Two members of the Northern Kentucky softball team were honored in the Horizon League postseason awards, as voted on by the League’s coaches. Senior catcher/DP Dani Devlin was named to the First Team, while rookie outfielder Kailey Rossiter was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Devlin had a banner year for the Norse in her final season, leading the Horizon League slate in slugging percentage (.855), home runs (9) and sac flies (3) while ranking fourth in total bases (47). In all games, Devlin ranked second in the League with 13 homers, a number that stands as the 31st-best in the nation. The Chicago native made her mark in the NKU record books, posting the fourth-highest slugging percentage in a single season (.656) while her 13 home runs are the second-most in a season. Devlin capped off her career as the No. 2 player in NKU laurels in home runs (31), No. 8 in RBI (90) and total bases (267), and No. 9 in doubles (32). Her first-team honors mark the second time in her career that Devlin was named to a conference’s top team, landing on the All-Atlantic Sun First Team in 2015.
Rossiter quickly became NKU’s most efficient batter after earning the start in right field, recording 32 hits in 99 at-bats while being struck out the fewest times of the Norse lineup. The Woodland, California, native paced the team in batting average in both the League and overall season, posting a .323 clip in all games and upping that average even more against Horizon League competition with a .344 batting average. Rossiter also showcased talent in base running, stealing seven bases on as many attempts to lead the Norse, and scored 19 runs to rank third on the team.
Valparaiso’s Sam Stewart was named the League’s Player of the Year, with Elaine Heflin of UIC getting another nod as the Pitcher of the Year while Lynn Curylo was named the Coach of the Year after leading the Flames to a regular-season championship. The Freshman of the Year award went to Maddi Lusk of Youngstown State and Jamie Squires of Oakland.
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Chloe Smith
Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Northern Kentucky University