MFL MarMac softball players among Upper Iowa all-conference picks
Ashley Shaw
Emme Wikner
Emily Troester
Ayla Gerndt
The Upper Iowa all-conference softball selections include four MFL MarMac players. Ashley Shaw and Emme Wikner were both named to the second team, and Emily Troester and Ayla Gerndt were honorable mention.
Shaw played in all 32 games for the Bulldogs, largely as catcher. Her .433 batting average and .529 on base percentage were second best among MFL MarMac players and fifth highest in the conference. She collected a team-high 39 hits, including 11 doubles, and was also tops on the team with 52 total bases. Shaw drew 12 walks and stole six bases, tying for second among Bulldogs. She scored 13 times and led the team with 18 RBIs.
Defensively, the senior had a .957 fielding percentage and 23 put outs. She had just two errors in 47 total chances.
Wikner was one of only two eighth graders who received all-conference recognition. She was a spark plug in the Bulldog lineup, compiling team highs in average (.476) and on base percentage (.529) over 24 games. Those totals were third and fourth best, respectively, in the UIC. Wikner tallied 30 hits and four walks, drove in nine runs and scored 16 times. She also stole three bases.
As shortstop, Wikner earned a .920 fielding percentage and had the third most assists in the conference, at 59. She committed nine errors in 113 chances and had 45 put outs.
Troester, a junior, was MFL MarMac’s top pitcher. Her 25 appearances, 20 of which were as a starter, were third most among UIC players. She also had the third most innings pitched in the conference, at 123, and tied for fourth with six wins. Troester had a 7.85 ERA and opponents hit .373 against her. She secured 46 strikeouts—sixth most in the UIC. The pitcher fielded her position well too, coming in at a .957 percentage, with only one error in 23 chances.
Offensively, Troester hit .230 and had a .338 on base percentage. Her stat line included 14 hits, 10 walks, four steals, six RBIs and 10 runs scored.
Gerndt played in 31 games—and started 28 of them—her junior season. Her .326 average was fourth best on the team and her .422 on base percentage third best. She racked up 28 hits and walked 15 times, in addition to six stolen bases, 15 runs scored and 17 RBIs.
