SOFTBALL HAS FIVE ALL-KCAC SELECTIONS, THREE FIRST-TEAM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Another great year for Avila softball saw plenty of postseason honors roll in. The Eagles had five total All-KCAC selections, with three representatives on the All-KCAC First Team, two All-KCAC Third Team selections and two Gold Glove winners.
Playing a huge role at the plate and in the circle this year, the three Eagles on the All-KCAC First team selection are: OF Abi Beaman, Utility P McKayla Cotton and P Faith Heaster.
It is the first all-conference selection for Heaster, the second-straight for Beaman, the third-consecutive for Cotton and the second-straight first-team selection for Avila’s dominant starting pitcher.
“We are incredibly excited about having three first team all-conference selections,” said Avila head softball coach Charlie Kennedy. “It represents the strength of our schedule and how we played in our conference.”
Two Eagles were represented on the All-KCAC Third Team: freshman OF Elizabeth Harvey and senior DP Maya Richards.
In addition to the five total All-KCAC selections, Avila had a pair of Gold Glove winners in P McKayla Cotton and SS Emily Branson.
“Two Gold Glove selections is huge,” noted Kennedy. “I’m very excited about that. We led the conference most of the season in fielding percentage and that shows by having two of the nine positions represented by Avila.”
Wrapping up one of the best seasons on the field in program history, McKayla Cotton finished her regular season appearing in 29 games in the circle with 21 starts. The senior from Costa Mesa, Calif., threw 137 regular season innings with a 2.50 ERA and 91 strikeouts.
Cotton’s season was highlighted by a no-hitter on March 14 versus Friends and her 300th collegiate strikeout on April 21 against York.
Cotton was selected to the All-KCAC First Team as a utility pitcher, as her exploits at the plate were just as impressive as her performance on the rubber, hitting .392 with 32 RBI, six stolen bases and a .451 on-base percentage.
Cotton finished the regular season third in the KCAC in innings pitched and wins and fourth in strikeouts.
“I am so excited for McKayla Cotton. She was the leader on our pitcher staff and a solid hitter at the No. 4 spot in our lineup. Her second-straight first-team selection represents her body of work,” noted Kennedy.
The Eagles always-reliable No. 3 hitter is the reigning KCAC Freshman of the Year in Abi Beaman, who is Avila’s second All-KCAC First Team representative.
The sophomore left fielder had career-highs in nearly every offensive category, slashing .422/.506/.578 in 47 regular season games. Beaman had 22 stolen bases and led the Eagles with 57 hits, 22 doubles and 32 RBI. Beaman finished the regular season No. 5 in the KCAC in on-base percentage, No. 7 in batting average and walks and No. 8 in walks.
“The second-straight All-KCAC selections speaks volume for Abi Beaman,” said Kennedy. “She is a player who has a chance to be a player of the year eventually. Abi Beaman is a huge piece for us.”
Avila’s final first-team selection was a first-timer in Faith Heaster.
The sophomore pitcher appeared in 27 games, starting 19, finishing the regular season with a 2.52 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 119.1 innings pitched.
Kennedy: “Faith Heaster, getting a first-team selection shows the work that she has put in from her freshman year to her sophomore season and she will be very important to our program next year as well.”
Heaster’s 12 wins were the sixth-most in the conference in the regular season and her 119.1 IP were the seventh-highest total.
Two first-time selections on the All-KCAC Third Team were freshman OF Liz Harvey and DP Maya Richards.
Harvey wrapped up a successful regular season freshman campaign hitting .358 with a .394 OBP with 24 hits and 18 stolen bases. Richards ended her senior regular season slashing .376/.393/.479 with 27 runs scored, 44 hits and 31 stolen bases while sitting atop the Avila batting order for the majority of the season.
Kennedy: “Liz Harvey making third-team as a freshman and Maya Richards as a senior are two very good recognitions. Their speed wreaks havoc on the basepaths and sets the table for our hitters.”
On the defensive end, Cotton at pitcher and Emily Branson at shortstop each earned their first career Gold Glove Awards.
Branson played in 46 games at short this season, with a .932 fielding percentage, 36 putouts and 81 assists as a junior, while Cotton’s defensive performance included a .990 fielding percentage, 68 putouts and 34 assists with just one error on her stat sheet.
