BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Nine members of the St. Olaf College softball team, including a record-tying five All-Conference selections, were honored in the 2023 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Softball Awards on Tuesday.

St. Olaf matched a program record with five All-MIAC honorees, had two Honorable Mention All-MIAC selections, and added a pair of MIAC All-Playoff Team honorees. The Oles had five All-MIAC selections for the third season in a row, highlighted by fifth-year senior Tarah DeCroock becoming just the third student-athlete in program history to be named All-MIAC four times.

Sophomore Amelia Christenson, junior Anne Fossum, senior Maya Patty, and sophomore Medora Rylee all joined DeCroock on the All-MIAC Team, while juniors Hannah Peschel and Jenna Peschel earned spots on the Honorable Mention All-MIAC list. Senior Andrea Conway and junior Katie Weisheit were among the 13 student-athletes named to the All-Playoff Team.

After being named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Second Team All-Region IX performer last week, Christenson collected All-MIAC laurels for the first time in her career after a breakout sophomore season. The sophomore started all 19 games she played in in conference play, hitting .351 with a .464 on-base percentage and .684 slugging percentage while recording 10 doubles, three home runs, 10 runs scored, and 18 RBI. In conference play, Christenson led the MIAC in doubles while ranking fifth in OPS (1.148), fourth in slugging percentage, tied for fifth in home runs and RBI, and ninth in total bases.

An NFCA Third Team All-Region IX honoree, Rylee picked up her first All-MIAC accolade while splitting time at catcher and designated player this spring. After missing the bulk of her rookie season due to injury, the sophomore was among the top hitters in the conference in MIAC play, ranking in the top two in hits (t-1st, 35), doubles (t-2nd, 9), and batting average (2nd, .467). She also ranked in the top 10 in on-base percentage (t-6th, .494), OPS (7th, 1.107), total bases (7th, 46), and slugging percentage (8th, .613) and was just outside the top 10 with 15 RBI in 21 conference games.

Fossum gathered her first All-MIAC accolade during her junior campaign after ranking in the top 20 in the conference in nine offensive categories. The junior hit an even .400 while starting all 21 of St. Olaf's MIAC games, ranking tied for seventh in the conference in batting average while sitting tied for sixth in doubles (7), eighth in OPS (1.053), and ninth in on-base percentage (.486).

In her senior season, Patty earned All-MIAC honors for the second consecutive season after a highly-productive season in conference play. The senior started all 21 games at shortstop and hit .436 with a .515 on-base percentage and .509 slugging percentage while driving in 16 runs and scoring 10 times. Patty's .515 on-base percentage ranked third in the MIAC and her .436 batting average was fourth.

DeCroock joined Ali Berens '10 and assistant coach Julie Graf '21 as the lone four-time All-MIAC honorees in program history after returning for her fifth season of eligibility. The 25th four-time All-MIAC honoree in the history of the conference, DeCroock was among the MIAC leaders in nearly every statistical category this season, ranking second in runs (23), tied for second in triples (2), tied for third in RBI (19), tied for fourth in total bases (47), fourth in stolen bases (12), tied for fifth in home runs (3), tied for sixth in hits (28), seventh in slugging percentage (.661), and tied for 10th in OPS (1.050) and doubles (6).

Hannah Peschel was honored in the year-end conference awards for the second season in a row after hitting .343 with five doubles, one triple, two home runs, 15 RBI, and 20 runs scored while starting all 21 MIAC games for the Oles. Jenna Peschel joined her sister on the honorable mention list after contributing both offensively and in the circle for St. Olaf. In MIAC play, Peschel went 7-3 with a 2.78 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) while holding opponents to a .255 batting average in 55.1 innings in the circle. She also hit .292 with four doubles, nine RBI, 15 runs scored, and eight stolen bases.

Conway and Weisheit were selected to the MIAC All-Playoff Team after helping the Oles advance to the semifinals. Conway delivered the game-winning RBI single in the sixth inning of St. Olaf's 3-2 quarterfinal victory over Saint Mary's University (Minn.). Weisheit was 2-for-3 in the win over the Cardinals and drove in the Oles' lone run in the semifinals with a run-scoring single against the No. 25-ranked College of Saint Benedict.