RICHARDSON, Texas – Hardin-Simmons’ softball team had 12 different Cowgirls named to the 2022 All-American Southwest Conference Softball Teams, announced on Tuesday by the conference in a vote of the league’s head coaches.

Senior catcher Karis Hessert and graduate senior second baseman Mason McCord were both named first team all-ASC for this season. Hessert becomes a three-time all-ASC player and McCord receives the honor for the second time.

Hessert led the Cowgirls hitting .374 with 34 RBIs and nine homeruns this season. She ends her Cowgirl career top-10 in seven different hitting categories and is tied for the most runners caught stealing with 35 thrown out. Most notably, Hessert finished No. 3 all-time with 26 career homeruns. She was also named to the ASC all-tournament team this year.

McCord joins Hessert on the all-ASC first team at second base. McCord hit .352 for the Cowgirls and was second on the team with 28 RBIs and six homeruns. She finishes up her Cowgirl time on a handful of top-10 lists, including the fifth-most in homeruns with 18.

Four Cowgirls were named to the all-ASC third team, Peyton Newman, Aubrianna Salazar, Faith Fernandez, and Sarah Polanco. Graduate senior first baseman Newman hit .304 this season with four doubles, two triples, and a homerun with 21 RBIs for the Cowgirls. This is Newman’s second all-ASC award of her career.

Fernandez was named all-ASC as a DP, leading the Cowgirls in doubles with 12 on the year. She also was third on the team with 24 RBIs and four homeruns. Polanco earned an at-large spot on the all-ASC team from centerfield where she was second for the Cowgirls hitting .359. Polanco led the team with five triple and added 23 RBIs.

Salazar was all-ASC third team at third base and doubled up with an honorable mention all-ASC bid pitching for Hardin-Simmons. She hit .324 as a sophomore wit seven doubles, a triple, two homeruns, and drove in 13 RBIs. In the circle, Salazar pitched the best ERA for the Cowgirls at 2.70 with the lowest opponent batting average of .207 in 46 innings. She was also named to the ASC all-tournament team this year.

Six more Cowgirls were named all-ASC honorable mention, Sarah Diessner, Haley Henson, Emma Adair, Kylie Ruiz, Haven Williams, and Kaylen Washington.

Diessner ended her sophomore year hitting .322 for the Cowgirls at short stop. Junior pitchers Williams and Washington led the Cowgirl staff picking up their second career all-ASC awards. The duo took the top spots in major pitching categories on the team, Williams with eight wins and 51 strikeouts in 86 innings and a shutout with four saves and Washington throwing ten wins with 66 strikeouts in 88 innings with two shutouts.

Three freshmen made the all-ASC team for the Cowgirls, Henson at outfielder, Adair for utility, and Ruiz pitching. Henson and Adair had great production in limited at-bats on the season, Henson hitting .340 and Adair swinging .404. Ruiz threw for six wins and 27 strikeouts with three saves in 47 innings in her first season.

The Cowgirls wrapped up another season in the ASC tournament semifinal game, finishing with a record of 29-15 and 18-12 in the ASC.

2022 All-American Southwest Conference Softball Teams & Awards

Individual Awards
Player of the Year – Allie Gordon, Belhaven
Pitcher of the Year – Kennedy Carruth, Belhaven ²
Freshman of the Year – Ellie Jones, Belhaven
Newcomer of the Year – Courtney White, East Texas Baptist
Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year – Milly Cesare, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Coaching Staff of the Year – Belhaven (Kevin Griffin – Head Coach; Courtney Fairley, McKenna Gillespie) ²

² – Two-time award recipient
 
First Team

Pos.	Name	Cl.	University	Hometown
C	Karis Hessert 3	Sr.	Hardin-Simmons	Royse City, Texas
1B	Ellie Jones	Fr.	Belhaven	Nesbit, Miss.
2B	Mason McCord 2	Sr.	Hardin-Simmons	Greenville, Texas
3B	Tauryn Cummings 2	So.	East Texas Baptist	Houston, Texas
3B	Allie Gordon 3	So.	Belhaven	Macon, Ga.
SS	Tristen Maddox 2	So.	East Texas Baptist	Mission, Texas
OF	Sarah Bledsoe	So.	East Texas Baptist	Humble, Texas
OF	Lexi Harris 2	Jr.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Marquez, Texas
OF	Haley Hanson 2	So.	Belhaven	Pelahatchie, Miss.
DP	Delanie Loya	Fr.	East Texas Baptist	Austin, Texas
UT	Amber Thibodeaux	Fr.	East Texas Baptist	Mont Belvieu, Texas
P	Kennedy Carruth 2	So.	Belhaven	St. Francisville, La.
P	Kathryn Reed 2	Sr.	East Texas Baptist	Axtell, Texas
P	Bayleigh Grogan 3	Jr.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Wimberley, Texas
At-Large	Courtney White (2B)	So.	East Texas Baptist	Jonestown, Texas
At-Large	Jodie Vaughn (P) 3	Sr.	Sul Ross State	Andrews, Texas
At-Large	Gracey Baucom (P)	So.	Belhaven	Purvis, Miss.

