Contact: Chassidy Holloway, Associate Executive Director, holloway@midwestconference.org
GRINNELL, Iowa – The 2025 Midwest Conference (MWC) Softball Tournament wrapped up last week with the announcement of this year’s major postseason awards and All-Conference honorees, recognized on-site following the tournament championship game.
Headlining the awards,
Jordan Closs of Illinois College was named both the 2025 MWC Newcomer of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, while
Emmie Nyen of Lake Forest College earned 2025 MWC Position Player of the Year honors.
Closs, a junior for the Lady Blues and an All-MWC First Team selection, led the league with a 0.28 ERA and a conference-best 8–0 record in MWC play, including 7 shutouts. She also led the league with 70 strikeouts in 50 innings, threw one perfect game, allowed just 2 runs in league play, and held opponents to a .144 batting average.
Nyen, a junior for the Foresters and also an All-MWC First Team selection, led the league with a .523 batting average and a 1.338 OPS. In just 16 games, she tallied 23 hits, including 5 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 home run. She drove in 16 runs, scored 16 times, went a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen base attempts, posted a .588 on-base percentage, and did not strike out once.
Each year, the MWC presents the Team Sportsmanship Award to the softball program that best exemplifies and upholds the ideals of sportsmanship.
Monmouth College was selected as the 2025 recipient. The Fighting Scots are led by interim head coach Addyson Williams.
Following the tournament, the league’s head coaches voted to name the 2025 MWC Coaching Staff of the Year. The honor went to
Illinois College, led by head coach Samantha Mendez and assistant coaches Kiwi Moran and Payton Cloe.
In her first year at the helm, Mendez guided the Lady Blues to a 13–3 MWC record (25–18 overall) and a second-place finish in the regular season standings. As a team, Illinois College batted .338 in conference play, posted a league-best 1.41 ERA, and recorded a .970 fielding percentage.
The full list of individual major awards and All-Conference Team selections can be found below.
2025 Midwest Conference Softball All-Conference & Major Awards
PItcher of the Year
Jordan Closs, Illinois College
Position Player of the Year
Emmie Nyen, Lake Forest College
Newcomer of the Year
Jordan Closs, Illinois College
Team Sportsmanship Award
Monmouth College
Coaching Staff of the Year
Illinois College - Head Coach: Samantha Mendez
First Team All-Conference
Pitcher – Jordan Closs, Illinois College, JR
Pitcher – Riley Stiles, Lake Forest College, JR
Catcher – Brooke Loveall, Illinois College, JR
First Base – Kendall Cole, Illinois College, JR
Second Base – Janessa Gonzalez, Lawrence University, JR
Shortstop – Hannah Dykstra, Grinnell College, SR
Third Base – Zoe Doherty, Lawrence University, JR
Outfield – Peyton Souhrada, Cornell College, JR
Outfield – Kayla O'Malley, Grinnell College, FR
Outfield – Emmie Nyen, Lake Forest College, JR
Utility Player – Kyla Chevalier, Lake Forest College, JR
Designated Player – Lane Kohler, Grinnell College, SR
At-Large – Sofia DiCarlo, Grinnell College, SR
At-Large – Taylor Henry, Illinois College, JR
At-Large – Mattigan Haller, Lawrence University, SR
Second Team All-Conference
Pitcher Hannah – Smith, Lake Forest College, SR
Pitcher – Avery Chilson, Lawrence University, SO
Catcher – Paige Ratliff, Lake Forest College, SO
First Base – Elise Oleson, Cornell College, SO
Second Base – Haylee Carpenter, Knox College, 5th Year
Shortstop – Angela Donath, Beloit College, SR
Third Base – Cadence Dempsey, Lake Forest College, JR
Outfield – Addie Bowman, Cornell College, SR
Outfield – Shelby Seiler, Illinois College, SO
Outfield – Kaia Mismash, Lake Forest College, SO
Utility Player – Maddie Poetzinger, Knox College, SR
At-Large – Avary Briggs, Beloit College, FR
At-Large – Alexa Corona, Cornell College, FR
At-Large – Corrin Kennedy, Cornell College, SO
At-Large – Ashlyn Schultz, Ripon College, FR