Trio of Griffins and MacMurray's Determan Grab Top Honors

Trio of Griffins and MacMurray's Determan Grab Top Honors

 A trio of Fontbonne University players and a MacMurray representative grabbed the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's (SLIAC) top individual awards for the 2015 softball season. Fontbonne's Cassandra Glixman, Madison Leonard, and Samantha Brown join MacMurray's Determan in being honored for their outstanding seasons.

Cassandra Glixman, a senior from St. Louis, Mo., becomes just the second player in conference history to repeat as SLIAC Player of the Year. Glixman ranked in the top three in nearly every offensive category during conference play this season; hitting .548 and 40 runs batted in during her team's 18 conference games. Glixman slugged her way through conference action with 12 doubles and six home runs for a slugging percentage of 1.032. In addition she struck out just twice against conference opponents and scored 29 runs with an on base percentage of .565. The only other player to repeat as SLIAC Player of the Year was Grace Young of Blackburn College in 2010 and 2011.

Madison Leonard, a junior from Arnold, Mo., is the 2015 SLIAC Pitcher of the Year after recording the conference's overall pitching Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (22), earned-run average (1.09), and strikeouts (184). Leonard recorded all 18 conference wins for the Griffins, leading them to an undefeated conference record. In 18 conference starts she recorded a 0.40 earned-run average while averaging 10.14 strikeouts per game. She held her opponents to a .141 batting average and recorded three shutouts. Leonard becomes the third Fontbonne pitcher to earn the conference's top pitching award, joining Kourtney VonBehren (2012) and Rachel McCarthy (2013).

Samantha Brown, a freshman from Webster Groves, Mo., stepped right into the Griffins lineup and never missed a beat. Brown hit .370 overall this season and stepped it up during conference play with a .452 batting average, good for sixth in the league. She finished with 17 runs batted in and 19 hits during 17 conference games while also swiping three bases. Brown joins her teammates Danielle Glixman (2012) and Madison Leonard (2013) as a SLIAC Newcomer of the Year award winner and becomes the seventh player in program history to take home the honor.

Lexy Determan is the 2015 SLIAC Coach of the Year after guiding her team into the SLIAC Tournament with an 18-15 overall record and a 12-6 mark in conference play. It is the first time the Highlanders have appeared in the SLIAC Tournament since the 1999 season and their first winning season since 2003. Determan, in her second season as head coach, took the Highlander offense from 9th last season to 2nd best in the conference this year while also coaching a pitching staff that finishing with the league's third lowest earned-run average. Determan is just the second MacMurray softball head coach to be named Coach of the Year, joining Sondi Creglow who won in 1991 and 1993.

In addition Principia College received the conference's Team Sportsmanship Award which recognizes the team whose players, coaches and fans best exhibit the principles of good sportsmanship. The SLIAC also recognizes one individual from each team, selected by his coach and teammates, who throughout the season best displays the ideals of sportsmanship.

SLIAC First Team  
Pos. Player School
P Alyson Hahn
Westminster
P Madison Leonard
Fontbonne
C Amanda Gilliland
Spalding
INF Abby Bartley
Westminster
INF Cassandra Glixman
Fontbonne
INF
Danielle Glixman
Fontbonne
INF Melinda Wilson
MacMurray
OF Shannon Fitzpatrick
Fontbonne
OF Bryn McKie
Greenville
OF Amber Tepen
Westminster
UT Lindsay Schaefer
Fontbonne
AL Emily Kolisch (OF)
Webster
SLIAC Second Team  
P Kelci Flener
Spalding
P Marissa Harris MacMurray
C Emily Smith
Fontbonne
INF Jaclyn Elmore
Blackburn
INF Andrea Martin
Greenville
INF Becca Oldham
Greenville
INF Breezy Walton
MacMurray
OF Kristine Becks
Iowa Wesleyan
OF Samantha Brown
Fontbonne
OF Alyssa McAfee
Spalding
UT Kalie George Eureka
AL Jessica Laubecher (UT)
Greenville
SLIAC Third Team
 
P Hannah Burger
Greenville
P
Mary Chamberlain
Blackburn
C
Tiffany Samsoe
Greenville
INF
Katlyn Garza
Webster
INF
Becca Mouser
Spalding
INF
Savanna Tapper
Eureka
INF
Stephanie Watkins
MacMurray
OF
Shannon Elbe
Greenville
OF
Alyssa Sapp
Webster
OF Krysten Wallace
Eureka
UT Samantha Shepard
Iowa Wesleyan
AL
Tessa Johanning (UT)
Webster
SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team  
  Meghan Ude
Blackburn
  Kim Lamar
Eureka
  Isabel Hotop
Fontbonne
  Anaya Tobiason
Greenville
  Samantha Shepard Iowa Wesleyan
  Breezy Walton
MacMurray
  Jessyca MacMullin Principia
  Miranda Ladanyi
Spalding
  Alexis Spriggs
Webster
  Katherine Cooper
Westminster