Six Pitt State Softball Players Earn All-MIAA Honors
KANSAS CITY, MO — On Tuesday, the MIAA announced their All-MIAA Selections and six Pitt State Gorillas earned honors.
Heather Arnett (OF), Ava Laurent (P), Hannah Burnett (2B), Maddie Fernandez (1B), Paxtyn Hayes (DP), Gabby Schultz (SS) all earned All-MIAA Honors.
Heather Arnett (OF)– All-MIAA 1st Team & Gold Glove —
Heather Arnett has earned All-MIAA Frist Team honors for Outfielder and has also earned All-MIAA Gold Glove.
The Frontenac alum is hitting .452 on the season with 65 runs scored, 90 hits, seven triples, two home-runs 29 RBI’s and 49 stolen bases.
She leads NCAA Division II in stolen bases, ranks second nationally in hits, tied for fourth in run scored, eighth in triples and 23rd in batting average.
Ava Laurent (P)– All-MIAA 1st Team —
Ava Laurent has been selected as an All-MIAA First Team Selection for pitcher.
Laurent has an 18-1 record in the circle while posting a 1.97 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 1491. innings pitched for the Gorillas.
She has posted seven shutouts, registered 192 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .197 batting average.
Laurent ranks in the top 25 nationally in strikeouts per 7 Innings (17th, 9.0), shutouts (18th) and strikeouts (22nd).
Hannah Burnett (2B)– All-MIAA 1st Team & Gold Glove —
Hannah Burnett has earned herself All-MIAA First Team honors for Second Base as well as earning Gold Glove Honors.
The Independence, Kansas native is hitting .432 on the year with 32 runs scored with 64 runs scored, 73 hits, 5 triples, 5 home-runs, 43 RBI’s and 30 stolen bases.
After transferring from Grand Canyon (Division-I), Burnett ranks 11th nationally in stolen base percentage (.968, 30-31), 17th in runs per game (1.19) and 25th in hits.
Maddie Fernandez (1B)– All-MIAA 1st Team —
Maddie Fernandez has been selected as an All-MIAA First Team First Baseman.
In her first year with the Gorillas, Fernandez is hitting .375 with 29 runs scored, 51 hits, 7 doubles, 11 home-runs and 50 RBI’s.
Transferring in from Angelo State University, she ranks fourth in the MIAA in home runs and fifth in the conference in RBI.
Paxtyn Hayes (DP) — All-MIAA 1st Team —
Paxtyn Hayes has earned All-MIAA First Team honors for Designated Player.
On the year, Hayes is hitting .361 with 27 runs scored, 61 hits, 12 doubles, 11 home-runs and 62 RBI’s.
She leads the MIAA and ranks 14th in Division II in RBI. Hayes becomes a three-time first-team All-MIAA selection with this honor, joining Swartslander, DeCastro, Robertson and Holder as the only Gorillas to so in team history.
She has a .354 career batting average with 40 home runs and a school record 189 RBI.
Gabby Schultz (SS)– All-MIAA Honorable Mention —
Gabby Schultz has been named as an All-MIAA Honorable Mention for Shortstop.
Schultz is batting .313 with 23 runs scored, 36 hits, 7 doubles and 25 RBI’s.
She was the 2023 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year and an NFCA Rawlings Gold Glove winner last year. Schultz also is a three-time All-MIAA selection with a .336 career batting average and a .963 career fielding percentage at shortstop.
