KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The No. 19 nationally ranked Central Methodist softball team was recognized by the Heart of America Athletic Conference in the conference awards from the league office, Wednesday evening. The softball team landed nine All-Conference members, as well as the Heart Player of the Year in Hannah Steeby (SO/St. Joseph, Mo.).
Steeby, a native of St. Joesph, Mo. started off her sophomore campaign strong. She was honored by the Heart as the Player of the Year and is a second time First-Team All-Conference member, as well. On the season, she has a batting average of .388, slugging average of .914, 20 homeruns, 67 RBIs, and 11 doubles. Steeby is in the top 10 in seven different statistical categories, at the national level; first in home runs per game (.426), first in slugging percentage (.914), second in home runs (20), second in runs batted in per game (1.426), third in total runs batted in (67), fifth in total bases per game (2.702), and eighth in total bases (127). She earned the Heart Softball Player of the Week on March 5, after launching eight home runs and 21 RBIs during the week. She is also currently two homeruns away from tying the program's single season home run record, held by current assistant coach Lauren Geringer with 22 home runs.
Along with Steeby, Erin Enke (SR/Martinez, Calif.) and Hannah Criswell (FR/Kennett, Mo.) earned First-Team All-Conference honors. This is Enke's third-time on the All-Conference teams. In her final season, Enke is currently 22-3 in the circle for Central Methodist. She has a current ERA of 1.21 in 150.2 innings pitched, allowing only 26 earned runs and striking out 136 batters. She is eighth in the nation in wins with 22, ninth in opponent batting average at .169, and 10th in hits allowed per nine with 4.27. She tied her career high 13 strike outs against Graceland in early April.
In her first season catching for the Eagles, Criswell is holding a .328 batting average. She is second on the team with eight home runs and has 29 RBIs on the season. In a strong showing against Avila University on the road, she had three homers and eight RBIs in the doubleheader.
Alyson Fuemmeler (SR/Glasgow, Mo.), Ashley Wills (JR/Cameron, Mo.), Addy Reardon (JR/Boonville, Mo.), and Kelli Gorman (FR/St. Charles, Mo.) all received Second-Team All-Conference honors. Fuemmeler has a.355 batting average for one home run, 16 RBIs, and nine doubles on the season. In late April, she recorded a single, double, and triple in the series against Avila.
Wills is 17-3, while in the circle for Central Methodist, with a 3.24 ERA in 125.1 innings pitched. She has struck out 83 batters and allowed 56 earned runs. She tallied a career high 10 strike outs against Culver-Stockton this past weekend.
In her third year, Reardon earned her third Second-Team All-Conference selection. She holds a .355 batting average for two home runs, 30 RBIs. She also leading the team with 15 doubles on the season. Reardon tallied a career high four RBIs against Hannibal-Lagrange back in late February.
Gorman has a batting average of .350 for seven home runs, a team's second best 42 RBIs, 12 doubles, and two triples. She earned Heart Softball Player of the Week on February 19, as she had a batting average of .833 for one home run and three runs scored, durng the week. She marked a career high five RBIs against Missouri Valley in mid-March.
Skyler Hime (SR/Raymore, Mo.) and Morgan Willis (SO/Carrollton, Mo.) were tabbed on the Honorable Mention All-Conference team. Hime is being honored for the second time in her career on the All-Conference teams. In her final season, Hime is batting a .341 with 15 RBIs and an on base percentage of .420, as the team's lead-off hitter. She is currently first in the nation in fielding percentage (1.000) and ninth in runs scored per game (1.178).
Wills has had a strong showing at the plate, batting a team's second best .371. She holds six home runs, a team's second best 42 RBIs, and 14 doubles. Willis earned Heart Softball Player of the Week on March 19 as she had a batting average of .500 for two home runs and six RBIs, during the week. She had career highs with four hits against Missouri Valley College, this past week, and four RBIs against Clarke University, yesterday.
Hime and Enke were also honored defensively as the league's gold glove winners at their respective position. Hime and Enke both posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage out in right field and in the circle. Hime had 43 puts out and one assisted, while Enke recorded seven put outs and assistsed on 66 of them.
The Eagles will return to action today, May 3, against No. 25 nationally ranked Baker University in the second round of the Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament. Game time is TBA due to weather.
