CLEVELAND, OH -- Denison junior Annabelle Calderon (Perris, CA/Orange Vista), DePauw sophomore Alex Romero-Salas (Paranaque City, Philippines/Calvert Academy) and Wooster sophomore Julia Jennings (McCordsville, IN/Cathedral) earned top Player of the Year honors to headline the 2024 All-North Coast Athletic Conference softball team following balloting by the league coaches.
Calderon has been named the 2024 NCAC Player of the Year after having success both at the plate and behind it. The junior collects her second All-NCAC certificate with a first-team selection this season after a second-team nod in 2022. The junior hit .526 (20-for-38) and posted a 1.867 on-base plus slugging percentage with eight doubles, six home runs and one triple against NCAC opponents. In her 38 at-bats in conference action, only five NCAC opponents were able to strike Calderon out during the regular season, as she sported a .604 on-base percentage. The right-side hitter also drew four walks, scored 15 runs, batted in 23 runs and collected 48 total bases in conference action. Behind the plate, she posted 55 putouts and nine assists on 65 total chances, committing just one error against league foes, while catching five runners stealing. Impressively, Calderon was named the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III National Player of the Week twice this season and on May 1, she became Denison's single-season home run leader as she belted the 11th homer of the season against Wittenberg. She tacked on another homer to elevate the record to 12 with a solo shot in the NCAC Tournament. Calderon captured the Big Red's seventh overall Player of the Year award and second-straight honor after Maggie Ballentine claimed the award last season.
Romero-Salas, who is making her first appearance on the All-NCAC first team, collects the Tigers sixth overall Pitcher of the Year award, and first since Cami Henry earned the award in 2022. The sophomore posted a 3-0 record with two saves in conference action this season. Romero-Salas allowed only nine earned runs, while striking out 40 batters in 41.0 innings of work for a 1.54 earned-run-average in conference play. The right-hander made 10 appearances against NCAC opponents including four starts, throwing two complete games, scattering 33 hits and holding NCAC batters to a .228 batting average. The pitcher has also contributed at the plate, hitting .571 (4-for-7) in conference games, with two doubles, four RBI and one scored run.
Jennings, who earns her second-consecutive nod onto the top team, collects the conference’s newest honor this season, the NCAC Gold Glove Award, for her contributions in the field. Playing exclusively at the hot corner, the sophomore posted a league-high 39 assists in conference play to go along with 21 putouts on 63 total chances. The 2023 NCAC Newcomer of the Year turned three double plays and made just three errors for a .952 fielding percentage in NCAC action.
Joining Jennings as repeat selections to the top team from a season ago were DePauw junior infielder Katie Mathies (Shelbyville, IN/Shelbyville), Hiram junior utility player Darian Kanno (Mililani, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) and Denison sophomore utility player Brooke Surbaugh (San Bruno, CA/St. Ignatius). Kanno is the only three-time first-team honoree, while Mathies and Surbaugh collect their second-consecutive top team honors.
Wittenberg senior outfielder Julia Burch (Dublin, OH/Jerome) and Hiram junior infielder Fayth Kawamura (Honolulu, HI/Roosevelt) and senior outfielder Abriana Schwartz (San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills) are the only other All-NCAC repeat honorees that made the top team this season. Along with Calderon, Kawamura was named to the second team in 2022, while Burch and Schwartz each earned a nod to the first team in 2021.
The remaining first-team selections join Romero-Salas as they make their All-NCAC debuts this season: DePauw senior infielder Emily Timberman (Fishers, IN/Cathedral) and first-year pitcher Riley Depa (Mount Prospect, IL/Prospect) and Ohio Wesleyan first-year outfielder Chameron Vanden Eynden (Goshen, OH/Goshen) and junior designated player McKenna Tuttle (Richmond, KY/Model Laboratory School).
In addition to being named to the first team, Depa was selected as the 2024 NCAC Newcomer of the Year after leading the league in several categories on the mound. She is the first-ever Tiger player to earn the honor. This season, Depa made five starts against league opponents, earned the most wins in NCAC play with an 8-1 record and posted a league-low 1.18 earned run average. In her 35.2 conference innings pitched, the rookie rung up 24 batters, the fifth most in the NCAC, gave up the least amount of extra base hits only allowing one double, and had the second lowest opponent batting average at .214.
Finally, Denison’s leadership earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Anchored by head coach Tiffany Ozbun, the Big Red posted an 11-3 league record and earned the No. 2 seed in the 2024 NCAC Softball Tournament. Ozbun is assisted by Adriene Henery and Brian Ledford, along with emotional support/quality control coach Crash. The quartet earns Denison its sixth NCAC coaching honor. Against NCAC opponents, the Big Red ranked in the top three in nine offensive categories. In conference play, Denison topped the league in home runs (10), ranked second in total bases (169), slugging percentage (.459) and walks (33), and ranked third in batting average (.310), runs (76), triples (4), RBI (69), and on-base percentage (.381). The Big Red defense recorded the third lowest errors in the field (18) for the third-best fielding percentage against NCAC opponents (.954). Denison’s pitching unit also topped the league in five different categories in NCAC action, posting the lowest ERA (1.87) and giving up the least amount of earned runs (24), hits (85), triples (0) and home runs (0).