PEORIA, Ill. – Six Southeast Missouri players made the 2024 All-Ohio Valley Conference Softball Teams, the league announced during its postseason tournament banquet Tuesday night.
 
Outfielder Paige Halliwill and catcher Marissa Peek earned first-team accolades. Pitcher Paytience Holman, first baseman Aubrie Shore and second baseman Abigail Rickermann claimed second-team laurels. Meanwhile, pitcher Maddie Carney landed a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer Team.
 
A native of Mogadore, Ohio, Halliwill is in her third year as SEMO's starting center fielder. She is a repeat First-Team All-OVC selection who is hitting .328 with 36 runs scored, 45 hits, five doubles, three triples, six home runs and 27 RBI through 48 starts. Halliwill leads the Redhawks in runs, triples, walks (18) and stolen bases (15). Defensively, she has not committed an error.
 
In conference play alone, Halliwill is one of two Redhawks that hit over .400. She registered a .402 batting average with 26 runs, 33 hits, five doubles, three triples, three home runs and 18 RBI in 27 starts. Halliwill was 11-of-12 on the basepaths and garnered OVC Player of the Week honors twice. She ranked third in batting average, tied for first in triples, runs scored and stolen bases, second in slugging percentage (.646) and third in on-base percentage (.469) in league games.
 
Peek, who hails from Wentzville, Missouri, notches All-OVC honors for the first time in her career. She made 28 of her 34 starts behind the plate and leads SEMO in home runs (7), RBI (28) and slugging percentage (.621). Peek stands tied for second on the team with 10 doubles, as well.
 
During the OVC season, Peek led the conference in home runs (7), RBI (27) and slugging percentage (.781), while finishing fourth in total bases (50). Additionally, she was named OVC Player of the Week on Mar. 18.
 
Holman is a right-handed pitcher from Mexico, Missouri and has been with the Redhawks for five years. She, too, takes All-OVC accolades for the first time in her career.
 
Overall, she is 14-9 with a 2.39 ERA in a team-high 29 appearances and 24 starts. Holman pitched eight complete games and four shutouts, while striking out 73 in 132 innings along the way. Her 14 wins are the most in a season during her career.
 
In OVC action, Holman posted a 10-4 record and 1.93 ERA with six complete games and three shutouts. She struck out 42 in 79.2 innings of work and was among the league's top pitchers in wins (3rd), strikeouts (10th), innings (8th), appearances (t7th, 17), games started (17), shutouts (t1st) and complete games (8th). Holman was tabbed OVC Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 18.
 
Another first-time All-OVC pick, Rickermann is having the best year of her career in her final season at SEMO. The second baseman out of Festus, Missouri is the Redhawks top hitter with a .387 batting average. Rickermann scored 24 runs and collected 41 hits, five doubles, nine RBI, 12 walks and is a perfect 11-of-11 on the basepaths.
 
Against league foes, Rickermann rated tied for first with a .418 batting average in 27 contests. She ranked tied for fourth in hits (33), fourth in runs (22), third in stolen bases (11) and second in on-base percentage (.477). 
 
A native of Mahomet, Illinois, Shore is the only player on this year's roster who started all 49 games. After earning OVC Player of the Year honors in 2023, Shore was voted a second-team selection this year.
 
She is SEMO's third-leading hitter with a .338 batting average and leads the Redhawks in hits (49) and doubles (16), and ranks tied for second in RBI (27).
 
Shore hit .383 and ranked among OVC leaders in batting average (6th), hits (t8th, 31) and doubles (t2nd, 9) in conference games.
 
Carney, who hails from St. Louis, is SEMO's representative on the 12-member All-Newcomer Team. 
 
In her first year of college softball, Carney put together a 5-6 record and 3.69 ERA in 28 appearances, 24 of which are in relief. She leads the team with two saves, has one complete game, tossed one shutout and combined on three more. Carney has 29 strikeouts in 74 innings.
 
Against OVC opponents, Carney had the best ERA of any freshmen in the conference. She fashioned a 1.23 ERA with only nine earned runs allowed in 51.1 frames. She also tied for second in saves and ranked fifth with a .220 opposing batting average.
 
