Five Bruins collect all-Frontier softball honors
DICKINSON, N.D. -- Bellevue University placed five student-athletes on the 2026 Frontier Conference Softball All-Conference/Postseason Awards list, led by Newcomer-of-the-Year Marguerite Brown, as the conference announced its postseason honors on Wednesday night in conjunction with the Frontier Conference Softball Tournament.
Bellevue's honorees include:
- Marguerite Brown – Frontier Conference Newcomer-of-the-Year; first-team all-Frontier Conference; junior catcher
- Carly Bertolini – First-team all-Frontier Conference; freshman pitcher
- Kaitlyn Fisher – Second-team all-Frontier Conference; sophomore shortstop
- Mariah Unverzagt – Second-team all-Frontier Conference; junior utility
- Miranda Garcia – Gold Glove Team; senior second baseman
- Savannah Short – Champion of Character; senior third baseman
Brown and freshman pitcher Carly Bertolini were named first-team all-Frontier Conference, while sophomore shortstop Kaitlyn Fisher and junior utility player Mariah Unverzagt earned second-team honors. Senior second baseman Miranda Garcia was selected to the Gold Glove Team. Senior third baseman Savannah Short (Fort Osage, Mo.) was selected as the team's Frontier Conference Champion of Character.
Brown, a junior catcher from Chatham, Ontario, was named Frontier Conference Newcomer-of-the-Year after leading the Bruins with a .461 batting average, 77 hits, 25 doubles, 127 total bases, a .760 slugging percentage, and a .508 on-base percentage. Among Frontier Conference players in all games, Brown led the league in hits (77), doubles (25), and total bases (127), ranked second in batting average (.461), third in slugging percentage (.760), fourth in on-base percentage (.508), seventh with seven home runs, and 10th with 35 RBIs. In conference play, she ranked second in batting average (.467), hits (42), and doubles (12), third in total bases (74), fourth in slugging percentage (.822), fifth in on-base percentage (.520) and home runs (six), and 15th in RBIs (19). Her 25 doubles set Bellevue's single-season record, and her .461 batting average ranks first on BU's single-season list entering postseason play. Brown was also named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week on March 16.
Bertolini, a freshman from Papillion, Neb., led Bellevue in the circle with a 9-7 record, a 2.69 ERA, 99 innings pitched, seven complete games, and 55 strikeouts. She ranked second in the Frontier Conference in ERA (2.69), fourth in opponent batting average (.261), sixth in wins (nine), seventh in innings pitched (99.0), eighth in complete games (seven), ninth in games started (14), and 11th in strikeouts (55). In conference play, Bertolini ranked fifth in ERA (3.20), seventh in wins (five) and complete games (four), 10th in opponent batting average (.274), 11th in innings pitched (50.1), 12th in games started (eight), and 14th in strikeouts (26). Bertolini earned Frontier Conference Pitcher of the Week honors twice, receiving the award on March 2 and April 6.
Fisher, a sophomore from Omaha, Neb., earned second-team all-Frontier Conference honors after batting .414 with 63 hits, 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 22 RBIs, a .586 slugging percentage, and a .447 on-base percentage. She ranked seventh in the conference in batting average. Fisher was named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week on March 2.
Unverzagt, a junior from Papillion, Neb., was recognized as a second-team all-Frontier Conference utility selection after contributing offensively and in the circle. She batted .349 with 51 hits, five doubles, four triples, two home runs, 26 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. She also posted a 6-8 record, a 3.74 ERA, two saves, and 48 strikeouts over 86 innings. Unverzagt ranked 20th in the conference in batting average and 13th in strikeouts.
Garcia, a senior from Los Lunas, N.M., earned Gold Glove honors at second base after posting a .973 fielding percentage with 116 putouts, 62 assists, and five errors in 183 chances. She also helped turn four double plays.
Up Next: The Bruins (21-27/10-16 Frontier Conference) enter the Frontier Conference Tournament as the No. 6 seed and will meet third-seeded Valley City State University in a first-round matchup at 6:30 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, April 30. The tournament is being played April 30-May 3 at the Sanford Sports Complex in Dickinson, N.D.