Speers Named MAC Player of the Year, Seven Flashes Earn Postseason Honors
5/8/2018 3:22:00 PM | Softball
Official MAC release
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Senior Holly Speers has been named Mid-American Conference Player of the Year to highlight seven Golden Flashes earning recognition, as the MAC office announced its softball postseason awards Tuesday (May 8) afternoon. Junior Bailey Brownfield joined Speers on the All-MAC First Team with freshman Brenna Brownfield, sophomore Maria Cegledy, freshman Kennadie Goth and sophomore Madi Huck being named to the All-MAC Second Team. Goth and Kaitlyn Miller represented Kent State on the All-Freshman Team.
Kent State's six All-MAC selections led the conference and are the most since seven Flashes were recognized in 2007. The team ranks among the top-30 in the nation in scoring (5.67), batting average (.315), slugging percentage (.480), on-base percentage (.390) and fielding percentage (.972).
"To have so many players recognized by the other head coaches in the MAC says a lot about the depth and talent on this team," head coach Eric Oakley said. "We led the conference in both batting average and scoring, which is the result of a lot of great teamwork but also individuals putting in a lot of hard work to achieve their goals. We also had both of our pitchers recognized, which is a great testament to their ability to fill larger roles than what they may have expected when fall ball ended. While this is the winningest senior class, having so many underclassmen recognized certainly bodes well for the future of Kent State softball."
It has been a record-breaking season for Speers, who was the first player in Kent State history to be named as a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist in late April. The national leader in batting average (.500), slugging percentage (1.079) on-base percentage (.667), she owns the MAC single-season record in each category in addition to walks (57). During the conference season, Speers was the conference leader in slugging percentage (1.128), on-base percentage (.694), home runs (8) and walks (37). She ranked second in batting average (.447), fifth in runs scored (20) and eighth in RBIs (20). Speers reached base in 22 of 23 conference games and at one point owned a streak of 29 consecutive games reached base.
"As a coach, it is thrilling to watch a student-athlete's hard work pay off," said Oakley. "The coaches in this league have recognized what an incredible season Holly is having. There are so many talented players in the league and it is great for the program to have back-to-back winners."
Speers is the fifth Kent State player to earn MAC Player of the Year honors, joining former teammate Maddy Grimm on the exclusive list. This marks just the second time the award has gone to different players from the same school in consecutive seasons.
Bailey Brownfield earned her second straight All-MAC First Team and made a seamless transition from the outfield to third base. She continued to provide a consistent bat for the Flashes and teamed with Speers to form the conference's top hitting duo. In league play, Brownfield led the MAC with nine doubles while ranking third with a team-high 24 RBIs and sixth in batting average (.413). She tallied eight multi-hit games against league opponents, including a career-high four-hit game against Toledo on March 31.
Brenna Brownfield saw action in the pitching circle and at the plate from the designated player position. She batted .300 with a .575 slugging percentage, as more than half of her hits against league foes went for extra bases. Brownfield hit five doubles and two home runs while driving in eight runs. As a pitcher, she pitched 41.1 innings and earned five victories. Over her final three starts, Brownfield went 3-0 with a 0.87 ERA and tossed her first career shutout Saturday against rival Akron.
Cegledy blossomed at the beginning of the conference season and provided great protection in the lineup batting behind first-teamers Brownfield and Speers. She had a .390 batting average and .464 on-base percentage in MAC games to rank 10th and 12th, respectively, in the conference. Cegledy's 12 RBIs in league play were tied for the third-most on the team. She also continued her stellar defensive play in center field and registered a perfect fielding percentage in MAC games.
Goth has recorded one of the best freshman campaigns in Kent State history. Her .421 batting average ranks 31st nationally overall and fifth among freshmen. It is the fifth-highest single-season batting average in the program record book and second-best mark by a freshman. In conference games, Goth ranked second in the MAC in stolen bases (7), third in hits (32) and seventh in batting average (.405) and runs scored (18). She matched her career-high with four hits in games against Toledo (March 31) and Miami (April 13).
Huck showed that she was ready for a heavier workload, throwing a conference-high 96.1 innings in MAC games after totaling only 53 innings during her freshman season. Her four shutouts in conference games were the second-most among MAC pitchers, and she also ranked third in victories (9) and fourth in strikeouts (70). Huck was sensational down the stretch for the Flashes, as she went 5-0 with three shutouts, a 1.09 ERA and 34 strikeouts to just seven walks in her final five starts. She earned her second MAC East Pitcher of the Week award on Tuesday after throwing 6.2 innings of no-hit ball Saturday against rival Akron.
Miller batted .351 in conference games with two doubles, two triples and six RBIs. She recorded six multi-hit games against MAC opponents and matched her career-high with three RBIs at Ball State on April 6.
Kent State won eight of its final nine conference games to finish 14-9 in league play and will enter the MAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed. The Golden Flashes will play fifth-seeded Western Michigan in the tournament's opening game at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will be played at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
Player of the Year: Holly Speers, Kent State
Pitcher of the Year: Danielle Stiene, Ohio
Freshman of the Year: Bailey Curry, Toledo
Coach of the Year: Kristen Butler, Toledo
Nan Harvey Award Winner: Lauren Holdsworth, Eastern Michigan
All-MAC First Team
C – Maison Kalina, Central Michigan
1B – Mikayla Cooper, Ohio
2B – Maddy Labrador, Ball State
3B – Bailey Brownfield, Kent State
SS – Holly Speers, Kent State
OF – Anna Aguon, Buffalo
OF – Sam Coffel, Western Michigan
OF – Haley Dominique, Ball State, OF
UTL – Bailey Curry, Toledo
P – Danielle Stiene, Ohio
P – Haley Minarchick, Toledo
UTL/P – Sydney Stefancik, Western Michigan
P – Aeshia Miles, Ball State (At-Large)
1B – Erika Underwood, Central Michigan (At-Large)
3B – Alex Day, Ohio (At-Large)
All-MAC Second Team
C – Laine Simmons, Bowling Green
1B – Sam Schmidt, Northern Illinois
2B – Taylor Saxton, Ohio
3B – Amanda Akles, Eastern Michigan
SS – Sydney Jascoe, Akron
OF – Maria Cegledy, Kent State
OF – Kennadie Goth, Kent State
OF – Ashley Rausch, Toledo
UTL – Morgan Geno, Ohio
P – Madi Huck, Kent State
P – Jordan Kurth, Western Michigan
UTL/P – Brenna Brownfield, Kent State
1B – Cassie Gillespie, Akron (At-Large)
2B – Jenelle Martinez, Buffalo (At-Large)
OF – Jenny Van Geertry, Northern Illinois (At-Large)
All-Freshman Team
Anna Aguon, Buffalo
Sam Coffel, Western Michigan
Bailey Curry, Toledo
Kennadie Goth, Kent State
Shaidan Knapp, Central Michigan
Kaitlyn Miller, Kent State
Kylie Norwood, Toledo
Ashton Slone, Miami
Courtney Vierstra, Miami
Katie Yun, Ohio
