BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Five SIUE softball players were honored Tuesday by the Ohio Valley Conference in addition to Head Coach Ben Sorden.
Avery Arwood (St. Joseph, Michigan) was named the OVC Freshman of the Year, a member of the All-OVC first team and a member of the All-Newcomer team. Kaylynn Salyars (Muscatine, Iowa) and Piper Montgomery (Arnold, Missouri) also were named first team All-OVC. Emma Henderson (Battle Ground, Indiana) was tabbed second team All-OVC. Kaylin Fahy joined Arwood on the All-Newcomer team.
Sorden was tabbed the OVC Coach of the Year after guiding the Cougars to a 19-6 record in OVC play, marking the most OVC wins for the Cougars since 2015.
SIUE will be the No. 2 seed for the OVC Championships, which begin Wednesday in Peoria, Illinois. SIUE's first game will be 10 a.m. Thursday against an opponent to be determined.
Arwood finished the regular season with an 8-1 record against OVC opponents. She made 12 appearances, eight starts and threw 58 innings in league competition. Two of her three shutouts this season came against OVC opponents.
Salyars boasted a .444 batting average against OVC opponents with three home runs and 19 RBIs. Settling in as the team's starting second baseman, Salyars recorded a .545 on-base percentage and a .694 slugging percentage in league play.
Montgomery earned honors as a utility player, splitting time as a first baseman and a catcher. She batted .355 in OVC play with two home runs and 11 RBIs.
Emma Henderson batted .329 during the OVC season with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in league play. Her 12 home runs overall this season are tied for the most by a Cougar in the Division I era in a single season. Henderson's 44 RBIs overall is a Division I-era best by a Cougar.
Fahy stood out in left field for the Cougars and finished the OVC season with a .314 batting average. Her offensive numbers included 11 RBIs and four stolen bases.
