Read the full UMAC awards list HERE.
Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) closed out her senior season with a standout year, earning UMAC Pitcher of the Year honors along with First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive recognition. Strubbe posted a 0.79 ERA in conference play while going 10-0 with 89 strikeouts. Across 62 innings, she allowed just 40 hits and held opponents to a .182 batting average. Defensively, she recorded six putouts and 27 assists with no errors. This marks the first time Strubbe has earned Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-Conference, and All-Defensive honors. During the season, she also became Northwestern's all-time strikeout leader and now holds the program record for career wins.
Lani Schoper (Madison Lake, Minn./Mankato West) also made her mark on the conference, earning both First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive honors. The senior shortstop was named All-Defensive for the second consecutive season after recording 55 putouts, 87 assists, four double plays, and a .940 fielding percentage. At the plate, Schoper led the UMAC in doubles (11) and ranked second in batting average (.525), runs scored (28), hits (32), and at-bats (61) during conference play. She led the Eagles in batting average, OPS, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, total bases, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.
Joining Strubbe and Schoper on the First Team were Bryn Anderson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson), Hannah Storey (Big Lake, Minn./Monticello), and Emma Edwards (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine), who anchored the top of Northwestern's lineup all season long. The trio combined for 21 home runs, 127 RBI, and 159 hits while all ranking top-10 in the UMAC. Edwards finished the season with nine home runs, a school-record 55 RBI, a .627 slugging percentage, 54 hits, and a .380 batting average. Storey added 33 RBI, five home runs, 11 doubles, a .376 batting average, and a .602 slugging percentage. Anderson hit .404 with 55 hits, seven home runs, five doubles, and a .610 slugging percentage. All three players earned All-Conference honors for the first time in their careers.
Kate Van Ess (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg Casco) and Kate Trump (Faribault, Minn/Bethlehem Academy) rounded out an almost entirely Northwestern infield on the All-Defensive Team. Van Ess anchored second base with 61 putouts, 60 assists, and a .945 fielding percentage, while Trump recorded 40 putouts and 60 assists with a .943 fielding percentage at third base. Both received All-Defensive honors for the first time.
Oberle earned Northwestern's All-Sportsmanship Award after consistently demonstrating class and leadership on and off the field throughout the season.
Rounding out the honors was head coach Alicia du'Monceaux, who was named UMAC Coach of the Year in her 18th season leading the Eagles. Du'Monceaux guided Northwestern to a 29-15 overall record and a 16-2 mark in conference play as the Eagles captured a share of the UMAC Regular Season Championship and entered the UMAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
