TU Softball Collects Seven All-Crossroads League Honors

Crossroads League Release | TU Honors Page

AVON, Ohio – The Taylor softball team had six players earn a total of seven All-Crossroads League awards, the league office announced on Tuesday.

Six Taylor softball team members collected a total of seven All-Crossroads League awards, as announced by the league office on Tuesday. The Trojans led the league with four representatives on the 11-member Gold Glove Team, while their four honorees on the All-League Team trailed only regular-season champion Marian's five.

Seniors Davis Carter and Cassie Kuizin, along with junior Courtney Moriarty, earned spots on the All-Crossroads League Team, while freshman Lauren Kanai was named Honorable Mention All-Crossroads League. Kuizin was also voted to the Gold Glove Team for a second-consecutive year and was joined by junior Hannah Castor and freshman Kara Tucker.

Carter earned her second-career All-Crossroads League Team nod, after leading Taylor in batting average (.430), hits (64), runs batted in (46) and on-base percentage (.463) in 2018. The senior catcher etched herself into the TU record books this season, as her career-best .430 batting average is the fifth-best in a season in TU history, while her 46 RBI are the seventh-most in a single-season in the program's history. As a four-year starter, the Greenwood, Indiana native also made her mark in the TU record book, finishing her career inside the top-five in career home runs (33), hits (230), runs (110), doubles (44), RBI (172), total bases (373), slugging percentage (.621) and batting average (.383) in team history.

Kuizin was voted to the All-Crossroads League Team for the first time in her TU career, while her Gold Glove Team honor at shortstop was her second in her two years at Taylor. The Springfield, Illinois native led the Trojans in runs (52), home runs (11), total bases (107), slugging percentage (.699), stolen bases (11) and assists (104), while tying for the team-lead with 15 doubles and three triples. The senior shortstop joined fellow senior Carter in the TU record book, as her 52 runs and 11 home runs each rank as the second-most in a season in team history. Kuizin highlighted the year by hitting for the natural cycle against Spring Arbor on March 28, which earned Kuizin the first NAIA Player of the Week award for TU in head coach Brad Bowser's eight-year tenure.

Moriarty notched her second-straight All-Crossroads League selection by her performance both at the plate and inside the circle, as the junior's 2.32 earned-run average was second-best on the team and her .349 batting average rated third for the Purple and Gold. Moriarty also matched the program's single-season mark for saves in a season (3), while recording seven wins, two complete games and her fifth-career shutout in 69.1 innings of work on the rubber for TU. At the dish, the Greenwood, Indiana native was second on the team in hits (58), tied for the lead in doubles (15) and triples (3), while blasting five home runs and driving in 31 runs for the Trojans.

Kanai garnered Honorable Mention All-Crossroads League honors, after a stellar freshman campaign for TU. The Grand Rapids, Michigan native's 15 wins inside the circle paced the Trojans and was the third-most in a single season in team history, while her 106.0 innings, 66 strikeouts and seven complete games also were tops on the team. Kanai also performed well at the plate in her first season wearing the purple and gold, posting a .314 batting average, with 18 runs, seven doubles, seven home runs, 30 RBI.

Castor was named to the Gold Glove Team as an outfielder for the first time in her career, following her All-Crossroads League selection a year ago. The junior right-fielder posted a .980 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 51 chances, while batting .301 at the plate, with 32 runs, seven doubles, five home runs and 34 runs batted in for the Purple and Gold.

Tucker earned a spot on the Gold Glove Team at second base in her first season with the Trojans, as the freshman was second on the team in assists (83), while owning a .977 fielding percentage. The Yorktown, Indiana native also collected 35 hits on the season offensively, with 23 runs scored, seven doubles and 17 RBI.