By: MIAA Communications

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The 2021 All-MIAA Softball Teams and postseason awards have been announced by the association. Five players and one coach boasted each of the specialty annual awards.

Missouri Western's Sydni Hawkins was voted as the MIAA Player of the Year. A pair of athletes were named MIAA Co-Defensive Players of the Year -- Lexy Dobson of Central Oklahoma and Madison Friest of Northwest Missouri State. MIAA Pitcher of the Year accolades went to Rogers State's Andrea Morales. Marrit Mead of Washburn collected MIAA Freshman of the Year honors. Finally, Hallie Blackney of Missouri Southern State was tabbed the MIAA Coach of the Year.

The honor for Hawkins was no surprise as the junior infielder from Wichita, Kan., ranked No. 1 in the MIAA in batting average (.496), runs scored (48) and on-base percentage (.537). She was also second in total hits (68) and fourth in stolen bases (21). She started in all 40 games going 68-for-137 at the plate with 11 doubles, seven homers and 21 RBI. She helped lead Missouri Western to a No. 6 seed in the MIAA Championship.

In the circle, Morales was tops in the MIAA in every major statistical pitching category. She went 21-5 overall with a 1.64 ERA with 21 complete games, nine shutouts and posted 201 strikeouts -- all of those marks being No. 1. She claimed the MIAA Pitcher of the Week honors on three different occasions this year. 

Defensively, Dobson had a 1.000 fielding percentage with zero errors in 61 chances from her outfield position. She was one of six players in the MIAA with a perfect fielding mark. From her infield/catcher position, Friest had a .993 fielding percentage with just one error in 141 chances.

As a freshman, Mead was a hitting and running machine. The Ichabod star ranked first in the league in total hits (72) and was second overall in batting average (.471) and runs scored (45) and third in on-base percentage (.497) and stolen bases (22).

MSSU coach Blackney led the Lions to the No. 3 seed in the upcoming MIAA Championship. She engineered the most league wins (19) in school history and got the Lions to a top-three finish after being picked 11th in the preseason poll.

Below is the complete list of 2021 MIAA teams and awards. The 2021 MIAA Softball Championship begins on Friday, May 7 with four quarterfinal events at four different on-campus locations. The four winners from the 'best-of-3' series advance to the final site May 13-16 in Edmond, Okla.

2021 MIAA Postseason Awards

• Player of the Year: Sydni Hawkins – Missouri Western State
• Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Lexy Dobson – Central Oklahoma, Madison Friest – Northwest Missouri State
• Pitcher of the Year: Andrea Morales – Rogers State
• Freshman of the Year: Marrit Mead – Washburn
• Coach of the Year: Hallie Blackney – Missouri Southern State

2021 All-MIAA Teams
First-Team

• Pitcher: Andrea Morales – Rogers State
• Pitcher: Paige Petefish – Central Missouri
• Catcher: Abigail Taylor – Rogers State
• First Base: Elexis Watson – Rogers State
• Second Base: Sydni Hawkins – Missouri Western State
• Shortstop: Josie Tofpi – Missouri Southern State
• Third Base: Marrit Mead – Washburn
• Outfield: Ashlyn Cook – Central Missouri
• Outfield: Olivia Daugherty – Northwest Missouri State
• Outfield: Bailey Fowler – Central Missouri
• Outfield: Hazel Puempel – Central Oklahoma
• Designated Player: Ashton Friend – Washburn
• Utility/Pitcher: Jaycee Ginter – Washburn
• Utility/Non-Pitcher: Emma Hoffart – Missouri Western State

Includes tie in voting

Second-Team

• Pitcher: Michaelanne Nelson – Fort Hays State
• Pitcher: Corrina Rivas – Central Oklahoma
• Catcher: Ashlynn Williams – Missouri Southern State
• First Base: Allie Eicher – Central Oklahoma
• Second Base: Tarin Dubler – Central Oklahoma
• Shortstop: Abbey Fischer – Central Missouri
• Third Base: Kaitlyn Weis – Northwest Missouri State
• Outfield: Makayla Bowman – Rogers State
• Outfield: Carlee Liesch – Nebraska Kearney
• Outfield: Jacee Minter – Central Oklahoma
• Designated Player: Danelle Day – Rogers State
• Utility/Pitcher: Kara Amos – Missouri Southern State
• Utility/Non-Pitcher: Rhomie Bradshaw – Northeastern State

All-MIAA Honorable Mention

• Central Missouri: Sadie Parks - Pitcher, Makenzie McAtee – First Base
• Central Oklahoma: Shayla Harper – Third Base, Kylee Lynch – Pitcher, Amelya Huggins – Catcher, Brighton Gilbert – Shortstop, Taylor McKittrick – Utility/Non-Pitcher
• Emporia State: Gabby Biondo – Second Base, Emma Furnish – Outfield, Kerrigan Dixon – Utility/Pitcher
• Fort Hays State: Sara Breckbill – Utility/Non-Pitcher
• Missouri Southern State: Abby Atkin - Pitcher, Makaila Leonhart – Second Base, Yazmin Vargas – Outfield, Adrianna Young – Outfield, Leighton Withers – Utility/Non-Pitcher
• Missouri Western State: Kaili Hinds - Pitcher, Sydney Rader - Pitcher
• Nebraska Kearney: Katie Gosker – Catcher, Abbie Vodicka – Shortstop, Abbie Jo Gaube - Outfield
• Newman: Taylor Ullery - Outfield, Anissa Ramos – Shortstop
• Northeastern State: Chloe Bohuslavicky – Designated Player, Alyssia Crick – Catcher, Carly Kelley – Second Base, Addie Elbon - Outfield
• Northwest Missouri State: Madison Friest - Catcher
• Pittsburg State: Taylor Lambert – Designated Player, Kami Zimmerman – First Base, Kaity Kukowski – Second Base
• Rogers State: Jaylan Gibson – Third Base, M’Kayla Hillman - Pitcher
• Washburn: Bri Francis - Catcher, Hadley Kerschen - Shortstop