Upcoming Event: Softball versus #3 North Dakota State on May 6, 2026 at 4 p.m.
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4 p.m.
Softball
vs #3 North Dakota State
South Dakota State University Athletics
JACKRABBITS DOMINATE SUMMIT SOFTBALL AWARDS
5/11/2021 10:32:00 AM | Softball
SIOUX FALLS – Summit League regular season champion South Dakota State swept the major award categories and placed nine players on the 2021 All-Summit League Softball Team, which was announced Tuesday.
Returning freshman Cylie Halvorson was selected as the Summit League Player of the Year, while the Jackrabbit pitching tandem of Tori Kniesche and Grace Glanzer were honored as Summit League Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively. In addition, Krista Wood was named Summit League Coach of the Year.
Halvorson, a first baseman from Sioux Falls, finished the regular season as the league leader in home runs (16), runs batted in (51), total bases (109) and slugging percentage (.779), while her .357 batting average ranked fifth. Her 16 home runs are tied for the most in a single season by a Jackrabbit with Devan Larsen (2015) and Ali Herdliska (2016, 2019).
Halvorson also has played errorless in the field, handling 248 total chances without a miscue in 43 starts at first base. She is the second Jackrabbit to be named Summit League Player of the Year, joining Brittney Morse in 2018.
Kniesche, a freshman from Wayne, Nebraska, burst onto the scene this season, leading the league in both wins (19) and earned run average (1.50). Entering postseason play, Kniesche has limited the opposition to a .139 batting average and has struck out 158 batters in 107 innings pitched. She has won her last 15 decisions en route to a 19-1 record, and also recorded a save.
Highlighting Kniesche's season thus far were a pair of five-inning no-hitters in the span of a week – April 24 versus South Dakota and April 30 against Creighton. The right-hander is the first Jackrabbit to be honored as Summit League Pitcher of the Year.
Glanzer finished right behind Kniesche in both ERA (1.86) and wins in compiling a 16-3 record through the regular season. A returning freshman from Sioux Falls, Glanzer tied with Kniesche for the league lead with five shutouts, which included a March 5 no-hitter against Oregon State and a pair of one-hitters. Glanzer tossed a team-high 139 innings and turned in league-best 18 complete games, striking out 94 batters and limiting opposing batters to a .188 average.
Herdliska in 2016 is the only other Jackrabbit softball player to be honored as Summit League Freshman of the Year.
The trio of Halvorson, Glanzer and Kniesche were joined on the all-Summit League First Team by five other Jackrabbits. On the infield, catcher Allison Yoder and second baseman Lindsey Culver were both named to the first team in a vote among the league's seven head coaches.
Yoder, a sophomore from Urbandale, Iowa, settled into the starting catching role midway through the season and displayed a consistent bat, hitting .301 with seven doubles, four triples and 12 runs batted in.
Culver, a returning freshman from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recorded a .298 batting average with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 39 games. She finished the regular season with a .596 slugging percentage.
The designated player spot was filled by SDSU's Kelsey Lenox. The junior from Chesterfield, Missouri, batted .350 with a team-high 10 doubles and ranked second on the team with nine home runs and 42 RBIs.
All three of SDSU's starting outfielders received all-league honors, including first-team selections Jocelyn Carrillo and Emma Osmundson. Carrillo, a returning freshman from Palmdale, California, was the team's top hitter in league play and took over the overall team and league lead in batting average on the final weekend of the regular season to check in at .409 entering the postseason. In patrolling center field, Carrillo ranked second in the league with a .764 slugging percentage, tallying eight home runs and 30 RBIs. Her .492 on-base percentage also paced the conference.
Osmundson, a true freshman from Sioux Falls, ranked second on the team and in the league with a .391 batting average, adding five triples, three home runs and 19 RBIs. She posted a .635 slugging percentage in 41 games and also ranked second among Summit League players with a .482 on-base percentage.
Completing the Jackrabbit outfield triumvirate is junior left fielder Peyton Daugherty, who was honored on the second team. The Ankeny, Iowa, product ranked second in the league with 53 hits, 38 runs scored and 17 stolen bases while hitting out of the leadoff spot. She batted .358 in regular season play.
The Summit League Coach of the Year award is the second for Wood, who also earned the honor in 2018.
Wood led SDSU to its first-ever conference title in softball during the 2021 regular season, posting a 38-5 overall record and matching a Summit League record for conference wins with a 21-1 mark in league play. The Jackrabbits won a school-record 16 games during the season and have won 25 of their last 26 games entering postseason competition.
The 2021 Summit League Softball Championship, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare, begins Wednesday in Fargo, North Dakota. The Jackrabbits received a first-round bye and will play at noon Thursday against the winner of Wednesday's play-in game between fourth-seed Kansas City and No. 5 South Dakota. The double-elimination tournament runs through Saturday at Tharaldson Park on the North Dakota State University campus.
