Playoff-bound St Louis Billikens softball with Fifth-year first baseman Sadie Wise All-Conference second team. Wise becomes only the second Billiken, and first during SLU’s 17 years in Saint Louis’ four All-Conference picks match the program record set in 2015 and repeated in 2016 and 2019. the A-10, to earn All-Conference accolades four times. Wendling picked up her first A-10 postseason honor. With senior pitcher, Chloe Wendling also selected to the All-Conference second team, and seven Saint Louis softball student-athletes, led by first-team All-Conference performers Gabbie Kowalik and Kristi Stevenson, earned Atlantic 10 Conference postseason honors, Senior center fielder Kowalik becomes the first player in Billiken softball history to earn first-team All-Conference plaudits three times, while senior third baseman Stevenson collected her first All-Conference award. With something in the water in St Louis because Team SLU Softball also fared well in All-Academic balloting as the Billikens placed three student-athletes on the prestigious 11-member team for the first time ever. Wise becomes the first player in program annals to earn All-Academic laurels three times, while Stevenson and Kowalik are first-time honorees.
Wise’s .340 batting average includes a team-best .407 with runners in scoring position. She also tops the Billiken charts in RBI (30-tied), two-out RBI (16), doubles (13-tied), multiple-RBI games (10) and multiple-hit games (15). Wise also has an outstanding .997 fielding percentage, committing just one error and leading the conference with 368 putouts. In A-10 games, she led SLU in batting average (.416), hits (32), RBI (19) and on-base percentage (.494). Wise ranks among the league’s top 10 in eight categories including a tie for third in doubles and a tie for fifth in RBI.
Kowalik leads the team in numerous categories including batting average (.371), RBI (30-tied), hits (career-high 56), home runs (eight), triples (four), slugging percentage (.642), runs (career-high 41) and stolen bases (career-high 19). She leads the A-10 in OPS (1.079), total bases (97), triples and hit-by-pitch (11), and she ranks among the league’s top five in seven categories and among the top 10 on two other statistical lists. Kowalik also has been strong defensively, recording seven assists in center field. Five of her eight home runs, 17 of her 30 RBI and 13 of her 19 steals were registered in A-10 games.
Stevenson in enjoying a breakout season, posting career highs in batting average (.340), hits (51), doubles (13, tied for the team lead), RBI (15), total bases (72), slugging percentage (.480), walks (21), runs (31), on-base
percentage (team-high .441), stolen bases (10) and assists (team-high 114). In A-10 games, she batted .390 with team bests of 48 total bases, 12 doubles, a .623 slugging percentage and a 1.107 OPS. Stevenson leads the conference in assists, is tied for third in doubles and tied for fifth in runs, and ranks among the top 10 in four additional categories.
Wendling is experiencing her most successful season as a Billiken with career bests in ERA (2.90), wins (15), shutouts (five), strikeouts (120), innings (188.1), complete games (20), starts (30) and appearances (34). She has issued just 2.3 walks per seven innings and allowed only 35 extra-base hits. Wendling notched nine of her victories and a 1.99 ERA in conference play. She leads the A-10 in shutouts, innings and starts and is second in wins, strikeouts and complete games.
Hochman turned in six victories, a 3.55 ERA, 75 strikeouts and 11 complete games in 16 starts during the regular season. She recorded four wins and a 3.25 ERA in conference action, striking out almost six batters per seven innings while completing six of eight starts. Hochman is tied for fourth in complete games and seventh in innings (114.1) in the A-10.
Kaniecki is batting .262 with a home run, 16 RBI, six doubles and a .354 on-base percentage, and she has a .306 batting average with runners in scoring position. In A-10 games, Kaniecki hit .322 with 15 RBI, a .408 on-base percentage and just five strikeouts.
Sullivan had a strong finish to the regular season, batting .308 over the last nine games to boost her overall average to .225 and her A-10 average to .237. Sullivan has a home run, two triples, seven doubles and 10 RBI on the year, and she has made just one error (.985 fielding percentage). She is tied for sixth in triples and tied for 13th in walks (20) in the A-10.
ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis (21-27, 13-10 A-10) is the No. 4 seed for the 2022 Atlantic 10 Conference Softball Championship and will face No. 5 Dayton (19-22, 12-10 A-10) in the tournament’s opening game Wednesday, May 11, at the George Mason Softball Complex in Fairfax, Va. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m. Central.
The winner of the Saint Louis-Dayton game will face regular-season champion, No. 1 seed and defending tournament champion George Washington (33-13, 21-3 A-10) Thursday at 11 a.m. Central. George Washington and No. 2 seed Fordham (27-19, 15-7 A-10) earned first-round byes in the six-team, double-elimination tournament.
Wednesday’s second opening-round game matches No. 3 Saint Joseph’s (22-21, 14-8 A-10) and No. 6 Massachusetts (19-30, 12-12 A-10), with the winner to face Fordham Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Central.
Saint Louis was 7-7 vs. the rest of the tournament field in regular-season play. The Billikens won two of three from Saint Joseph’s and Massachusetts, split two games vs. Fordham, and lost two of three to George Washington and Dayton.
Tournament play continues through Saturday, with the championship game slated for 11 a.m. Central. If a second game is necessary, it will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest. The tournament champion receives the A-10’s automatic NCAA Championship bid.
Live video streaming and live statistics will be provided for all tournament games. #Letsgo
