Softball 5/21/2026 10:34:00 AM Kyle Jones

Coach Sampson Earns SLIAC Coach of the Year; Rushman Secures SLIAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year; Six Gorloks Selected To All-Conference Teams

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) has released the end of the season awards for softball. WU's Head Coach Al Sampson was named the SLIAC Coach of the Year. In addition, Kailey Rushman was named the SLIAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year. In total, six Gorloks earned an All-Conference selection; three first teams, one second, and two third teams.

In his second season at the helm, Head Coach Al Sampson turned around the program quickly and led the Gorloks to a 12-4 conference record that tied for second in the regular season and was named the SLIAC Softball Coach of the Year. In conference play, he led the pitching staff to a 2.98 ERA which finished second and the team hit for a .353 team batting average that finished third overall. Under his leadership, the program won four more conference games this season and was picked seventh in the 2026 preseason poll.

Rushman became the first Gorlok in program and SLIAC history to be named the SLIAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year in the same season. In conference play, she recorded a 6-1 record that included one shutout. In addition, she finished first with a league-low ERA of 1.56, tied for first with 10 earned runs, and tied for first with six wins. She finished third with eight looking strikeouts, fourth with an opponent batting average of .231, and fifth with 45.0 innings pitched and 29 strikeouts. She is the third Gorlok to be named Pitcher of the Year and eighth Gorlok to be named Freshman of the Year in SLIAC history.

Three first-year Gorloks were selected to the First Team All-Conference team which included Rushman, infielder Vanessa Saenz, and outfielder Isabelle Loiben.

Saenz, a native of Las Vegas, Nevada led the league with three triples, tied for fourth with 24 hits, finished 10th with 16 RBI's, and 13th with a batting average of .453. In addition, she posted a 1.067 OPS, .604 slugging percentage, and a .463 on-base percentage. Lastly, she recorded 32 total bases and only two strikeouts.

Loiben, a native of Vernon Hills, Illinois finished in six top-15 conference offensive statistical categories that included tied for fourth with 24 hits and tied for fifth with 55 at-bats. In addition, she finished tied for eighth with 16 runs, tied for ninth with six doubles, finished 10th with a slugging percentage of .655, and tied for 15th with a batting average of .436.

First-year outfielder Sophie Errante earned a Second Team All-Conference selection where she finished eighth with an on base percentage of .543 and ninth with a .475 batting average. In addition, she posted a 1.143 OPS, .600 slugging percentage, and .543 on-base percentage. She recorded 19 hits (five doubles), seven RBI's, 24 total bases, six walks, and three strikeouts.

The Gorloks earned two Third Team All-Conference selections which included pitcher Madi Stichling and catcher Ava Reinecke.

Stitching, a native of Cedar Hill, Missouri posted a 5-3 record that included three top-10 finishes in the conference. She finished tied for second in the league with those five wins and tied for third with one save. In addition, she finished fourth with an ERA of 2.57 and eighth with an opponent batting average of .281. Lastly, she recorded 14 strikeouts (five looking) in 32.2 innings pitched.

First-year catcher Ava Reinecke earned a Third Team All-Conference selection where she recorded a 1.023 OPS, .600 slugging percentage, and an on-base percentage of .423. In addition, she recorded 15 hits and tied for ninth with six doubles. Lastly, she tallied 27 total bases, 12 RBI's, six walks, and only three strikeouts.

The All-Sportsmanship Team includes one individual from each school where coaches and student-athletes select one member of their team who, throughout the season, best displays the ideals of sportsmanship that include fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect, and responsibility. This year's selection was senior Ainsley Hinz.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Ainsley Hinz: P/IF; Sophomore; L/L

#23 Madi Stichling: P/IF; Sophomore; R/R

#36 Sophie Errante: OF; 5' 7"; Freshman

#12 Isabelle Loiben: OF; 5' 6"; Freshman

#31 Ava Reinecke: C / INF; 5' 3"; Freshman

#6 Kailey Rushman: P / INF; 5' 3"; Freshman

#1 Vanessa Saenz: C / INF; 5' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#10 Ainsley Hinz
: Sophomore; L/L
: P/IF

#23 Madi Stichling
: Sophomore; R/R
: P/IF

#36 Sophie Errante
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: OF

#12 Isabelle Loiben
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: OF

#31 Ava Reinecke
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: C / INF

#6 Kailey Rushman
: 5' 3"; Freshman
: P / INF

#1 Vanessa Saenz
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: C / INF