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Returning freshman Cylie Halvorson was selected as the Summit League Player of the Year, while the Jackrabbit pitching tandem of Tori Kniesche and Grace Glanzer were honored as Summit League Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively. In addition, Krista Wood was named Summit League Coach of the Year.
Halvorson, a first baseman from Sioux Falls, finished the regular season as the league leader in home runs (16), runs batted in (51), total bases (109) and slugging percentage (.779), while her .357 batting average ranked fifth. Her 16 home runs are tied for the most in a single season by a Jackrabbit with Devan Larsen (2015) and Ali Herdliska (2016, 2019).
Halvorson also has played errorless in the field, handling 248 total chances without a miscue in 43 starts at first base. She is the second Jackrabbit to be named Summit League Player of the Year, joining Brittney Morse in 2018.
Kniesche, a freshman from Wayne, Nebraska, burst onto the scene this season, leading the league in both wins (19) and earned run average (1.50). Entering postseason play, Kniesche has limited the opposition to a .139 batting average and has struck out 158 batters in 107 innings pitched. She has won her last 15 decisions en route to a 19-1 record, and also recorded a save.
Highlighting Kniesche's season thus far were a pair of five-inning no-hitters in the span of a week – April 24 versus South Dakota and April 30 against Creighton. The right-hander is the first Jackrabbit to be honored as Summit League Pitcher of the Year.
Glanzer finished right behind Kniesche in both ERA (1.86) and wins in compiling a 16-3 record through the regular season. A returning freshman from Sioux Falls, Glanzer tied with Kniesche for the league lead with five shutouts, which included a March 5 no-hitter against Oregon State and a pair of one-hitters. Glanzer tossed a team-high 139 innings and turned in league-best 18 complete games, striking out 94 batters and limiting opposing batters to a .188 average.
Herdliska in 2016 is the only other Jackrabbit softball player to be honored as Summit League Freshman of the Year.
The trio of Halvorson, Glanzer and Kniesche were joined on the all-Summit League First Team by five other Jackrabbits. On the infield, catcher Allison Yoder and second baseman Lindsey Culver were both named to the first team in a vote among the league's seven head coaches.
Yoder, a sophomore from Urbandale, Iowa, settled into the starting catching role midway through the season and displayed a consistent bat, hitting .301 with seven doubles, four triples and 12 runs batted in.
Culver, a returning freshman from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recorded a .298 batting average with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 39 games. She finished the regular season with a .596 slugging percentage.
The designated player spot was filled by SDSU's Kelsey Lenox. The junior from Chesterfield, Missouri, batted .350 with a team-high 10 doubles and ranked second on the team with nine home runs and 42 RBIs.
All three of SDSU's starting outfielders received all-league honors, including first-team selections Jocelyn Carrillo and Emma Osmundson. Carrillo, a returning freshman from Palmdale, California, was the team's top hitter in league play and took over the overall team and league lead in batting average on the final weekend of the regular season to check in at .409 entering the postseason. In patrolling center field, Carrillo ranked second in the league with a .764 slugging percentage, tallying eight home runs and 30 RBIs. Her .492 on-base percentage also paced the conference.
Osmundson, a true freshman from Sioux Falls, ranked second on the team and in the league with a .391 batting average, adding five triples, three home runs and 19 RBIs. She posted a .635 slugging percentage in 41 games and also ranked second among Summit League players with a .482 on-base percentage.
Completing the Jackrabbit outfield triumvirate is junior left fielder Peyton Daugherty, who was honored on the second team. The Ankeny, Iowa, product ranked second in the league with 53 hits, 38 runs scored and 17 stolen bases while hitting out of the leadoff spot. She batted .358 in regular season play.
The Summit League Coach of the Year award is the second for Wood, who also earned the honor in 2018.
Wood led SDSU to its first-ever conference title in softball during the 2021 regular season, posting a 38-5 overall record and matching a Summit League record for conference wins with a 21-1 mark in league play. The Jackrabbits won a school-record 16 games during the season and have won 25 of their last 26 games entering postseason competition.
The 2021 Summit League Softball Championship, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare, begins Wednesday in Fargo, North Dakota. The Jackrabbits received a first-round bye and will play at noon Thursday against the winner of Wednesday's play-in game between fourth-seed Kansas City and No. 5 South Dakota. The double-elimination tournament runs through Saturday at Tharaldson Park on the North Dakota State University campus.
-GoJacks.com-
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Players Mentioned
C/OF
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IF
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UT
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P/UT
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IF
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IF
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P
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IF
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C/DP
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OF
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C/IF
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