PAC honors softball all-conference teams, award winners

5/10/2022 3:00:00 PM

GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) announced its All-PAC Softball teams and annual award winners Tuesday afternoon. The All-PAC teams, along with the PAC's yearly award winners, were determined, by vote, of the league's 10 head coaches.

Franciscan University freshman second base Kimberly McDaniels (Tucson, Ariz. | Salpointe Catholic) was selected as this year’s PAC Player of the Year. Waynesburg University freshman pitcher Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. | Clay Battelle) was honored as both the PAC Pitcher of the Year and PAC Newcomer of the Year. Waynesburg third-year head coach Brett Shimek collected PAC Coach of the Year honors. 

McDaniels hit .422 over 28 games (28 starts) for Franciscan. She finished with 13 doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs and 19 runs scored. McDaniels also posted a .485 on-base percentage and .633 slugging percentage. In 16 league games this spring, she hit .431 with seven doubles, a home run, four RBIs and 10 runs scored. McDaniels totaled 13 multi-hit games and had a seven-game hitting streak between March 17 and April 4. She produced a .961 fielding percentage with just four errors in 102 chances. 

In a 5-1 game two victory over Pitt-Greensburg on April 4, McDaniels went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and a career-high five RBIs. 

McDaniels is Franciscan's first-ever player of the year award winner. 

Over 20 starts (26 appearances) this season, Wilson is 18-4 with 20 complete games, six shutouts and a league-low 1.06 earned-run average (ERA). Her 18 victories and .195 opposing batting average also lead the circuit. Wilson has struck out 148 batters in 145.1 innings. In 11 league starts (14 appearances), she is 10-3 with 11 complete games, three shutouts and a 1.58 ERA. 

Wilson is Waynesburg's first newcomer of the year award winner since Tina Ramer in 2003 and is the program's first-ever pitcher of the year selection. 

Wilson's 18 victories are tied for 18th in NCAA Division III.

Wilson was also recognized as the PAC Championship Tournament's Most Outstanding Performer. She went 3-0 (3 starts) with three complete games and a 1.33 ERA during Waynesburg's run to the PAC title last week, helping the program claim its second PAC championship and first since 1993. 

Shimek has led Waynesburg to a 27-9 overall record and helped the Jackets earn the No. 2 seed in last week's championship tournament with a 13-5 regular season league record. It was the program's first appearance in the championship tournament since 2011 and its first appearance in the title round since 2008. Shimek is Waynesburg's first-ever coach of the year honoree. 

Waynesburg's 27 wins this season are a new single-season record. 

Also announced Tuesday were the members of this year's PAC Sportsmanship Team. The PAC’s Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior and are an ongoing effort to both recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all conference teams.


As the winner of this year’s championship tournament title, Waynesburg secured the league's automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Softball Championship. Forty-three conferences were granted automatic qualification (Pool A) for this year's championship. It is Waynesburg's first-ever trip to the Division III Championship. The Jackets will face third-ranked East Connecticut State (37-4) in the opening round Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Kean. Regional round play is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, May 13-15. The Super Regionals will be played Friday-Saturday, May 20-21. The eight teams advancing from the Super Regionals will participate in the Division III Championship finals, slated for Thursday-Tuesday, May 26-31 at Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia. 

PAC Award Winners
Player of the Year: Franciscan freshman second base Kimberly McDaniels (Tucson, Ariz. | Salpointe Catholic)
Pitcher of the Year: Waynesburg freshman Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. | Clay Battelle)
Newcomer of the Year: Waynesburg freshman pitcher Sydney Wilson (Pentress, W.Va. | Clay Battelle)
Coach of the Year: Waynesburg third-year head coach Brett Shimek

 
All-PAC First Team
Position Name Class School Hometown | High School
C Leah Pancake Jr. Westminster North Lima, Ohio | Beaver Local
1B Abbey Ginter Sr. Saint Vincent Homer City, Pa. | Homer Center
1B Mackenzie Latess Jr. Westminster New Castle, Pa. | Laurel
2B Kimberly McDaniels Fr. Franciscan Tucson, Ariz. | Salpointe Catholic
2B Dani Ficeti Fr. Thiel Greenville, Pa. | Greenville
SS Alexis Yates Jr. Westminster Oakdale, Pa. | South Fayette
3B Sydney Senay So. Waynesburg Canonsburg, Pa. | Canon-McMillan
OF Sarah Johnson Sr. Geneva Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Mountain Vista
OF Brooke Atkins Jr. Westminster New Castle, Pa.| Laurel
OF Ashley Wire Jr. Westminster Poland, Ohio | Poland Seminary
DP Jessica LaPorte So. Saint Vincent Pittsburgh, Pa. | Keystone Oaks
UTIL Mackenzie Dunn So. Chatham Butler, Pa. | Karns City
P Josie Wise So. Bethany Canton, Ohio | Perry
P Sydney Wilson Fr. Waynesburg Pentress, W.Va. | Clay Battelle
P Madison Brown Sr. Westminster Lisbon, Ohio | East Liverpool
 