The 2024 OVC Specialty Award-Winners include Eastern Illinois' Kendall Grover (Co-Player of the Year), McKenzie Oslanzi (Pitcher of the Year) and Tara Archibald (Coach of the Year), along with SIU Edwardsville's Paige Rocha (Co-Player of the Year) and Southern Indiana's Josie Newman (Pitcher of the Year).
 
Second-seeded SEMO begins postseason play in the eight-team OVC Tournament at 10 a.m., CT Thursday. Opponent is to be determined.
 
2024 All-Ohio Valley Conference Softball Teams
2024 OVC CO-PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kendall Grover, Eastern Illinois
2024 OVC CO-PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Paige Rocha, SIUE
2024 OVC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Josie Newman, Southern Indiana
2024 OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: McKenzie Oslanzi, Eastern Illinois
2024 OVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Tara Archibald, Eastern Illinois
 
FIRST TEAM
P - McKenzie Oslanzi, Eastern Illinois – Fr. - Marseilles, Ill.
P - Josie Newman, Southern Indiana - Jr. - Indianapolis, Ind.
C – Marissa Peek, Southeast Missouri  - Sr., Wentzville, Mo.
IF - Kendall Grover, Eastern Illinois - So., Mooresville, Ind.
IF - Paige Rocha, SIUE - Jr., Platte City, Mo.
IF – Carmen Betts, Tennessee Tech - Sr., Glen Allen, Va.
IF – Rachel Kaufman, Eastern Illinois – Gr., Seymour, Ind.
IF – Lexi Fair, Southern Indiana – Sr., Greenwood, Ind.
OF – Kaci Fuller, UT Martin - Sr. - Huntingdon, Tenn.
OF – Paige Halliwill, Southeast Missouri - Sr., Mogadore, Ohio
OF – Irelynn West, Lindenwood – Jr., Kansas City, Mo.
OF – Jenna Herron, SIUE – Sr., West Frankfort, Ill.
UTIL/DP – Jadin Justman, Eastern Illinois – Sr., Iron Ridge, Wis.

SECOND TEAM
P – Amanda Weyh, Lindenwood – Gr., Mokena, Ill.
P – Paytience Holman, Southeast Missouri – Sr., Mexico, Mo.
C – Sammie Kihega, Southern Indiana – Sr., Greenfield, Ind.
C – Onnika Spencer, Tennessee State – So. - Murfreesboro, Tenn.
IF – Aubrie Shore, Southeast Missouri – Jr., Mahomet, Ill.
IF – Abigail Rickermann, Southeast Missouri – Sr., Festus, Mo.
IF – Katie Drieling, UT Martin – Sr., Jonesboro, Ark.
IF – Nahtali Simpson, Tennessee State – Gr., West Orange, N.J.
IF – Sydney Kirby, Tennessee Tech – Jr., Cypress, Texas
OF – Laila Armstrong, Tennessee State – Sr., Memphis, Tenn.
OF – Malia Robertson, Western Illinois – Fr., Fairview Heights, Ill.
OF – Caroline Stapleton, Southern Indiana – So., Shirley, Ind.
OF – Karson Davey, Eastern Illinois – Fr., Montgomery, Ill.
UTIL/DP – Kiersten Nixon, UT Martin – Gr., O'Fallon, Mo.

ALL-NEWCOMER
McKenzie Oslanzi, Eastern Illinois - P - Fr. - Marseilles, Ill.
Jadin Justman, Eastern Illinois – DP - Sr., Iron Ridge, Wis.
Sydney Kirby, Tennessee Tech – IF - Jr., Cypress, Texas
Anna Henderson, SIUE – C – Jr., Battle Ground, Ind.
Malia Robertson, Western Illinois – OF - Fr., Fairview Heights, Ill.
Emily York, Tennessee Tech – P – Fr., Normal, Ill.
Maddie Carney, Southeast Missouri – P – Fr., St. Louis, Mo.
Payton Wagner, Tennessee Tech – P – Jr., Simi Valley, Calif.
Emma Henderson, SIUE – P – Jr., Battle Ground, Ind.
Karson Davey, Eastern Illinois – OF - Fr., Montgomery, Ill.
Darlene Montoya, Morehead State – OF – Jr., San Bernardino, Calif.
Alli Robinson, UT Martin – IF – Gr., Buckhannon, W. Va.