LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fifth-year senior Emme Olson and senior Dayna Kennedy have earned All-Region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as announced by the organization on Thursday.
Illinois State switched from the Great Lakes Region to the Mideast Region in 2009 and have placed at least one student-athlete on an all-region team in 10 of 14 seasons since the switch. [Emme] Olson's sister, Abby Olson, was the first Redbird to receive All-Region First Team honors in 2009 in the Mideast Region when the switch was made. [Abby] Olson earned back-to-back First Team selections (2009-10), and now [Emme] Olson becomes the first Redbird since her sister in to earn back-to-back First Team All-Region honors (2022-23).
Olson, a fifth-year senior from Hartsburg, Ill., has earned First Team All-Region honors for the second consecutive season at second base. Olson continued to tack on to her already prolific career by breaking the program record for career doubles this season while also ending her collegiate career top five in program history in career games played (3rd – 219 G), career at-bats (3rd – 669 AB), career hits (5th – 217 H) and single-season doubles (5th – 16 2B). Prior to this season, Olson was a two-time All-MVC Second Team selection, but she earned her first All-MVC First Team honor at the conclusion of the 2023 season and is now a three-time All-MVC honoree. She was also named the MVC softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Olson started every game this season (52 G) while leading the team in batting average (.345), hits (57), doubles (13), on-base percentage (.440), and RBI (37).
Kennedy, a senior from Decatur, Ill., has earned Second Team All-Region accolades as a catcher for the first time in her career. She played in 47 games this season while recording a career-high 36 hits, 21 runs scored, eight doubles, 33 RBI and a .414 on-base percentage. Kennedy was selected to the All-MVC first team for the second consecutive season as well after batting .373 with seven home runs in conference play. She was also named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team this season.
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