ROSEMONT, Ill. - The 2022 Big Ten Softball All-Big Ten teams were announced by the conference office Wednesday morning, with seven different Illini garnering All-Big Ten team honors.
Senior Avrey Steiner was named First Team All-Big Ten, while fellow classmates Sydney Sickels and Kailee Powell were named Second Team All-Big Ten. Freshmen Paige Berkmeyer, Lauren Wiles, and Stevie Meade all earned a spot on the All-Freshman team, while graduate student Lakyn Wagoner was named the Illini's Sportsmanship Award honoree.
First Team All-Big Ten
Steiner earned her second career All-Big Ten honor after being named Second Team All-Big Ten last season. The Fowler, Ohio native led the Big Ten in hits this season with 73, and also ranked seventh in the conference with a team-leading .390 batting average.
Second Team All-Big Ten
Sickels earned her first career All-Big Ten honor after setting a new career-high in strikeouts (181), good for sixth in the conference, and recording a sub-2.00 ERA for the first time in her career (1.98). Sickels also ranked third in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.32) and strikeouts-per-seven innings (9.4), while ranking second in the conference in saves with four on the season.
Powell earned her second career All-Big Ten honor after being named First Team All-Big Ten last season. The Canyon Country, Calif. native was fifth in the conference in doubles (15) and sixth in doubles per game (0.28) this season.
All-Freshman Team
Meade, Berkmeyer, and Wiles all earned spots on the All-Freshman team as a result of their stellar performances on the field as first-year players. Meade led all freshman this season in hits (45), RBI (28), and total bases (69), while also being tied for the lead in doubles (ten). Berkmeyer ranked tied for fourth amongst freshmen in batting average (.310) this season, while garnering 18 RBI and five doubles. Wiles led all freshman pitchers in the Big Ten in ERA (2.64) amongst players who pitched over 100 innings this season, while ranking second in strikeouts (87) and third in batting average aganst (.228).
2022 ALL-BIG TEN AWARD HONOREES
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rachel Lewis, NU
PITCHER OF THE YEAR: DANIELLE WILLIAMS, NU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Ava Bredwell, NEB
COACH OF THE YEAR: Kate Drohan, NU
First Team All-Big Ten
Avrey Steiner, ILL
Cora Bassett, IND
Jaeda McFarland, MD
Lexie Blair, MICH Alex Storako,MICH
Abbie Squier, NEB
Cam Ybarra, NEB
Hannah Cady, NU
Nikki Cuchran, NU
RACHEL LEWIS, NU
Jordyn Rudd, NU
DANIELLE WILLIAMS, NU
Niki Carver, OSU
Bailey Parshall, PSU
Rachel Becker, PUR Gabrielle Callaway, RU
Kyleigh Sand, RU Kayla Konwent, WIS
Second Team All-Big Ten*
Kailee Powell, ILL
Sydney Sickels, ILL
Taylor Minnick, IND
Megan Mikami, MD
Hannah Carson, MICH
Audrey LeClair, MICH
Melina Livingston, MICH
Natalie DenHartog, MINN
Chloe Evans, MINN
Billie Andrews, NEB
Mya Felder, NEB
Olivia Ferrell, NEB
Maeve Nelson, NU
Skylar Shellmyer, NU
Sam Hackenbracht, OSU
Lexie Handley, OSU
Cassie Lindmark, PSU
Fiona Girardot, WIS
Ally Miklesh, WIS
Maddie Schwartz, WIS
* - additional players due to ties
All-Freshman Team
Paige Berkmeyer, ILL
Stevie Meade, ILL
Lauren Wiles, ILL
Heather Johnson, IND
Taylor Minnick, IND
Ellie Sieler, MICH
Emily Leavitt, MINN
Ava Bredwell, NEB
Grace Nieto, NU
Kami Kortokrax, OSU
Melina Wilkison, OSU
All-Defensive Team
P: Courtney Wallace, NEB
C: Jordyn Rudd, Jr., NU
1B: Mya Felder, NEB
2B: Cam Ybarra, NEB
SS: Makenna Dowell, MINN
3B: Kayla Chavez, MINN
OF: Kristina Burkhardt, MICH
OF: Abbie Squier, NEB
OF: Lilia Crouthamel, PSU
Sportsmanship Award Honorees: Lakyn Wagoner, ILL; Grayson Radcliffe, IND; Kate Claypool, IOWA; Megan Mikami, MD; Lexi Voss, MICH; Marissa Trivelpiece, MSU; Ali Lindner, MINN; Karlee Seevers, NEB; Lauren Caldrone, NU; Avery Clark, OSU; Claire Swedberg, PSU; Kaeley Hallada, PUR; Gabrielle Callaway, RU; Morgan Kummer, WIS.
