Fourteen Bearcats are Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes for 2021-22

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Fourteen Willamette University softball players have been named Eaton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes for 2021-22. Qualifying for the honor were Adele Benny (Jr., OF, Bee Cave, TX/Lake Travis HS), Cassie Cosler (Sr., 1B, Albany, OR/West Albany HS), Marykate DeLuca (Jr., DP/C, San Diego, CA/San Diego International Studies), Carrie Dose (So., 1B/P, Eugene, OR/Churchill HS/Buena Vista Univ.), Jewel Fleckenstein (Jr., UT, Wasilla, AK/Mat-Su Middle College School), Bailey Hillmick (Sr., DP/UT, Athena, OR/Weston-McEwen HS), Kendra Knapp (Jr., OF, Portland, OR/Sunset HS), Samantha Loomis (Grad., P, Camarillo, CA/Adolfo Camariollo HS/Marymount Univ.), Sophia Lucio (So., RF, Martinez, CA/College Park HS), Mia Lund (So., OF, Omaha, NE/Westside HS), Brianna Majors (Jr., SS/2B, San Diego, CA/Cathedral Catholic HS), Gianna Marchese (Sr., 3B/1B, Seattle, WA/Bishop Blanchet HS/St. Martin's Univ.), Alexandra Richards (Fy., OF, Bellevue, WA/Newport HS), and Athena Vandyke (Fy., C/3B, Cornelius, OR/Glencoe HS).

Fleckenstein received All-America Scholar-Athlete honors for the third time after earning recognition in 2018-19 and 2020-21. WU players qualifying for the second year in a row were Cosler, Hillmick, Lucio, and Lund.

Athletes earned the award by achieving a 3.5 or higher grade point average during the 2021-22 academic year. A total of 7,321 softball players at the NCAA, NAIA, and junior college levels were named All-America Scholar-Athletes. NCAA Division III, which includes Willamette, led the way with 2,375 student-athletes on the list.

"Having 14 players earn NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors is what this is all about," Willamette Head Softball Coach Paige Hall said. "I am so proud of them for putting an enormous amount of effort into our season with softball, and then on top of that, earning above a 3.5 GPA is just so impressive. Softball is such a small piece of the puzzle and this is what truly matters, and I could not be more proud."

Note:  Year listed is for the 2021-22 season

Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes

Adele Benny (Jr., OF) saw action in 26 games and made 12 starts for the Bearcats this past spring. She batted .257, scored 15 runs, and was 13 for 16 on stolen base attempts. On defense, she registered 13 putouts in the outfield. In her career, Benny has played in 62 games and has scored 25 runs while hitting two doubles and one home run. She is 17 for 20 on stolen bases. She has provided 48 putouts on defense.

Cassie Cosler (Sr., 1B) competed in 29 games, including 25 starts, in 2022. She hit .256 and led the Bearcats with four home runs. She also earned 17 RBIs and pounded three doubles. She received 10 walks during the season and had a 1.000 fielding percentage on defense with a team-high 101 putouts to go with five assists. In 2021, Cosler played in 29 games (26 starts), while topping the defensive chart with 127 putouts. In four seasons at WU, she has played in 97 games with 90 starts. She has earned 36 RBIs to go along with 14 runs, 12 doubles, and four homers. Her career totals on defense include 498 putouts, 19 assists, and a .983 fielding percentage.

Marykate DeLuca (Jr., DP/C) led the Bearcats with a .356 batting average this past season among players with at least 38 at bats. She also ranked first on the team with 19 RBIs and four sacrifice flies. She was named Honorable Mention All-NWC. DeLuca has played in 66 games with 59 starts over the past three seasons. She owns a .295 career batting average and has registered 30 RBIs, 14 runs scored, and eight sacrifice flies. On defense, she has a .994 career fielding percentage with 139 putouts and 23 assists.

Carrie Dose (So., 1B/P) achieved a .346 batting average this past season, as she trailed only DeLuca on Willamette's offensive chart. She saw action in 22 games, including 17 starts. She hit four doubles on the season. She recorded 34 putouts and eight assists with just one error for a .977 fielding percentage.

