Leverington Named Co-GNAC Freshman of the Year; Leads Six Saints To All-Conference Team - Despite mostly being used out of the bullpen, that did not stop Chloe Leverington from carving up the GNAC offenses all season, as she was named the Co-GNAC Freshman of the Year and led six Saints to the All-Conference team.

Leverington became the second straight Saint to earn the Freshman of the Year, following up Britney Patrick last season. She was one of 11 players in the conference who earned unanimous honors. On the year, Leverington led the team in ERA (2.32), wins (11), strikeouts (102), fewest walks (13), and innings pitched (99.2). In the GNAC, Leverington placed first in strikeout-to-walk ratio, walks per seven innings, second in WHIP, third in ERA, and fourth in strikeout per seven innings. Leverington was named once the GNAC Pitcher of the Week.

Malia Pinder joined Leverington as one of the 11 players named unanimously to the first team. Pinder was the driving force in the lineup all season long, leading the team in nearly every offensive category. The lefty led the way in batting average (.387), on-base percentage (.479), slugging (.570), home runs (5), RBI (34), hits (55), and total bases (81). The two-time GNAC Player of the Week, ranked second on-base percentage, fourth in batting average, ninth in slugging inside the GNAC.

Vanessa Smoke took over the spot at second base and provided the Saints a second team All-Conference performance. Smoke followed only Pinder in most offensive stats including batting average (.289), hits (37), slugging (.445), and on-base (.380). Her four home runs where third on the team, along with her 22 RBI. Smoke was a GNAC Player of the Week once.

Britney Patrick, Tia Ridings, and Devyn Connolly all received votes and were named to the GNAC honorable mention team. Patrick, a first team selection last season, started slow at the plate to begin the season before getting into a strong rhythm by the end of the season. Patrick finished the season with a .259 average with one home run, 20 RBI and a .751 OPS.

Connolly provided leadership and a constant bat behind the plate for a majority of the season. The senior concluded her career with a .265 average, two home runs, the team's second best 25 RBI, and a .739 OPS. She was named the GNAC Player of the Week once.

In the circle, Ridings was nearly unhittable in games collecting 101 punchouts in just 87 innings. Her 8.1 strikeouts per seven innings ranked first in the conference, and 52nd in the NCAA. The two-time GNAC Pitcher of the Week, wrapped up the season with a 3.62 ERA with an 8-8 record with four complete games, two shutouts and just three home runs allowed over 22 games.

Nine Saints Named To GNAC SB All-Academic Team - Nine Saints of the Softball team earned the prestigious GNAC All-Academic Award, including two-time selections Megan Convery, Abby Runyon, and Kylee Vanderbout, presented by Barnes & Noble College.

Convery, a sophomore psychology major, led the second-time selections with a 3.81 GPA. Runyon, a sophomore biology major, and Vanderbout, a junior business administration major, earned their selections with 3.74 and 3.55 GPAs respectively.

Six Saints earned their first selection to the GNAC All-Academic team, led by Britney Patrick, a sophomore business administration major, with her 3.92 GPA. Right behind Patrick was Vanessa Smoke, a sophomore nursing major with a 3.91 GPA. Jaeden Ells, a senior biology major, and Malia Pinder, a sophomore business administration major, finished with 3.51 and 3.86 GPAs respectively.

Rounding out the selections for the Saints was Tia Ridings, a sophomore psychology major, with a 3.83 GPA, and Shaye Pinner, a junior biology major, at 3.23 GPA.

Vanessa Smoke Grabs GNAC Player of the Week Honors - Smoke led softball's offense to sweep over Montana State Billings, going 8-for-16 at the plate with a home run, seven RBI and four runs scored. She began the series with a 3-for-4 day with two doubles, and four RBI. After a quiet game two, Smoke went 5-for-9 in the final two games, scoring three of her runs, and three more RBI.

Ridings' Dominant Weekend Earns Her Another GNAC Pitcher of the Week - The only thing that could stop Tia Ridings over the weekend was mother nature herself. Ridings nabbed her second GNAC Pitcher of the Week award after recording a career-high 12 strikeouts and going five innings into a no-hitter before a rain delay disrupted the momentum.

On Saturday, Ridings was nearly untouchable, going for a complete game shutout with a career-high 12 strikeouts. Central Washington only recorded four hits off the lefty and fell 3-0 to the Saints. She began the afternoon by striking out the side in the first, along with two strikeouts in the third, fourth, and fifth. Ridings tallied at least one strikeout in all seven innings.

As difficult as it was to top Saturday's performance, Ridings was well on her way on Sunday. Thru five innings, Ridings had no-hit the Wildcats with four punchouts; however, the weather of Lacey did not cooperate. An hour-long rain delay forced the game to a standstill, and when the action resumed, Ridings recorded one more out before the Wilcats managed to finally record a hit. Ridings finished the sixth inning, giving up two runs, but the Saints stormed back with seven in the bottom of the frame to win the ball game.

Saints' Battery Takes Home GNAC Player of the Week Honors - Saints' softball extended their win streak to 10, the longest since 2012, after taking the four-game series over Simon Fraser. Leverington proved to be too much for the SFU bats to handle, allowing just two runs over 12 innings, while striking out seven, and two complete games. Leverington began the week with a five-inning shutout where she allowed only three hits and punched out five. She capped it off with a seven-inning complete game win, giving up just two runs and striking out another two.

