Saint Xavier Dominates Softball Postseason Honor Roll
CHICAGO, Ill. — Dominant throughout the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular and postseason, the Saint Xavier University softball program was just that again on Wednesday afternoon when the league office announced its 2025 softball postseason honor roll.
The Cougars came away claiming 21 of the 50 total awards, including the most all-conference first team (seven) and overall selections (10), seven of nine Gold Glove picks and all four of the top individual awards. Saint Xavier gained all four top prizes one year ago, as well.
No other program was close, with St. Ambrose University being a distant second with seven honorees. The Fighting Bees, who had the most second-team selections with four, were followed by University of St. Francis (six), Calumet College of St. Joseph (five) and Olivet Nazarene University (four).
The rest of the list included three representatives from Indiana University South Bend, two from Trinity Christian College and one each from Judson University and Viterbo University.
Thirty-six of the awards fell under the all-conference category, split evenly between the first and second teams.
Headlining the honor roll was Saint Xavier center fielder Fiona Crane (Evergreen Park, Ill.), who was named the CCAC Player of the Year after placing in the Top 10 in eight categories on the conference level and another four on the national scene.
The junior leads the league in runs scored (66), stolen bases (69) and on-base percentage (.572). while ranking second in hits (69) and batting average (.519). She is also eighth in total bases (74), walks (16) and slugging percentage (.556).
On the national level, Crane sits second in stolen bases – where she has only been caught stealing twice – third in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage and seventh in runs scored.
Saint Xavier also boasted the CCAC Pitcher of the Year in Lily Strand (Evergreen Park, Ill.). Her name can be found in the Top 10 in no fewer than 11 league categories, highlighted by No. 1 billings in games started (21), wins (16), saves (three), complete games (15) and shutouts (five).
The sophomore hurler also ranks third in strikeouts (97), fourth in innings pitched (120.0) and earned run average (2.68), fifth in both strikeouts per game (5.66) and batting-average against (.241) and sixth in appearances (24).
If facing Strand was not enough to contend with, there was SXU’s No. 2 in Payton Antkiewicz (Dyer, Ind.), who was recognized as the CCAC Freshman of the Year. She is second behind Strand in both wins (15) and earned run average (2.32), while tying her for the most shutouts with five.
Antkiewicz has also recorded nine complete games, while limiting opponents to a .244 batting average. Both of those numbers are currently No. 6 on the conference charts.
Rounding out the sweep of top individual awards was Saint Xavier head coach Erin Mollohan-Corrao, who was named the CCAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. She currently has the Cougars sitting at 36-6 overall and No. 18 in the nation heading into the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
In terms of all-conference first-team choices, five were recognizable names, including SXU’s Mallory O’Connor (Bourbonnais, Ill.) and Calumet St. Joseph’s Adelina Staden (Romeoville, Ill.), both of whom earned the distinction for the third year in a row. St. Ambrose’s Becca Haag (Muscatine, Iowa) and Saint Xavier’s Kaitlyn Wright (Chicago, Ill.) and Aubrey Wroble (Crown Point, Ind.) were all repeat selections.
Wright also made the Gold Glove squad for the third time in as many seasons on the infield, with teammate Haley Matlock (Indianapolis, Ind.) repeating in the outfield.
Calumet College of St. Joseph claimed the final award, three-peating as the Champions of Character Team.
2025 SOFTBALL POSTSEASON AWARDS
Player of the Year
Fiona Crane – Saint Xavier
Pitcher of the Year
Lily Strand – Saint Xavier
Freshman of the Year
Payton Antkiewicz – Saint Xavier
Coach of the Year
Erin Mollohan-Corrao – Saint Xavier
Champions of Character Team
Calumet College of St. Joseph
Gold Glove Team
1B Mallory O’Connor Jr. Saint Xavier Bourbonnais, Ill.
2B Reagan Engberg Jr. St. Ambrose Burlington, Iowa
SS Kaitlyn Wright Jr. Saint Xavier Chicago, Ill.
3B Danielle Goodman Fr. Saint Xavier Poplar Grove, Ill.
LF Haley Matlock Jr. Saint Xavier Indianapolis, Ind.
CF Fiona Crane Jr. Saint Xavier Evergreen Park, Ill.
RF Aubrey Wroble So. Saint Xavier Crown Point, Ind.
P Kiersten Manning Sr. St. Francis (Ill.) Bloomington, Ill.
C Natalie Johnson So. Saint Xavier Bourbonnais, Ill.
First Team All-Conference
P Payton Antkiewicz Fr. Saint Xavier Dyer, Ind.
P Ada Boysen Fr. St. Ambrose Wapello, Iowa
3B Kylie Cook So. St. Francis (Ill.) Beecher, Ill.
OF Fiona Crane Jr. Saint Xavier Evergreen Park, Ill.
1B Becca Haag So. St. Ambrose Muscatine, Iowa
SS Emily Hurst Jr. St. Francis (Ill.) Aurora, Ill.
DP/OF Kamryn Koontz So. Trinity Christian Beecher, Ill.
OF Haley Matlock Jr. Saint Xavier Indianapolis, Ind.
OF Aubrie Morales So. Calumet St. Joseph Dyer, Ind.
OF Rose Mwaro Gr. St. Francis (Ill.) Almere, Netherlands
1B Mallory O’Connor Jr. Saint Xavier Bourbonnais, Ill.
SS/2B Zoe Oshiro Sr. Olivet Nazarene Pearl City, Hawaii
1B Adelina Staden Sr. Calumet St. Joseph Romeoville, Ill.
P Lily Strand So. Saint Xavier Evergreen Park, Ill.
P/1B Allie Timm Sr. Olivet Nazarene Channahon, Ill.
SS Jordan Watts Sr. Indiana South Bend Schoolcraft, Mich.
SS Kaitlyn Wright Jr. Saint Xavier Chicago, Ill.
OF Aubrey Wroble So. Saint Xavier Crown Point, Ind.
Second Team All-Conference
2B Abbie Carr Sr. Saint Xavier Indianapolis, Ind.
UT Kylee Claypool So. St. Ambrose Morris, Ill.
IF Erianna Claudio Gr. Trinity Christian Chicago, Ill.
SS Ellie Downing Jr. St. Ambrose Canton, Ill.
3B Danielle Goodman Fr. Saint Xavier Poplar Grove, Ill.
1B Kahiwa Ili So. Olivet Nazarene Kea’au, Hawaii
C Natalie Johnson So. Saint Xavier Bourbonnais, Ill.
1B Summer Johnson Gr. Indiana South Bend Oblong, Ill.
C/OF Maddie Leisher Sr. Indiana South Bend Lizton, Ind.
SS Kelsey Lovelace Fr. Calumet St. Joseph Columbus, Ind.
P Kiersten Manning Sr. St. Francis (Ill.) Bloomington, Ill.
P Leah Maro So. St. Ambrose Davenport, Iowa
OF Faith Mikos Sr. Olivet Nazarene Manhattan, Ill.
OF Mady Reed Sr. St. Ambrose Stronghurst, Ill.
3B Kylee Slack Sr. Calumet St. Joseph Charlotte Hall, Md.
1B Jaelynn Taylor Jr. St. Francis (Ill.) Bolingbrook, Ill.
P/DP Alexis Watson So. Viterbo Green Bay, Wis.
C/3B Braly Wiser Sr. Judson Evansville, Wis.