Jewel Fleckenstein (Sr., UT) was chosen as an All-America Scholar-Athlete for the third time (2019, 2021, 2022). During the 2022 season, she played in 26 games with 14 starts. She was six for six on stolen bases, and hit one double and one homer. In her WU career, Fleckenstein has seen action in 56 games, including 23 starts. She has scored 16 runs, earned 14 RBIs, and been successful on all eight of her stolen base attempts.

Bailey Hillmick (Sr., UT) missed most of the 2022 season due to an injury, and she was able to play in just nine games with five starts. In her career, she has competed in 107 games (100 starts) and has a .260 career batting average. She has accumulated 61 hits, 42 RBIs, 31 runs, 11 doubles, a triple, and eight homers. She also has 97 putouts and 48 assists. In addition, Hillmick has pitched 144 2/3 innings in 46 games, including 30 starts and five complete-game efforts. She has struck out 52 batters. 

Kendra Knapp (Jr., OF) played in 18 games (17 starts) in the spring of 2022 and went 3 for 3 on stolen bases, while hitting two doubles and two home runs. She achieved a 1.000 fielding percentage with 26 putouts and two assists from the outfield. She has seen action in 62 games with 54 starts during her career. She has belted four career doubles and is 5 for 5 on stolen bases.

Samantha Loomis (Grad., P) transferred to Willamette this past season from Marymount University in California. She pitched in three games for the Bearcats in 2002. While attending Marymount, she helped the team win the 2019 Cal Pac Championship and she threw the first no-hitter in Marymount history.

Sophia Lucio (So., OF) batted .440 with 11 hits in 25 at bats. She scored nine runs for Willamette and was 5 for 5 on stolen bases. She played in 21 games with eight starts. In 2021 and went 11 for 11 on stolen base attempts. In her career, she has a .317 batting average to go with 18 runs. She is 16 for 16 on stolen bases.  

Mia Lund (So., OF) hit .336 during the 2022 season, while playing in all 38 games with 36 starts. She topped Willamette with 30 runs scored and earned 14 RBIs, and was successful on 24 of 24 stolen base attempts. She also contributed five doubles, three triples, and three home runs. She recorded 71 putouts in the outfield. In two years with the Bearcats, Lund has attained a .339 career batting average with 51 runs, 25 RBIs, 12 doubles, and four homers. She has been impressive on the base paths, as she has gone 44 for 45 on stolen bases. She has made 155 career putouts on defense.

Brianna Majors (Jr., SS/2B) concluded the 2022 season with a .262 batting average, 11 doubles, and one home run after starting all 38 games. She scored 21 runs for the Bearcats and registered 13 RBIs. She was 24 for 25 on stolen bases. She earned 76 putouts and 76 assists on defense. She hit a team-high .383 batting average as a first-year player in 2020. Majors owns career statistics that include 85 games played and 85 starts, plus 47 runs, 43 RBIs, 25 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. She has been successful on 31 of 34 stolen base attempts. On defense, she has recorded 145 putouts and 160 assists.

Gianna Marchese (Sr., 3B/1B) missed much of the early part of the season with an injury, but finished strong and ended the year with a .271 overall batting average in 23 games played. She belted three doubles and one home run. She earned 63 putouts and 19 assists on defense. During her career, she has played in 66 games with 61 starts and has achieved a .263 batting average. She has provided WU with 23 runs, 17 RBIs, 10 doubles, and two homers on offense, plus 121 putouts and 65 assists on defense.

Alexandra Richards (Fy., OF) played in 33 games with 27 starts in 2022. She scored six runs and was 3 for 5 on stolen bases. She supplied 51 putouts and one assist on defense, while committing just one error, as she earned a .981 fielding percentage. Prior to attending Willamette, she helped Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington, reach the 4A State Tournament.

Athena Vandyke (Fy., C/3B) joined the Bearcats in 2022and played in three games with one start. She batted .250 in limited action. She was named Third Team All-State in 2019 while playing at Glencoe High School in Cornelius, Oregon.