WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Five Marietta College Pioneers were named to the 2022 All-Ohio Athletic Conference Softball Team announced Monday (May 9) morning by the league office. This was the most Pioneers given this honor in a single season since they placed five on the 2014 team.
In voting by the OAC softball coaches,
Jess Brown (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) was named to the first team.
Emma Burke (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster),
Rachel Kazmirski (Colliers, W.Va./Brooke), and
Anna Swierczewski (Natrona Heights, Pa./Saint Joseph) were all named to the second team and
Kylie Daugherty (Newport, Ohio/Frontier) earned honorable mention recognition.
"I am incredibly proud with each of these student-athletes for being recognized with All-Conference Honors," said Marietta Head Softball Coach
Jenn Castle. "The OAC is deep with talent and for us to have five players recognized is notable."
Brown, a two-time first-team honoree, served mostly as the Pioneers' designated player and tied for the team and OAC lead in home runs with eight. The sophomore also led the team in RBI's (35) and was fourth in batting average (.364).
Burke made an immediate impact for the Pioneers in her freshman campaign. A first-time honoree, Emma slugged 11 doubles and four home runs. She played a majority of the season at first base and posted a .980 fielding percentage.
Kazmirski had a breakout season for Marietta. The Pioneers' left fielder tied for the team and conference leads in home runs with eight. The sophomore also led the team with 50 hits and a .647 slugging percentage on the way to earning her first OAC post season honor.
Swierczewski earned a varsity letter last year after transferring in from Franciscan University. This year, Anna led the team with 14 doubles and had a .318 batting average, leading to her first OAC post season honor. The senior also played flawless defense this season, not committing a single error in 2022.
Daugherty, an honorable mention selection in 2021, earned her third varsity letter as Marietta's starting shortstop. Kylie got the offense rolling all season long. The senior was second on the team with five home runs and third in RBI's (26). Daugherty collected 43 hits for the year, good for second place on the team. She also was second on the team with a .420 on-base percentage from the lead-off spot in the Pioneer batting order.
Marietta finished the season winning seven of eight games for an 18-20 record and finished with an 8-10 record in the competitive Ohio Athletic Conference. The Pioneers return all but four players off this year's roster, including two seniors, Daugherty and
Taylor Watts (Galloway, Ohio/West Jefferson), coming back for a fifth year.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
