POCATELLO, Idaho – The Big Sky Conference announced the 2023 all-conference softball awards Tuesday morning. The Bengals are coming away with 12 awards, the second-most in program history.
Highlighting the awards is the duo of Ava Brown and Jordan Schuring, two Bengal newcomers who are raking in multiple awards their first season with the Orange and Black.
In just his second year as head coach, Andrew Rich has been unanimously picked as Coach of the Year.
Ava Brown – 1st Team All-Big Sky and Freshman of the Year.
Idaho State Softball is playing five true freshmen in the starting lineup this season, while all have made an immediate impact, Brown is a clear standout at the end of the regular season.
Starting 41 games for the Bengals, Brown finished the regular season with a .342 batting average with 40 hits and 24 RBIS. Brown has hit 14 extra-base hits this season including a team-tying six home runs. Brown finishes the season with a .573 slugging percentage and a .400 on-base percentage.
Playing Center field, brown has grabbed 64 putouts.
Jordan Schuring – Top Newcomer and 2nd Team All-Big Sky
Knowing this was her only season in the Orange and Black, Jordan Schuring has given it her all earning Top Newcomer and second-team all-Big Sky honors.
Over the course of the season, Schuring has earned 10 wins for the Bengals while holding down a 2.81 ERA. Schuring has the third-best opposing batting average in the conference, holding opponents to .276.
Schuring has struck out 40 batters and only allowed 25 walks in 129.2 innings pitched. Schuring pitched three shutouts this season and 11 complete games.
Olivia Robison – 2nd Team All-Big Sky
Robison starts her career with the Bengals earning 2nd team all-conference honors after her year catching. Robison ended the regular season with a .313 batting average and 16 RBIs.
Robison caught 11 runners stealing, a conference-best.
Angelica Cano – 2nd Team All-Big Sky
Angelica Cano earned 2nd team all-Big Sky honors after her regular season performance for the Bengals. Cano had the 2nd best batting average on the team hitting .329 on the season with 48 hits and a team-high 25 RBIs.
Cano hit a team-tying six home runs this season and is one of three Bengals with a SLG% over .500.
Alyssa Yee – 2nd Team All-Big Sky
Coming onto the scene this season, Alyssa Yee is another true freshman who has made an immediate impact for the Bengals. Yee ends the season with a .321 batting average and a team-tying six home runs, including the first of the season for the Bengals at the McNeese Cowgirl Classic.
Yee is only one of three Bengals to finish the season with over a .500 SLG percentage.
Mailee Newman – 2nd Team All-Big Sky
Playing for the Bengals since 2018, Newman's efforts finally came to fruition with a Big Sky Championship and 2nd team all-Big Sky honors. As a dual role player for the Bengals, Newman has both pitched and hit.
In the circle, Newman earned four wins for the Bengals, striking out 34 batters over 61.2 innings pitched.
Offensively, Newman hit .300 on the season with five RBIS and a .333 SLG percentage.
Skyler Sethman – Honorable Mention
Sethman has been a staple in the Bengal's defense all season long and a key contributor as the lead-off hitter in the ISU offense.
Sethman was a double-hitting machine this season, hitting a Big Sky second-best 10 on the season. All year, Sethman has been dependable with runners on base, scoring 23 runs and 19 RBIs.
Defensively, the Bengal second baseman fielded 13 double-plays, 2nd best in the Big Sky.
Paige Simpson – Honorable Mention
Simpson, another true freshman, stepped up into the shortstop role this season for the Orange and Black. Simpson brought home 11 runs and defensively tacked on 65 putouts.
Kennedy Dudley – Honorable Mention
Finally, Kennedy Dudley has earned Big Sky Honorable Mention after one season for the Bengals. After a slow start at the beginning of the season, the freshman steadily improved throughout the season before becoming an offensive power in conference play.
In 15 Big Sky games, Dudley has 13 RBIs and seven extra base hits with a .585 Slugging percentage. Playing third base for the Bengals, Dudley also added 23 putouts to the statline.
With Dudley's reception of the award, all five true freshmen who have been starting for the Bengals earned all-conference honors in 2023.
Andrew Rich – Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year
In just his second season leading the Orange and Black, Andrew Rich was unanimously picked as the 2023 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year.
The award comes deservedly so, Rich inherited a team that had not even qualified for the Big Sky Tournament since the 2018 season and after his second season, won a Big Sky Regular Season Championship.
Rich has a Big Sky Conference winning record of 18-15 and led the 2023 Bengals to the first series win over Weber State since the 2015 season, and a sweep of Sacramento State who, up to that point, had not lost a Big Sky Conference Series.
The Bengals are back in action this week as they take on the 2023 Big Sky Softball Championship. The Bengals' first game will be Wednesday, May 10 at 2:30 PM between the winner of Portland State and Weber State.
Complete Award List
2023 Big Sky Softball All-Conference Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Emily Johansen (Portland State)
Pitcher of the Year: Marissa Bertuccio (Sacramento State)*
Freshman of the Year: Ava Brown (Idaho State)*
Top Newcomer: Jordan Schuring (Idaho State)
Coach of the Year: Andrew Rich (Idaho State)*
* - unanimous selection
2023 Big Sky Softball All-Conference Teams
First Team All-Conference
Catcher: Lauren Hoe (Weber State)*
First Base: Emily Johansen (Portland State)*
Second Base: Maddie Thompson (Portland State)
Shortstop: Olivia Dean (Portland State)*
Third Base: Lewa Day (Sacramento State)*
Outfield: Lauren Strathearn (Northern Colorado)
Outfield: Alyssa Wenzel (Northern Colorado)
Outfield: Ava Brown (Idaho State)
Pitcher: Marissa Bertuccio (Sacramento State)*
Pitcher: Erin Caviness (Northern Colorado)
Pitcher/UTL: Caroline Evans (Sacramento State)*
Non-Pitcher/UTL: Mika Chong (Weber State)*
* - unanimous selection
Second Team All-Conference
Catcher: Olivia Robinson (Idaho State)
First Base: Angelica Cano (Idaho State)
Second Base: Gwen Ludwig (Sacramento State)
Shortstop: McKell McCuistion (Weber State)
Third Base: Emily Ruhl (Weber State)
Outfield: Alyssa Yee (Idaho State)
Outfield: Jada Walker (Sacramento State)
Outfield: Carley Morfey (Sacramento State)
Pitcher: Jordan Schuring (Idaho State)
Pitcher: Allicite Frost (Portland State)
Pitcher: Mandy Johnson (Weber State)
Pitcher/UTL: Mailee Newman (Idaho State)
Non-Pitcher/UTL: Bailee Noland (Portland State)
Honorable Mention
Catcher: Katie Marsh (Sacramento State)
Catcher: Sabrina Javorsky (Northern Colorado)
First Base: Amailee Morales (Northern Colorado)
First Base: Samantha Parish (Sacramento State)
Second Base: Faith Hoe (Weber State)
Second Base: Skyler Sethman (Idaho State)
Shortstop: Paige Simpson (Idaho State)
Shortstop: Leandra Coronado (Sacramento State)
Outfield: Elise Ontiveros (Montana)
Non-Pitcher/UTL: Alexsi Barashkoff (Northern Colorado)
Non-Pitcher/UTL: Kennedy Dudley (Idaho State)
