BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference announced its 2023 softball award winners and all-conference teams on Thursday afternoon, one day prior to the start of the conference tournament, which will be played May 5-7 at Botetourt Softball Complex in Troutville, Virginia.
Charleston’s Hannah Rose repeated as the MEC Player of the Year in 2023, while West Virginia Wesleyan’s Kendall Stoffel was recognized as the league’s pitcher of the year. Wesleyan infielder Andie Dizon was voted the league’s freshman of the year, while Bobcat head coach Steve Warner was named the MEC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row.
Rose, a junior from New Haven, W.Va., hit a league-best .519 during the 2023 regular season with 12 home runs, 13 doubles, three triples and 30 runs batted in. She finished the season with a .926 slugging percentage and also recorded 27 stolen bases on the year. In addition to leading the league in batting average, Rose also ranks first in the MEC in slugging (.926), OPS (1.519), runs scored (60) and hits (70). Her .593 on-base percentage ranks second in the league.
Stoffel, a sophomore from Saint Albans, W.Va., was named the MEC Pitcher of the Year after recording a league-low 1.07 ERA during the 2023 season. Stoffel also ranks first in the league in opponent batting average (.171), fourth in strikeouts (108) and second in wins (18). Stoffel made 23 appearances and 20 starts for the Bobcats this season, finishing the year with an 18-2 record while recording seven shutouts. She also racked up 108 strikeouts and allowed just 31 runs on the year (20 earned runs).
Dizon, a freshman infielder and designated player for the Bobcats, was named the league’s freshman of the year after batting .352 with eight home runs, nine doubles and a triple during the 2023 season. She also drove in 37 runs and recorded a .625 slugging percentage in her first season with the Bobcats. Dizon was also named to the All-MEC first team.
For the second year in a row, West Virginia Wesleyan head coach Steve Warner has been named the MEC Coach of the Year. In 2023, Warner led the Bobcats to a 42-13 overall record, including a 25-7 mark in MEC play. Warner and the Bobcats currently rank third in the NCAA Atlantic Region Rankings and enter this week’s MEC Softball Tournament as the No. 2 seed on the South division.
In addition to announcing the individual award winners, the league also announced its all-conference teams on Thursday afternoon. Fifteen standouts were named to the All-MEC first team, while 17 were selected on the second team. The MEC awards winners and all-conference teams are selected following a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches.
| All-MEC First Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
| C |
Bella Andujar |
Charleston |
| 1B |
Jamie Roberts |
Frostburg State |
| 2B |
Jeritza Montero |
Charleston |
| SS |
Hannah Rose |
Charleston |
| 3B |
Emma Pauley |
West Virginia St. |
| 3B |
Peyton Wetherholt |
Fairmont State |
| DP/Util |
Andie Dizon |
West Va. Wesleyan |
| DP/Util |
Emily Riggs |
Fairmont State |
| OF |
Emma Gumont |
Notre Dame |
| OF |
Taylor Swartz |
West Va. Wesleyan |
| OF |
Hannah Workman |
Fairmont State |
| P |
Holly Brehm |
Glenville State |
| P |
Hannah Hudson |
West Va. Wesleyan |
| P |
Brianna McCown |
Charleston |
| P |
Kendall Stoffel |
West Va. Wesleyan |
|
|
|
| All-MEC Second Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
| C |
Honesty Holt |
Davis & Elkins |
| C |
Maddie Munoz |
Wheeling |
| 1B |
Linzey Allard |
Davis & Elkins |
| 1B |
Morgan Norris |
West Va. Wesleyan |
| 2B |
Hailee Culbertson |
Alderson Broaddus |
| SS |
Bri Powell |
Frostburg State |
| 3B |
Brionna Bowman |
Charleston |
| DP/Util |
Emma Ruth |
West Virginia St. |
| OF |
Alexa Andrews |
Fairmont State |
| OF |
Anjolina Gutierrez |
Davis & Elkins |
| OF |
Alexi Maciejowski |
Notre Dame |
| OF |
Kayla Mancuso |
West Liberty |
| OF |
Arden Miller |
Frostburg State |
| OF |
Raegan West |
Charleston |
| P |
Dani Bauer |
Charleston |
| P |
Grace Fisher |
Notre Dame |
| P |
Sydney Theobald |
Frostburg State |
|
|
|
| 2023 Softball Top Honors |
Player of the Year: Hannah Rose (Charleston)
Pitcher of the Year: Kendall Stoffel (West Va. Wesleyan)
Freshman of the Year: Andie Dizon (West Va. Wesleyan)
Coach of the Year: Steve Warner (West Va. Wesleyan) |