Witzany, Moenk named to All-Conference teams

OLATHE, Kan. - Jayna Witzany and Makenna Moenk of the Mount Mercy softball team earned All-Conference honors as voted on by Heart of America Athletic Conference coaches before last week's conference tournament. 

For the second consecutive year, Witzany, a grad student from Cottage Grove, Minn., was named Heart Pitcher of the Year as well as first-team all-Heart. In 194-1/3 innings of work, Witzany leads the conference in numerous categories including wins (21), strikeouts (301), saves (6), and complete games (26). Her ERA of 0.94 is a second-best in the league. She helped lead Mount Mercy to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Championship series for the third straight year. On Thursday, April 27, she became just the eighth player in the history of the NAIA to reach 1,000 career strikeouts, currently at 1,050 and counting. Witzany has been an all-conference selection in every year at Mount Mercy, earning honorable mention as a freshman and is a three time first-team selection.

Moenk, a senior from Swisher, Iowa, earned honorable mention all-Heart honors after putting together her best season of her career. Moenk is hitting .316 on the year and leads the team with 55 hits, three triples, 30 runs batted in, and 17 stolen bases. Her four home runs are tied with three other teammates as well. Moenk has also collected 11 doubles and scored 24 runs which are second-most on the team. On the defensive side of things, she has turned six double plays and has a team-high 87 assists.  

2023 Heart Softball Awards: 

Player of the Year: Kelena Oots (Central Methodist)

Pitcher of the Year: Jayna Witzany (Mount Mercy)

Newcomer of the Year: Kerstyn Finch (Baker)

Freshman of the Year: Kira Baker (Baker)

Coach of the Year: Pat Reardon (Central Methodist)

For a complete list of the all-conference and gold glove teams, please click here.