Second Team

Pos.	Name	Cl.	University	Hometown
C	Payslee Sims 3	Sr.	Sul Ross State	Greenwood, Texas
1B	Alysa Torres 2	Jr.	LeTourneau	Pasadena, Texas
2B	Elissa Elliott 2	So.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Emory, Texas
3B	Megan Todd 2	Fr.	UT Dallas	Houston, Texas
SS	Erica Riley 2	So.	Concordia Texas	League City, Texas
OF	Ashley Ambrosy 2	Fr.	UT Dallas	Haslet, Texas
OF	Angelica Abila	So.	McMurry	Lubbock, Texas
OF	Marlee Blackwell 4	Sr.	Belhaven	Montrose, Miss.
DP	Kennedy Carruth 2	So.	Belhaven	St. Francisville, La.
UT	Izzy Gutierrez 2	So.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Belton, Texas
P	Jenna Lewis	Jr.	McMurry	Hearne, Texas
P	Hannah Kelley 2	So.	East Texas Baptist	Belon, Texas
P	Rachel Williams	Gr.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Lorena, Texas
At-Large	Nicole Peters (2B)	Jr.	UT Dallas	Allen, Texas
At-Large	Emily Michki (3B) 2	Sr.	McMurry	Mission, Texas
At-Large	Ashley Hallmark (OF) 2	Sr.	Concordia Texas	Burnet, Texas

Third Team

Pos.	Name	Cl.	University	Hometown
C	Blakely Niles	So.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Cleveland, Texas
1B	Peyton Newman 2	Sr.	Hardin-Simmons	Bedford, Texas
2B	Sydney Runnels	So.	Belhaven	Seminary, Miss.
3B	Aubrianna Salazar	So.	Hardin-Simmons	Abilene, Texas
SS	Annika Canaba 3	Sr.	Sul Ross State	Alpine, Texas
OF	Mary Frances Ellis	Fr.	East Texas Baptist	Waskom, Texas
OF	Camryn Hardin 2	Sr.	Sul Ross State	Alpine, Texas
OF	Avery Markley 2	So.	UT Dallas	Plano, Texas
DP	Faith Fernandez	Jr.	Hardin-Simmons	Waco, Texas
UT	Mack Lucio	Fr.	Ozarks	Bedford, Texas
P	Emilie Hoelscher	Fr.	UT Dallas	Waco, Texas
P	Ashley Croft 2	So.	East Texas Baptist	Cypress, Texas
P	Kinleigh Stotts 2	Jr.	McMurry	Covington, Texas
At-Large	Nadia Valverde (1B) 2	Jr.	Sul Ross State	El Paso, Texas
At-Large	Sarah Polanco (OF)	Jr.	Hardin-Simmons	El Paso, Texas
At-Large	Kylie Grisham (UT)	Fr.	LeTourneau	Huntsville, Texas

Honorable Mention

Pos.	Name	Cl.	University	Hometown
C	Kayla Otis	Sr.	McMurry	Abilene, Texas
C	Callie Poore	Jr.	LeTourneau	Whitney, Texas
1B	Marin Musicant 2	So.	East Texas Baptist	San Diego, Calif.
1B	Jessika Truax	Sr.	McMurry	Liberty Hill, Texas
3B	Elisabeth Paul 2	So.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	China Spring, Texas
SS	Macy Ziskin	So.	Belhaven	Brookhaven, Miss.
SS	Milly Cesare 2	Jr.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Frisco, Texas
SS	Sarah Diessner	So.	Hardin-Simmons	Trophy Club, Texas
SS	Grace Duecker	So.	McMurry	Fredericksburg, Texas
OF	Haley Henson	Fr.	Hardin-Simmons	Maypearl, Texas
OF	Bailey Eggleston2	So.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Spring, Texas
OF	Madison Forrester	Jr.	Howard Payne	Kingwood, Texas
OF	Ellie Congalton	So.	Concordia Texas	Etiwanda, Calif.
OF	Brianna Martinez	Jr.	McMurry	Yucaipa, Calif.
OF	Heather Rios	Sr.	Sul Ross State	Corpus Christi, Texas
OF	Emilee Anderson	Sr.	LeTourneau	La Porte, Texas
DP	Julia Crofut	Jr.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Austin, Texas
DP	Kasey Woolard 3	Sr.	McMurry	Temple, Texas
UT	Emma Adair	Fr.	Hardin-Simmons	Flower Mound, Texas
P	Bailey Richey 3	Sr.	LeTourneau	Humble, Texas
P	Kylie Ruiz	Fr.	Hardin-Simmons	Harlingen, Texas
P	Natalie Parker	So.	Belhaven	Denham Springs, La.
P	Haven Williams 2	Jr.	Hardin-Simmons	Abilene, Teas
P	Kaylen Washington 2	Jr.	Hardin-Simmons	Abilene, Texas
P	Aubrianna Salazar	So.	Hardin-Simmons	Abilene, Texas
P	Grason Long	So.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Corrigan, Texas
P	Emilee Wade	Fr.	Mary Hardin-Baylor	Waco, Texas

² – Two-time All-Conference

³ – Three-time All-Conference

⁴ – Four-time All-Conference