OSHKOSH, Wisconsin – The 2026 Midwest Conference All-Conference honorees and major award winners were recognized on-site following the MWC Softball Tournament championship game at Illinois College on Saturday (May 9).
 
Headlining the awards were Illinois College’s Jordan Closs (Pitcher of the Year), Lake Forest College’s Kaia Mismash (Position Player of the Year) and Ripon College’s Peyton Vandeloo (Newcomer of the Year).
 
Closs, a senior for the Lady Blues and an All-MWC First Team selection, becomes the third player in league history to win back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards. Helping IC to a school-record 30 wins (prior to the MWC Tournament), Closs led the MWC in ERA (0.61), wins (7), games started (8) and shutouts (5) in MWC play. She was also second in opponent batting average (.151), second in complete games (6), second in strikeouts (34) and fifth in innings pitched (45.2).
 
Mismash, a junior for the Foresters and also an All-MWC First Team selection, gives Lake Forest its second consecutive MWC Position Player of the Year honoree (and third in the last five seasons). In conference action, she paced all qualified players in batting average (.491), hits (26), triples (2) and stolen bases (24). Prior to the MWC Tournament, she matched the third-longest hitting streak in NCAA Division III history at 36 games and across all games, she was in the top four nationally in batting average (.552) and stolen bases per game (1.46).
 
Vandeloo, a freshman for the Red Hawks and an All-MWC First Team selection, was one of the league’s top pitchers in 2026. She led the MWC in games started (8) and wins (7), tossing two shutouts over 50.0 innings (second-most in conference). Vandeloo was also second in the MWC in ERA (0.84) and complete games (6).
 
The league’s head coaches voted to name the 2026 MWC Coaching Staff of the Year. The honor went to Ripon College, led by head coach Emilia Jackson and assistant coaches Gayle Luehr and Tina Delpino.
 
In her second year at the helm, Jackson led the Red Hawks to a 12-4 MWC record (25–11 overall) and a third-place finish in the regular season standings – their first MWC Tournament appearance in 15 years. As a team, Ripon hit .332 in conference play and was second in the circle with a 1.90 ERA – both top-three marks across the league. The Red Hawks led the MWC with 87 strikeouts as a pitching staff across 16 conference games.
 
The full list of individual major awards and All-Conference Team selections can be found below.
 
2026 Midwest Conference Softball All-Conference & Major Awards
PItcher of the Year
Jordan Closs, Illinois College
 
Position Player of the Year
Kaia Mismash, Lake Forest College
 
Newcomer of the Year
Peyton Vandeloo, Ripon College
 
Coaching Staff of the Year
Ripon College - Head Coach: Emilia Jackson
 
First Team All-Conference                                     
Pitcher – Peyton Vandeloo, Ripon (Fr.)
Pitcher – Jordan Closs, Illinois College (Sr.)
Catcher – Corrin Kennedy, Cornell (Jr.)
First Base – Kayla Cruz, Ripon (Sr.)
Second Base – Karliegh Ashby, Monmouth (Sr.)
Shortstop – Kaia Mismash, Lake Forest (Jr.)
Third Base – Zoe Doherty, Lawrence (Sr.)
Outfield – Peyton Souhrada, Cornell (Sr.)
Outfield – Lindsey Schultz, Grinnell (Jr.)
Outfield – Ezzy Mauermann, Illinois College (So.)
Utility Player – Gabby Miller, Illinois College (Jr.)
Designated Player – Linnea Drever, Cornell (Jr.)
At-Large – Cambria Currie, Illinois College (So.)
At-Large – Kyla Chevalier, Lake Forest (Sr.)
At-Large – Maddie Hicks, Knox (Sr.)
 
Second Team All-Conference                                  
Pitcher – Meghan Harcus, Grinnell (Fr.)
Pitcher – Lauren Summers, Cornell (Jr.)
Catcher – Paige Ratliff, Lake Forest (Jr.)
First Base – Kaylee Witte, Beloit (Sr.)
Second Base – Maddie Adams, Illinois College (Jr.)
Shortstop – Brooke Furman, Cornell (Jr.)
Third Base – Cadence Dempsey, Lake Forest (Sr.)
Outfield – Desirae Kallstrom, Ripon (Fr.)
Outfield – Alexa Corona, Cornell (So.)
Outfield – Vanessa Buske, Lake Forest (So.)
Utility Player – Julia Marquez, Grinnell (Fr.)
At-Large – Lia Taglia, Lake Forest (Jr.)
At-Large – Elise Oleson, Cornell (Jr.)
At-Large – Allie Gustafson, Beloit (So.)
At-Large – Callissa Keller, Ripon (Fr.)