Kansas City, Mo. - The Central Methodist softball team garnered nine Heart All-Conference selections, including three superlative award winners. Madison White was named the Player of the Year, Mykala Johnico Freshman of the Year, and Pat Reardon Coach of the Year. It marks the fourth-straight season that Central has landed nine or more members of its team on the Heart All-Conference list.
White was named Heart Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference performer after a remarkable sophomore campaign. To date, the native of Columbia, Mo. leads the team in batting average (.468), home runs (14), doubles (15), hits (58), RBI (46), OBP (.553), and slugging percentage (.927). She was named the Heart Player of the Week on April 18 after recording a .632 batting average, with 10 RBI, four doubles, and three home runs. She is the second Eagle in the past two seasons to be named Heart Player of the Year, as senior outfielder Kelli Gorman was honored in 2021.
Johnico was tabbed as the Freshman of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection after posting a 14-0 record in the regular season through 89.2 innings of work. She tallied 137 strikeouts and threw 11 complete games. In addition, Johnico has thrown three no-hitters and been twice named Heart Pitcher of the Week. Johnico is the second Eagle in the last two seasons to earn Freshman of the Year honors, as Micaela Harcrow was recognized in 2021.
Head Coach Pat Reardon was named the Heart Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career. Reardon coached Central to its eighth regular-season championship in 2022, including a 36-4 overall mark and a 27-1 record in conference play. Central is currently riding a 28-game-winning streak, the longest winning streak in the last 15 years of the program. To date, Reardon has tallied 887 career wins in his 30 years leading the program.
Senior pitcher Keighlan Cronin is now a three-time First Team All-Conference selection, as she was honored as both a junior in 2021 and a freshman in 2019. The native of St. Charles, Mo. has a 19-1 overall record through 133.1 innings pitched and a 1.26 earned run average. She has tallied a team-leading 176 K's, averaging 9.24 strikeouts/seven innings. During her time with the Eagles, Cronin has recorded 597 career K's, the most in program history.
Katelyn Kiser was recognized as a First-Team All-Conference performer after earning Honorable Mention a season ago. The sophomore from Kansas City, Mo. has batted .411 with 46 total hits, including nine doubles and two home runs.
Gorman concludes her time with the Eagles as a four-time Heart All-Conference selection, as she earned First Team honors for the second-straight year. The native of Foristell, Mo. has started in 41 games for CMU, recording a .368 batting average with seven doubles, two triples, and seven home runs. She also drove in 31 runners and drew 11 walks. In left field, Gorman collected a .964 fielding percentage.
Harcrow is the sixth Eagle to land on the First Team, as the sophomore out of Mustang, Okla. finished third on the team with 52 hits and tied for second with 12 doubles. She recorded a .430 batting average with 39 RBI. Harcrow is now a two-time First Team All-Conference selection.
Sophomore outfielder Kelena Oots was the seventh and final Eagle to land on the First-Team in addition to earning a spot on the Gold Glove team. To date, Oots has batted .393 with four doubles and two triples. She has also committed just one error as Central's starting center fielder, finishing the year with a .978 fielding percentage.
Senior Madison Love was named to the Second Team after earning First Team honors as a junior in 2021. Love has tallied a .376 batting average with 44 total hits, including nine for extra bases. In addition, the senior from New Bloomfield, Mo. appeared in nine games with seven starts as a pitcher, posting a 3-3 record with a 4.77 earned run average.
Freshman Mykayla Pennell rounded out the All-Conference selections, as she earned Honorable Mention honors. Pennell batted .345 from the designated player position, collecting 20 hits and scoring 10 runs. She also drove in 15 RBI and drew seven walks.
The Eagles will next face Mount Mercy University in the semifinals of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Saturday, May 7 at 12:00 p.m. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
To view the conference release on the 2022 Heart Softball All-Conference teams, please click here.
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