MADISON, Wis. – Freshman pitcher
Morgan Harwood (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) was named WIAC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year headlining the awards the league handed out on Wednesday (May 15). Head coach
Ryan Konitzer and his staff earned WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year. Harwood,
Kaitlyn Roberts (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville),
Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) and
Ashley Zygowski (Saukville, Wis./Port Washington) were named to the first team while
Rachel Baker (Richmond, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) and
Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community) landed on the honorable mention squad.
Sawyer Holberg (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Lincoln) was named to the WIAC All-Sportsmanship team.
All-WIAC Release
Konitzer, and assistant
Brittany Baneck, pick up WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year for the first time since Dean Schuda was WIAC Coach of the Year in 1994. The team went 32-7 through regular season and conference tournament play. The 32 wins are the most since 2007, the last time UWSP made the NCAA Tournament. The Pointers have swiped 109 bases this season, a school record and just the fourth team in WIAC history with 100 or more steals. UWSP pitching staff owns the eighth-best team ERA in country and the team's fielding percentage is also eighth-best.
Harwood garners the league's top pitching award and Newcomer of the Year after a 14-2 season in the circle thus far. She also has three saves. Harwood holds a 0.86 earned run average, ninth-best in the nation, and tossed back-to-back no-hitters on March 29 and April 9. She had a streak of 12-consecutive hitless innings from March 21 to April 10. Harwood made eight-straight appearances against league opponents without a run allowed from April 20 to May 3. She has 119 strikeouts and just 16 walks allowed in 97.1 innings pitched. Harwood was named WIAC Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 22-28.
Roberts picks up her first career league award. She started all 39 games and leads the Pointers in hitting with a .374 average. Her 46 hits, 15 doubles and four home runs are all team-highs. Roberts is tied for the team-lead with 27 RBI. She has a team-high 15 multi-hit games this season and her 13-game hitting streak from March 10 to April 10 was the longest on the team this season. Roberts is also 19-for-19 in stolen base attempts this season.
Traxel earns her second first team, and fourth overall, All-WIAC award. She started all 39 games and is second on the team with a .369 batting average. Traxel leads the team with 20 stolen bases and holds the UWSP career record with 57. She is tied with Roberts atop the team with 27 RBI. Her 45 hits and 13 doubles are second on the team. Traxel has a team-best seven multi-RBI games and is the only player with four RBI in a game this season. She also has 14 multi-hit games.
Zygowski nabs her second league honor and first on the first team. She leads the country in appearances with 26 and saves with 15, a school and conference record. Zygowski is 11-3 with a 1.38 earned run average this season. She has 113 strikeouts in 96.2 innings pitched. Twice this season, Zygowski was bestowed the WIAC Pitcher of the Week award for the weeks of Feb. 19-25 and March 18-24.
Baker picks up her first career league laurel. She started and played in 38 games and hit .350, third-best on the team. She is second on the team with 13 walks and third with nine doubles and two home runs. She has stolen 13 bases, fourth-most on the team. Baker had an 11-game hitting streak from April 9 to April 24, the second-longest on the team this season.
Klicker earns her third overall All-WIAC selection. She started all 39 games and leads the team with 35 runs scored. She is hitting .305 and leads the team with six triples, third-most in school history in a season. Klicker has three home runs, second on the team, two of which came in the same game in a win over UW-La Crosse on April 20. She is tied for the team-lead with two three-hits games.
Holberg garners all-sportsmanship team honors after playing in 19 games, primarily as a pinch hitter. She hit .389 with seven hits, five RBI and two doubles. She doubled, drove in a run and scored in her collegiate debut against Knox.
The Pointers open NCAA Tournament play on Thursday (May 16) at 2:30 p.m. ET against Mount Union.