Behind the plate, and at the plate, Connolly led the Saints. Over four games, she went 6-for-11 with eight RBIs, six runs scored, two doubles, and one triple. In the series opener, Connolly went 3-for-3 with four runs scored and two RBIs. In games two and three, she combined for two hits, two RBIs and a triple before finishing with a 1-for-2 day with four RBIs to cap off the series sweep.

Ridings and Conerly Pick Up GNAC Player of the Week Awards - Starting on the diamond, Saints softball went 6-0 on the week, taking down Northwest in a doubleheader, before sweeping Bushnell over a four-game series. Tia Ridings was named the pitcher of the week, after a nearly unhittable 11 innings. In three starts, Ridings gave up only two hits, and one run, while striking out 20 batters. On the week, Ridings recorded over 60 percent of her outs via the strikeout.

At the plate, Destiny Conerly could not be stopped from reaching base, earning GNAC Hitter of the Week. Over 14 at-bats, Conerly recorded nine hits, and in her 21 plate appearances, she recorded a .762 on-base percentage. Over her nine hits, Conerly clubbed a three-run home run, along with a double, for eight RBIs and seven runs scored.

Malia Pinder Slams Her Way To A Second GNAC Player of the Week Award - Another weekend of home runs for Malia Pinder, including a game-tying grand slam, resulted in her second GNAC Player of the Week this season.

Pinder packed a punch in the top of the order all weekend, collecting six hits on 11 at-bats, with six RBIs on two runs scored. The highlight of the weekend came in the 12-10 victory over Simon Fraser where Pinder crushed two home runs.

With the Saints trailing 5-1 to Simon Fraser, Pinder delivered a game-tying grand slam, her first of her career. Later in the game, Pinder connected for a solo shot, her fourth home run of the year.

Saint Martin's took two out of three games on the weekend, splitting with Central Washington.

For Pinder, the award marks the second of the season, and second of her career.  

Pinder's Clutch Home Runs Net Her GNAC Player of the Week - A clutch game-winning home run, and a 1.529 OPS in the opening five games netted Malia Pinder the GNAC Player of the Week honor.

Pinder's week began with a 3-for-4 day against Washburn, but her biggest hit came at the end. With the Saints trailing by two, and down to their final strike, Pinder came through in the clutch with a go-ahead game-winning three run home run as the Saints overcame Washburn 4-3.

She followed the home run up with another home run in her first at-bat against Concordia later that day. In the opening two games, Pinder went 6-for-7 at the plate, with two home runs, two doubles, and six RBIs. Over the final three games, Pinder drove in one more run, and scored two more runs, bringing her total to four on the week.

The award marks the first of the season, and first in her career for Pinder.

Saints' Softball Tabbed Fourth In GNAC Preseason Poll - Returning a young but talented core, led by All-Region selection Britney Patrick, the Saints were placed fourth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Hosting the 2022 GNAC Championships, the Saints look for a chance to win their first conference championship since 2013 on their home field.

Western Washington, who is the defending conference champions, narrowly edged out Northwest Nazarene, the defending regular season champions for the top spot. The Vikings finished with four first place votes, and 46 total points. Northwest Nazarene drew three first place votes, and 44 total points.

Western Oregon (24 points), Saint Martin's (22) and Simon Fraser (21) make up the middle of the pack, followed by Montana State Billings (20) and Central Washington (19). Third place and seventh place were separated by only five points.

The Saints will be led by sophomore standout Patrick, who was named the GNAC Freshman of the Year last season, along with a second team All-Region selection. The third basemen led the team with a .328 batting average, along with 31 runs scored with five home runs, and 25 RBIs. She was also perfect on the basepaths, swiping nine bags on nine attempts.

All-Conference honorable mention shortstop Destiny Conerly returns to the field after hitting .235 with three home runs and 19 RBIs. Along with Conerly, the Saints bring back outfielder Olivia Schmidt, .315 with one home run, and 14 RBIs, and Kylee Vanderbout, .281 with three home runs, and a team-leading 29 RBIs. Other notable returners include outfielders Megan Convery and Jaeden Ells, infielder Malia Pinder, catcher Devyn Connolly, and utilities Vanessa Smoke and Lexi Carlos.

Inside the circle, the Saints feature two of the best young pitchers in all the GNAC in sophomores Abby Runyon, and Tia Ridings. Runyon, a second team All-Conference selection last season, led the Saints with a 4.05 ERA, 11-8 W/L, and 15 complete games. Over 124.1 innings, Runyon struck out 68 batters, and tossed three shutouts.

Ridings broke out on the scene in her freshman campaign before an injury sidelined her for most of the season. However, in 31 innings, Ridings was good for a 2.03 ERA with a 4-0 W/L, and 24 strikeouts. In seven appearances, four starts, the lefty tossed four complete games, and two shutouts.

Saint Martin's brings in 10 new players to the squad, including nine freshman and one transfer. Natalie Zender is the lone transfer from Skagit Valley College. Behind the plate, Kekai Schultz from Ridgefield, Washington joins the mix, and in the infield is Destiny Salamanca from Norwalk, California, and Sophia Ruiz from Murrieta, California. New in the outfield is Marisol Bergstrom from Port Orchard, Washington, and Kaleena Yra from Vallejo, California, along with utility players Janell Williams from Snohomish, Washington, and Shay Lopes from Waianae, Hawaii. In the circle, SMU added Kylie Parsons from Pendleton, Oregon, and Chloe Leverington from Forks, Washington.