IRVING, Texas – Wichita State dominated the awards cycle by taking home four of the five major regular-season awards during the 2021 American Athletic Conference softball season. The conference unveiled its major award winners, all-conference teams and all-rookie team on Wednesday as voted on by the league’s seven head coaches.
Wichita State’s Sydney McKinney became the second Shockers player to ever earn American Player of the Year, while USF’s Georgina Corrick extended her own conference mark with a third straight American Pitcher of the Year trophy. Wichita State’s Kaylee Huecker and Addison Barnard claimed the first American Defensive Player of the Year and American Rookie of the Year honors in program history, and Kristi Bredbenner and her staff at Wichita State were named the unanimous American Coaching Staff of the Year.
A total of 26 players representing all seven member institutions earned all-conference honors. An additional six players were tabbed to the league’s all-rookie squad. UCF led all teams with eight total players chosen (four players on the first team) to the first and second all-conference teams with American regular-season champion Wichita State just behind with seven selections and four first-team recipients.
McKinney completed a dynamic sophomore campaign at Wichita State with one of the best offensive seasons in conference history, narrowly missing the league single-season record with a .529 batting average in 24 American starts. She did establish top all-time conference marks for hits (46), runs scored (34) and total bases (67) in league matchups. McKinney safely reached base in her first 23 conference games played during the regular season, finishing the league slate with 17 multi-hit outings.
Corrick captured an unprecedented third consecutive pitcher of the year honor in The American, joining only Emily Watson of Tulsa (2017) as unanimous American Pitcher of the Year selections. She fashioned one of the most impressive conference performances in league history with a 12-2 mark and a 0.41 ERA in 103.1 innings pitched over 17 appearances (14 starts). Her 129 strikeouts and .110 batting average against both established conference single-season records, with her ERA the second-lowest in conference games in American history. Corrick was also the first pitcher in American history with no-hitters on back-to-back days after blanking East Carolina on April 30 and May 1.
Huecker enjoyed a standout season as the everyday second baseman for Wichita State, logging a .955 fielding percentage in 24 starts in conference play. She registered 71 assists in league games to lead The American by 20 total assists in the final conference statistics for the regular season. Huecker played error-free softball over her final 50-plus chances in the field to cap the league season.
Barnard has been among the nation’s top power hitters during her true freshman season at Wichita State, leading all conference players with 10 home runs and 28 RBI over 24 starts in the outfield in American games. Her home run and RBI totals both established single-season records in conference games in The American. Barnard registered a total of 10 multi-RBI games during the campaign and exactly five of her 10 conference home runs occurred with runners on base.
Bredbenner led Wichita State to the program’s first conference regular-season championship as a member of The American (third overall) in her 10th season at the helm of the Shockers, posting an 18-5-1 (.771) league mark. The 18 wins are the most by any team in conference play since The American was reconstituted in 2014. Under Bredbenner’s stewardship Wichita State led all league teams in batting average (.309), slugging percentage (.603), on-base percentage (.411), runs (172), hits (197), RBI (160), doubles (37), home runs (46) and total bases (384) in conference play.
2021 American Athletic Conference Softball Regular-Season Awards
American Player of the Year
Sydney McKinney, Wichita State
American Defensive Player of the Year
Kaylee Huecker, Wichita State
American Pitcher of the Year
Georgina Corrick, USF*
American Rookie of the Year
Addison Barnard, Wichita State
American Coaching Staff of the Year
Wichita State*
All-Conference First Team
P – Alea White, UCF
P – Georgina Corrick, USF*
C – Madison Perrigan, Wichita State
1B – Jazmine Esparza, UCF
2B – Kylie Norwood, Tulsa
3B – Jada Cody, UCF
3B – Sarah Queen, Houston
SS – Sydney McKinney, Wichita State
OF – Denali Schappacher, UCF
OF – AnaMarie Bruni, USF
OF – Addison Barnard, Wichita State
DP/U/P – Chenise Delce, Tulsa
DP/U/Non-P – Neleigh Herring, Wichita State
All-Conference Second Team
P – Gianna Mancha, UCF
P – Bailey Lange, Wichita State
C – Karissa Ornelas, UCF
IF – Rachel McCollum, East Carolina
IF – Alyssa Dean, Memphis
IF – Megan Pierro, USF
IF – Alexis Perry, Tulsa
IF – Ryleigh Buck, Wichita State
OF – Kyra Klarkowski, UCF
OF – Lindsey Stewart-Vaughn, Houston
OF – Alexis Johns, USF
OF – Bailee Nickerson, Wichita State
DP/U/Non-P – Shannon Doherty, UCF
All-Rookie Team
IF – Jada Cody, UCF*
IF – Imani Edwards, Tulsa
OF – Kennedy Searcy, UCF
OF/C – Juliana Wilson, UCF
OF – Haley Morgan, Tulsa
OF – Addison Barnard, Wichita State*
*denotes unanimous selection