With six players earning first-team honors, the Butler softball dominated the KJCCC Division I All-Conference team, which was released Tuesday.
Butler had the most first-team selections and the most overall with eight players receiving honors. Grizzly pitcher Sydnee Eck was named Freshman of the Year, while head coach Doug Chance received the Coach of the Year award.
Along with Eck, first baseman Jillian Navarrete, second baseman Aujanae McCoy, third baseman Joselyn Dean and outfielders A'Liyah Rogers and Ashton Atwell were named to the first team. Earning second-team honors were catcher Kate James and shortstop Monica Islava.
Chance, in his 10th season as Butler head coach, won his seventh Coach of the Year award and reached the 400-win plateau this season. He currently has an overall record of 417-123.
Eck, a freshman from Andale, lead Butler offensively in batting average (.419), home runs (13), runs batted in (52), runs (54), hits (52) and slugging percentage (.823). She was dominant on the mound as well, going 27-4 with a 0.95 ERA and striking out 204 batters in just 162 innings.
The Grizzlies had three of the four first-team infield positions, beginning with Navarrete, a sophomore from Carlsbad, N.M., who hit .339 with eight home runs and 36 RBI, along with 26 runs scored and 10 doubles.
McCoy, a Wichita freshman, led the Grizzlies with 34 stolen bases while hitting .376 and scoring 35 runs.
Dean, a sophomore from Olathe, batted .348 with four homers, 26 RBI and led the team in walks (24).
Atwell, a sophomore from Rockwall, Texas, hit .402 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI. Atwell, who earned second-team honors last season, also stole 22 bases and scored 41 runs.
Rogers, a Lawrence freshman, was second on the team in batting average (.409) and stolen bases (31) while scoring 34 runs.
James, who was named freshman of the year and received first-team honors last year, hit .400 and was second on the team in home runs (12), runs batted in (48) and slugging (.792). James, who holds Butler's career mark for home runs (36), also scored 40 runs and had 48 hits.
Islava, a freshman from Nogales, Ariz., hit .402 with eight homers and 28 RBI. She added 16 stolen bases, scored 41 runs and 49 hits.
The Grizzlies (34-7) won their fourth consecutive Jayhawk Conference and Region VI title and are seeking their fourth straight trip to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Butler, ranked seventh in the nation, will host Region XI champion Otero (Colo). in a best-of-three series starting Wednesday at 4 p.m. A third game will be played Thursday at 1 p.m. if necessary. The winner of that series advances to the NJCAA Division I World Series in St. George, Utah.
| KJCCC - DIVISION I | |||
| 2014 SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM | |||
| Coach of the Year - Doug Chance, Butler | |||
| MVP - Becky Allen, Seward County | |||
| Freshman of the Year - Sydnee Eck, Butler | |||
| FIRST TEAM | |||
| Position | Player | College | Year |
| First base | Becky Allen | Seward County | SO |
| First base | Jillian Navarrete | Butler | SO |
| Second base | Aujanae McCoy | Butler | FR |
| Shortstop | Marissa Chavez | Seward County | SO |
| Third base | Danielle Orr | Seward County | FR |
| Third base | Joselyn Dean | Butler | SO |
| Utility | Emilia Davies | Barton | SO |
| Outfield | A'Liyah Rogers | Butler | FR |
| Outfield | Ashton Atwell | Butler | SO |
| Outfield | Brooke Lovas | Garden City | FR |
| Catcher | Danielle Aronoff | Garden City | SO |
| Pitcher | Sydnee Eck | Butler | FR |
| SECOND TEAM | |||
| Position | Player | College | Year |
| Second base | Bailey Hensley | Barton | FR |
| Second base | Felisha Vogelaar | Seward County | SO |
| Shortstop | Monica Islava | Butler | FR |
| Third base | Stephanie Morrison | Barton | FR |
| Utility | Myria Riffel | Colby | FR |
| Outfield | Erica Harper | Barton | FR |
| Outfield | Liberty Nelson | Garden City | FR |
| Outfield | Andrea Sitter | Seward County | SO |
| Outfield | Pokey Ewell | Seward County | FR |
| Catcher | Kate James | Butler | SO |
| Pitcher | Katelyn Craker | Seward County | SO |