr. | Concordia Texas | Waco, Texas |
2B | Jav’ana Gonzalez | Jr. | Sul Ross State | San Benito, Texas |
3B | Hope Griffith | Jr. | UT Dallas | Plano, Texas |
3B | Hana Bonner | Fr. | LeTourneau | Joaquin, Texas |
SS | Ashlin Roach 3 | Sr. | LeTourneau | Hughes Springs, Texas |
SS | Hailey Ostrander | Jr. | Ozarks | Alma, Ark. |
SS | Taylor Hammock 2 | So. | Louisiana College | Vivian, La. |
OF | Jackie Ramos | Fr. | East Texas Baptist | Austin, Texas |
OF | Samantha Cetta | So. | Louisiana College | Tickfaw, La. |
OF | Jennifer Flores | Fr. | Sul Ross State | Rio Hondo, Texas |
OF | Marlee Blackwell | So. | Belhaven | Louin, Miss. |
OF | Brooke Hoffsommer3 | Sr. | Ozarks | Alma, Ark. |
OF | Tonya Thompson | So. | Howard Payne | Cisco, Texas |
OF | Ashley McClellan | Fr. | McMurry | Midland, Texas |
OF | Whitney Jemison | Jr. | Belhaven | Saraland, Ala. |
OF | Alexis Trotter 2 | Sr. | Sul Ross State | Kyle, Texas |
OF | Ethel Warren | Fr. | LeTourneau | Combine, Texas |
OF | Darrian Doederlein3 | Sr. | Sul Ross State | Lamesa, Texas |
OF | Alyssa Ross | Jr. | Louisiana College | Pearl River, La. |
DP | Kourtney Cummings2 | Jr. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | Grandview, Texas |
DP | Abby Sterling | Jr. | Louisiana College | Beaumont, Texas |
DP | Katie Ventress 2 | Sr. | Ozarks | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
P | Simone Langland | Fr. | Concordia Texas | Cypress, Texas |
P | Allie Stephens | Jr. | UT Dallas | Mineral Wells, Texas |
P | Taylor Verinsky | Fr. | Concordia Texas | Lumberton, Texas |
Two-Time All-Conference Selection2
Three-Time All-Conference Selection3
Four-Time All-Conference Selection4
Cody Usher
Assistant Commissioner
American Southwest Conference