2018 MVC Softball All-Conference Release
ST. LOUIS -- Regular-season champion Drake claimed Most Valuable Player, Most Valuable Pitcher and Coaching Staff of the Year recognition. Third-seeded, Southern Illinois collected Defensive Player of the Year, fourth-seed Valparaiso took Newcomer of the Year while Evansville had the MVC Freshman of the Year. The honors were announced at the annual softball banquet on Wednesday evening in Des Moines, Iowa.
Drake’s Mandi Roemmich was honored as the Missouri Valley Conference Most Valuable Player. During Conference play, Roemmich batted .429 and had 21 runs scored and 12 RBIs on 33 hits. For the 2018 season, she has five top-10 rankings in The Valley. She ranks second in doubles, third in runs scored, seventh in hits, eighth in batting average and ninth for on-base percentage. Roemmich also leads the Bulldogs in seven categories, including batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits and total bases.
Nicole Newman of Drake was named MVC Most Valuable Pitcher. In all of NCAA Division I Softball, she ranks first in strikeouts per seven innings, second in earned run average, sixth in hits allowed per seven innings, eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 19th in shutouts, 23rd in strikeouts and 35th in victories. Newman pitched 11 complete league games, earning 12 wins against Valley opponents. She has a 0.41 Conference ERA and a 0.64 overall ERA with 213 strikeouts.
The MVC Defensive Player of the Year was Southern Illinois’ Maddy Vermejan. Vermejan had 104 putouts from 170 chances on the season with 63 assists. She was a key cog in the defensive system of the Salukis which led them to a third seed for the 2018 MVC Championship, marking the 23rd-straight season Southern Illinois has made an appearance in the MVC Championship.
The Valley had a strong freshman class this year, as seven freshmen were named to the All-Conference First or Second teams. The Freshman of the Year honor went to Evansville’s Eryn Gould. In MVC action, Gould had a .402 batting average with nine of her 37 hits for extra bases. She ranks in the top-ten in Conference play for batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, doubles and total bases.
Valparaiso’s Kelsie Packard was chosen as the 2018 MVC Newcomer of the Year. In the circle against Valley foes, Packard ranks third in opposing batting average (.216), fourth in strikeouts (78) and earned run average (1.78) and ninth in innings pitched (67). In all Division I Softball, she ranks 54th in strikeouts per seven innings and 85th in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Rich Calvert and his assistants Kasey Griffith and Tina DeAngelo won this year’s Coaching Staff of the Year award. They led their team to a 41-10 overall record and a 24-1 mark in the MVC, clinching the top seed and their third regular-season title. It also marks the third time in school history that the Bulldogs have captured Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Their 41 wins ties for 11th best overall in the MVC Record Book and the team has five top-50 rankings in NCAA Division I Softball for ERA, Win-Loss Percentage, Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio, Stolen Bases per game and Fielding Percentage.
League awards are voted on by the head softball coaches.
