Boyd and Klaus Lead All-Conference Honors
For just the fourth time in SLIAC softball history, one program takes both the Player and Pitcher of the Year awards in the same season. In 2023 it was Greenville University's Mia Boyd and Alison Klaus receiving the league's top honors. Boyd, a sophomore, is just the fifth sophomore to ever win the SLIAC Player of the Year award and the first since 2008. Boyd closed out conference play with a .463 average, 5 home runs, and 14 RBI. She led the league in on-base percentage (.580) and was 3rd in slugging percentage (.796) while scoring 18 runs and drawing 15 walks. Overall this season she is batting .505 with 9 home runs and 43 RBI and 92 total bases. The last sophomore to be named the league's top player was Kelsey Washam, from Webster University. Only one freshman, Jeanne Zes from Webster in 1998, has ever won the Player of the Year award.
Alison Klaus is the first Panther since 2010 to be named the SLIAC Pitcher of the Year. Klaus went 7-2 with 1 save and a 1.62 earned-run average in her nine conference starts. She recorded 63 strikeouts, second most in the SLIAC, and held opponents to just a .205 batting average while leading the league with 69.1 innings pitched and recording two shutouts. Overall this season she is currently leading the SLIAC in the pitching triple crown with a 14-5 record and a 1.57 earned-run average and 141 strikeouts.
This year's Newcomer of the Year is Michaela Ferman from Spalding University. The freshman pitcher was 7-0 in conference play, recording a 2.16 earned-run average and 48 strikeouts in her 55 innings pitched. Overall this year she has taken the ball 15 times to start a game, going 11-4 with a 2.51 E.R.A. and 96 strikeouts. She is the first Golden Eagle to receive the award since 2013 when Alyssa McAfee was Co-Newcomer of the Year.
The final individual award is the Coach of the Year, which goes to Spalding's Art Williams. Williams led the Golden Eagles to a 15-3 SLIAC record this spring, winning the program's first-ever regular season title. The 15 wins are the most conference wins in program history and they are 26-10 overall this year. This is the first time in his coaching career he has been named the league's top coach.
In conjunction with the SLIAC's emphasis on sportsmanship, Blackburn College was voted as the Team Sportsmanship award winner for the third time in program history. A full list of All-Conference award winners is listed below.
| SLIAC | First Team | |||||
| Pos. | Player | School | Yr | Hometown/High School | ||
| P | Michaela Ferman | Spalding | FR | Metamora, Ind./Franklin County | ||
| P | Alison Klaus | Greenville | SR | O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West | ||
| C | Grace Paez | Fontbonne | JR | St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word | ||
| INF | Mia Boyd | Greenville | SO | Florissant, Mo./Incarnate Word | ||
| INF | Katie Croxall | Webster | SO | El Segundo, Calif./El Segundo | ||
| INF | Lilly Jones | Fontbonne | SR | Benton, Mo./Thomas W. Kelly | ||
| INF | Bella Velez | Spalding | JR | Louisville, Ky./Holy Cross | ||
| OF | Emily Esquivel | Westminster | JR | San Diego, Calif./Eastlake | ||
| OF | Grayce Marcum | Spalding | SO | Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central | ||
| OF | Jessica Tucker | Spalding | SR | Georgetown, Ky./Scott County | ||
| UT | Jaelin Holdaway | Webster | JR | West Valley, Utah/Cyprus | ||
| AL (OF) | Ashley Carrow | Fontbonne | FR | Jackson, Mo./Cape Notre Dame | ||
| SLIAC | Second Team | |||||
| P | Hailey Kutz | Fontbonne | SO | Cape Girardeau, Mo./Notre Dame | ||
| P | Reese Waggoner | Webster | JR | Centennial, Colo./Eaglecrest | ||
| C | Paige Thomas | Webster | JR | Emporia, Kan./Emporia | ||
| INF | Kaley Adzick | Webster | FR | Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette | ||
| INF | Madi Case | Greenville | SO | Apple Valley, Calif./Apple Valley | ||
| INF | Madison Loechle | Spalding | JR | Newcastle, Ky./Assumption | ||
| INF | Dawn Wilson | Spalding | SO | Eubank, Ky./Pulaski County | ||
| OF | Chelsea Ashlock | Blackburn | JR | Centralia, Ill./Centralia | ||
| OF | Emma Funk | Greenville | JR | Elkville, Ill./Elverado | ||
| OF | Maddie Marrero | Westminster | JR | Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge | ||
| UT | Jaclyn Belzer | Greenville | SR | Belleville, Ill./Belleville East | ||
| AL (INF) | Kelsey Logan | Westminster | JR | Fulton, Mo./South Callaway | ||
| SLIAC | Third Team | |||||
| P | Ainsley Hinz | Webster | FR | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Centennial | ||
| P | Kami Matthews | Fontbonne | FR | Ballwin, Mo./Marquette | ||
| C | Hayleigh Gnagie | Spalding | SO | Louisville, Ky./Ballard | ||
| INF | Gada Bryant | Eureka | FR | Westville, Ill./Bizmark-Henning | ||
| INF | KayLee Hohlbauch | Eureka | SO | Arcola, Ill./Arcola | ||
| INF | Sidney Holtz | Webster | JR | Taylorsville, Utah/Murray | ||
| INF | Sarah Salas | Greenville | FR | Houston, Texas/Heights | ||
| INF | Bria Wessel | Eureka | JR | Peoria, Ill./Limestone | ||
| OF | Holly Heuerman | Blackburn | JR | Teutopolis, Ill./Teutopolis | ||
| OF | Kaelyn Kearney | Webster | JR | Draper, Utah/Corner Canyon | ||
| OF | Karlee Terral | Spalding | FR | Nicholasville, Ky./East Jessamine | ||
| OF | Macey Whisker | Eureka | JR | Washington, Ill./Washington | ||
| UT | Kaleigh Franklin-Brooks | Spalding | FR | Lexington, Ky./Lafayette | ||
| AL (P) | Melissa Bernal | Greenville | SO | Swansea, Ill./Gibault Catholic | ||
| SLIAC | All-Sportsmanship Team | |||||
| Michelle Hollon | Blackburn | |||||
| Kloey Wheeler | Eureka | |||||
| Patience VanderMierden | Fontbonne | |||||
| Desirae Yost | Greenville | |||||
| Kori Calvert | Spalding | |||||
| Ella Zgaynor | Webster | |||||
| Caroline Bentley | Westminster |
