2022 MIAC SOFTBALL AWARDS

MINNEAPOLIS -- Three Augsburg University softball players earned postseason honors from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for their accomplishments during the 2021 season, it was announced by the conference office on Tuesday. Pitcher/infielder Olivia O'Connor (SO, White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) and outfielder Meredith Taylor (FY, Randolph, Minn./Randolph HS) earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors, and pitcher Saryn Sherrell (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.

O'Connor was Augsburg's top pitcher during the 2022 season, making 17 starts and pitching a team-best 103.1 innings. She had a 5-11 record with a 3.59 earned-run average, striking out 65 against 36 walks and a .295 opponent batting average. She claimed five or more strikeouts in seven of her starts, including 10-strikeout efforts in a 1-0 win over Crown on March 4 and in a 4-2 win over North Central (Minn.) on March 30. Also a first baseman when not pitching, she had a .130 batting average with four RBI.

In her two seasons, O'Connor has appeared in 36 games as a pitcher (33 starts), with a 7-25 career record and 4.56 ERA, striking out 102 against 74 walks and a .324 opponent batting average.

Taylor made an immediate impact for the Auggies in her first collegiate season, leading all regulars with a .315 (34-of-108) batting average and a team-leading 22 RBI, a .583 slugging percentage and .339 on-base percentage. Taylor had a team-leading 15 extra-base hits in 2022, with five doubles, six triples (tied for third-most in a single season in Augsburg history) and a team-best four home runs.

Taylor had a hit in 25 of her 35 games played this season, including seven multiple-hit games and four multiple-RBI games. Her best performance of the season came in a 9-6 win over North Central (Minn.) on March 30, going 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and three RBI, connecting on two triples and a home run.

Sherrell was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, as part of the conference's sportsmanship initiative. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition. 

Sherrell pitched in 10 games this season, including four starts, with a 3-4 record in 38.0 innings pitched, a 4.42 ERA and 16 strikeouts against 27 walks and a .342 opponent batting average.

Under sixth-year head coach Melissa Lee, Augsburg finished with a 11-24 overall record and 3-17 conference mark in 2022.