Five Bruins named to OWH all-Midlands softball team

Omaha World-Herald News Article

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Five Bellevue University softball players earned Omaha World-Herald all-Midlands team honors in an announcement made today by the state's largest newspaper. 

Bruins who earned first-team honors included: first baseman Reese Floro, second baseman Ashley Young, outfielder Maricela Egan, utility player Lauren Jurek, and pitcher Katie Cunningham. 

Honorable mention selections from BU included: pitcher Cory Carrillo, catcher Allison O'Driscoll, and outfielder/pitcher Emily Rochford. 

Jurek earned first-team NAIA All-American honors while splitting time in the circle, in the outfield, and as the team's designated player. She earned first-team all-North Star Athletic Association honors while finishing third in the league with a .422 batting average. She registered 18 doubles, nine home runs, and 43 RBIs and led the Bruins with a .728 slugging percentage.

Jurek had a 13-game hitting streak during the month of March and 20 multi-hit games during the 2022 campaign.

In the circle, Jurek went 8-2 on the season with a 2.96 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched. 

Floro earned first-team all-Region and all-North Star Athletic Association honors and was also named the 2022 NSAA Freshman of the Year. She also was a member of the NSAA Gold Glove Team. 

She set the Bruins' single-season school record with a .457 batting average on the season, which led the league and ranked in the top 20 nationally. 

Floro collected 19 doubles and six home runs for a .668 slugging percentage. She had a 27-game hitting streak during the season and struck out just two times the entire 2022 campaign. Floro drove in 40 runs as the team's lead-off batter. Defensively, she registered a .990 fielding percentage with just three errors in 315 chances at first base. 

Cunningham, who was named the NSAA Pitcher of the Year, finished second in the conference with 16 wins and 135 strikeouts while maintaining a league third-best 2.36 ERA. She finished the season with a 16-7 record and three saves and was named the NSAA Pitcher of the Week on three occasions. Cunningham was also a second-team all-Region honoree. 

At the plate, Cunningham batted .344 with 10 doubles, three home runs, and 18 RBIs.

Egan picked up second-team all-Region and first-team all-NSAA honors this season and her second Gold Glove Team nod. It marked her third all-Region and all-NSAA selection.

Egan batted .333 on the season with a team-leading 12 home runs, along with 13 doubles and 41 RBIs. She finished her BU career ranked fifth with 32 career home runs, sixth with 133 RBIs, and ninth with a .589 slugging percentage.  

Young earned first-team all-NSAA recognition for the second time in her BU career. She led the team with 52 RBIs while pounding a team second-best 10 home runs. She batted .327 on the season and produced 15 doubles and a .607 slugging percentage. 

The Bruins won the NSAA regular-season title with a 24-2 conference mark while finishing the season with a 42-13 overall record. BU finished as runner-up in the NSAA Post-Season Tournament.    

2022 Omaha World-Herald All-Midlands Softball Team

* denotes honorary captain

C - Macy Homes, Jr., College of St. Mary

1B - Reese Floro, Fr., Bellevue

2B - Ashley Young, Jr., Bellevue

SS - Kim Vidlak, Sr., Wayne State

* 3B - Roni Foote, So., Midland

OF - Carlee Liesch, Sr., UNK

OF - Maricela Egan, Sr., Bellevue

OF - Emily Prai, So., Midland

DH - Sydney Thomason, Fr., UNK

U - Lauren Jurek, Jr., Bellevue

SP - Katie Cunningham, Fr., Bellevue

SP - Kailey Meyer, Sr., Nebraska Wesleyan

SP - Camry Moore, Jr., Concordia

SP - Aliyah Rincon, So., Midland

Honorable mention: Bellevue: Cory Carrillo, Allison O'Driscoll, Emily Rochford. Chadron State: Tia Kohl, Lauren Zimmerman. College of St. Mary: Emma Hofmaier, Marissa McGargill, Maddie Nekola, Emma Schnell, Rylee Scholl. Concordia: Zoie Isom, Caitlyn McGarvie, Kylee Nixon. Doane: Jadyn Hunt, Haley Kennedy, Alicia Vint, Jayden Young. Hastings: Ava Krueger, Sydney Schelkopf, Lauren Schneider.Midland: Hailee Fliam, Diana Nisbett, Carly Pfitzer, Kaitlyn Rickey, Ali Smith, Sheridan Wayne. Nebraska Wesleyan: Val Gerlach, Hanna Roth, Taylor Styskal. Peru State: Ellie Ohlde, Morgan Wilke. UNK: Katie Gosker, Madison Rosenthal. Wayne State: Jenna Etmans, Riley Holmberg. York: Sariah Ayala, Haylea Thomas.