Balance Among 2016 SLIAC Softball All-Conference Awards
There was balance among the 2016 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Softball All-Conference team with seven schools being represented on the First Team. In addition nine of ten conference members had at least one player named All-Conference.
Erica Burney, from Westminster College, was named the 2016 SLIAC Softball Player of the Year after leading all players during conference action in batting average and finishing second in both home runs and runs batted in. Burney, a junior transfer from Ste. Genevieve, Mo., hit .591 with five home runs and 31 runs batted in during her 18 conference games. She finished with 39 hits, including eight doubles, and led the league with a .939 slugging percentage. Burney set single season program records for home runs (10) and runs batted in (51) this season while hitting .545 overall. She is the first Blue Jay player to be named SLIAC Player of the Year in program history.
Fontbonne University's Madison Leonard becomes the first player in conference history to be named SLIAC Pitcher of the Year multiple times; also winning in 2015. Leonard, a senior from Imperial, Mo., was dominant in conference play this season; compiling a 14-2 record with a 1.78 earned-run average and 132 strikeouts. Leonard claimed the pitching triple crown, leading the league in wins, earned-run average, and strikeouts. She averaged 10.19 strikeouts per nine innings and recorded 10 complete games with three shutouts. Opponents hit just .198 against her during conference play and she recorded her first collegiate no-hitter in April.
The Griffins also took home the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year award with Emelia Modglin receiving the honor. Modglin, a freshman from Waterloo, Ill., showed no signs of being a first year collegiate player; raising her average nearly .100 points as she entered conference play; hitting .534. She added two home runs, six stolen bases, and 23 runs batted in during the conference season, ranking in the top ten in each category. Modglin is the second straight Griffin to be named Newcomer of the Year, joining her teammate Samantha Brown, and is the eighth player in program history to win the award.
The 2016 SLIAC Coach of the Year goes to Eureka College's Debi Neff. Neff guided the Red Devils to a 31-7 overall record and a 13-5 record in the SLIAC this spring; setting the program record for overall wins. The Red Devils more than doubled their wins from last season and will be making just their third SLIAC Tournament appearance in program history. Neff is in her fourth year as Red Devil head coach and becomes the first Eureka head coach to be named SLIAC Coach of the Year in program history.
Principia College was awarded the 2016 SLIAC Team Sportsmanship award which goes to 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.
For a complete list of the 2016 SLIAC All-Conference teams and award winners see below.
| SLIAC | First Team | |
| Pos. | Player | School |
| P | Brianna Anderson |
Greenville |
| P | Madison Leonard |
Fontbonne |
| C | Emily Smith |
Fontbonne |
| INF | Erica Burney |
Westminster |
| INF | Kerrigan Dura |
Eureka |
| INF |
Emelia Modglin |
Fontbonne |
| INF | Tiffany Samsoe |
Greenville |
| OF | Alyssa McAfee |
Spalding |
| OF | Bryn McKie |
Greenville |
| OF | Katelyn Sullens |
Webster |
| UT | Shannon Perrigo |
Westminster |
| AL | Erin McGinnis (UT) |
Webster |
| AL | Lauren Rhodes (UT) | Blackburn |
| SLIAC | Second Team | |
| P | Alyson Hahn |
Westminster |
| P | Shannon Perrigo |
Westminster |
| C | Lexi Litwiller | Eureka |
| INF | Jaclyn Elmore |
Blackburn |
| INF | Savanna Tapper |
Eureka |
| INF | Kenney Vinchattle |
Iowa Wesleyan |
| INF | Carol Weiler |
Webster |
| OF | Samantha Brown |
Fontbonne |
| OF | Sidney Coleman |
Webster |
| OF | Amber Tepen |
Westminster |
| UT | Kali George | Eureka |
| AL | Amanda Gilliland (C) |
Spalding |
| SLIAC | Third Team |
|
| P | Samantha McIlwain |
Iowa Wesleyan |
| P |
Rachel Patterson |
Eureka |
| C |
Alyssa Johnson |
Westminster |
| INF |
Anne Baker |
Westminster |
| INF |
Andrea Martin |
Greenville |
| INF |
Diamond Thomas |
Fontbonne |
| INF |
Anaya Tobiason |
Greenville |
| OF |
Maddie Cooksey |
Fontbonne |
| OF |
Leah Holthaus |
Westminster |
| OF | Rachel Patterson |
Eureka |
| OF | Kaylin Rucker | Spalding |
| UT | Noelle Shoemake |
Principia |
| SLIAC | All-Sportsmanship Team | |
| Abigail Sutton |
Blackburn | |
| Hannah Shearburn |
Eureka | |
| Isabel Hotop |
Fontbonne | |
| Caitie Opp |
Greenville | |
| Caitlin O'Neill |
Iowa Wesleyan | |
| Chelsea Bringle |
MacMurray | |
| AC McMullen |
Principia | |
| Mackenzee Sawyer |
Spalding | |
| Carissa Cardenas |
Webster | |
| Kat Cooper |
Westminster |