All-PAC Second Team
Position Name Class School Hometown | High School
C Brin Hunter Jr. Waynesburg West Alexander, Pa. | McGuffey
1B Destiny Goodnight So. Bethany Youngstown, Ohio | Ursuline
2B Mackenzie Boyd Fr. W&J Beaver, Pa. | Beaver
SS Madison Forsythe Jr. Geneva Trafford, Pa. | Penn-Trafford
SS Olivia Persin So. Saint Vincent Greensburg, Pa. | Hempfield
3B Kylee Yothers Jr. Thiel Indian Head, Pa. | Connellsville
OF Haley Eyler Fr. Bethany Waynesboro, Pa. | Waynesboro
OF Alexandra Dillner So. Saint Vincent Irwin, Pa. | Norwin
OF Reghan Benschoter Jr. Waynesburg Newark, Ohio | Granville
OF Emma Gurley Jr. Westminster Painesville, Ohio | Gilmore Academy
DP Kaitlyn Collins Jr. Chatham Red Lion, Pa. | Red Lion
DP Janessa Dawson Jr. Grove City Zanesville, Ohio | Tri-Valley
UTIL Ella Brookman So. Waynesburg Washington, Pa. | Chartiers-Houston
P Olivia Bushore Fr. Saint Vincent Claysburg, Pa. | Claysburg-Kimmel
P Elizabeth Malczak So. Westminster Grove City, Pa. | Grove City
 
Honorable Mention All-PAC
Position Name Class School Hometown | High School
C Jennifer Oberthur Sr. Bethany Indianapolis, Ind. | Park Tudor
1B Lauren Haak Jr. Chatham Hamburg, N.Y. | Frontier
2B Maci Linhart Fr. Grove City Columbiana, Ohio | Columbiana
SS Lauren McNany Gr. Chatham Emlenton, Pa. | Allegheny-Clarion Valley
SS Lexi Buck Sr. Grove City Akron, Ohio | Lake Center Christian
SS Kayla Gratton So. Waynesburg Monroeville, Pa. | Gateway
3B Mia Meholick Fr. Westminster DuBois, Pa. | DuBois Central Catholic
OF Isabelle Griswold Fr. Chatham Williamsport, Pa. | Williamsport
OF Hannah Dietz Gr. Grove City Allison Park, Pa. | Hampton
OF Kiana Bagnell Fr. Waynesburg Inwood, W.Va. | Musselman
OF Mackenzie Kearns Fr. Waynesburg Elizabeth, Pa. | Elizabeth Forward
DP Lexie Vetter Fr. Bethany McDonald, Pa. | South Fayette
DP Julia Hart So. Geneva Prospect, Pa. | Slippery Rock
UTIL Morgan Huey Jr. Bethany Hermitage, Pa. | Hickory
UTIL Nicole West Sr. Geneva Glenwood, Md. | McDonogh
P Haley Smith Jr. Geneva Joshua Tree, Calif. | Yucca Valley
P Alisha Kulka Sr. W&J Hanover, Pa. | South Western
     
Sportsmanship Team
Position Name Class School Hometown | High School
INF Ally McClelland So. Bethany Brunswick, Ohio | Brunswick
DP Kaitlyn Collins Jr. Chatham Red Lion, Pa. | Red Lion
2B Kimberly McDaniels Fr. Franciscan Tuscon, Ariz. | Salpointe Catholic
1B Madison Forsythe Jr. Geneva Trafford, Pa. | Penn-Trafford
OF Morgan Prouty Sr. Grove City Cranberry Township, Pa. | Seneca Valley
INF Kelsey Tobin Sr. Saint Vincent Greensburg, Pa. | Hempfield
3B Kylee Yothers  Jr. Thiel Indian Head, Pa. | Connellsville
UTIL Sarah Labbe Sr. W&J Belgrade, Maine | Messalonksee
INF Lauren Lober Jr. Waynesburg Houston, Pa. | Chartiers-Houston
2B Mia Greco Jr. Westminster New Castle, Pa. | Neshannock