KERRVILLE, Texas â€" After posting a perfect 23-0 conference season, 16th-ranked Texas Lutheran University was rewarded with three of the league's four major awards in exclusive 2015 all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) voting by the league's head coaches.
The Bulldogs'
Jennifer Gallagher was selected as the conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year and, for the second consecutive season, teammate
Taylor Grissom was selected the conference's Pitcher-of-the-Year. TLU head coach
Wade Wilson was named the SCAC Coach-of-the-Year â€" also for the second consecutive year.
In addition, Texas Lutheran tied its own conference record with eight First Team All-SCAC selections â€" equaling the eight First Team selections the Bulldogs were awarded last aseason. Trinity University also had eight First Team selections in 2000 and 2001.
Â
In the only major award category not won by Texas Lutheran, Anna Dunn of Centenary College was named SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year.
Â
Gallagher, a junior catcher from Missouri City, Texas, leads the SCAC heading into the conference tournament in both batting average (.436) and runs batted in (42). She is also in the top 10 in the league in six other offensive categories, including on-base percentage (.508 â€" second), slugging percentage (.606 â€" third), hits (41 â€" third), doubles (13 â€" second), walks (16 â€" second) and total bases (57 â€" fifth). Gallagher is the second consecutive Texas Lutheran student-athlete to earn SCAC Player-of-the-Year honors, following teammate
Ashley Jacobsen who earned the award in 2014.
Gallagher received five votes in the SCAC Player-of-the-Year balloting, while senior catcher Caitlynn Dykes of Trinity and senior catcher Taylor Garcia of the University of Dallas received one vote each.
Â
Grissom, a junior right-hander from Spring, Texas, leads the SCAC with a 0.59 ERA, and is a perfect 16-0 record (entering the conference tournament) with a league-leading six shutouts in eight complete games. In 83.1 innings of work, Grissom, a three-time SCAC Player-of-the-Week during the regular season, has struck out 35 batters with only 13 walks while holding opponents to the lowest batting average against in the conference at .167. She is the first player to win back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors since DePauw's Megan Soultz earned the honor three straight years (2008-2010).
Grissom received five votes for SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year, while sophomore right-hander Katie Lee of the University of Dallas received the remaining two votes.
Â
Dunn, a first-year shortstop from Shreveport, La., completed her inaugural season with a .409 batting average â€" which was fourth in the SCAC and tops among all first-year players. She currently leads the conference in home runs (5), total bases (63) and slugging percentage (.677) and is in the top 10 in the league in hits (38 â€" seventh), runs (24 â€" eighth), doubles (8 â€" 10th) and on-base percentage (.462 â€" fourth). Dunn also earned Second Team all-conference honors at shortstop in this year's balloting to become just the fourth player in program history to be selected First or Second Team All-SCAC in the school's three seasons as a member of the conference. Teammate and fellow freshman Morgan Daigle also earned Second Team all-conference honors this year.
Â
In the balloting for SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year, Dunn received four votes while freshman utility player Sydney Christopher of Schreiner University, freshman third baseman Madison Goforth of Dallas and freshman outfielder Sydney Oorlog of Southwestern each received one vote.
In his fourth season at Texas Lutheran, Wilson led the Bulldogs to the SCAC regular season title with a perfect 23-0 conference mark â€" giving the program a dominant 44-1 record in conference competition in two seasons as a member of the SCAC.
After winning the SCAC championship a year ago, this season's squad outscored its conference competition 182-28 while batting .389 and notching a 0.78 ERA.
The Bulldogs recently established a new SCAC record for consecutive conference wins when the team swept Centenary in a four-game set to end the 2015 regular season.
Dating to last season, TLU has won 34 straight conference games â€" breaking the old mark established by DePauw University who won 33 straight in conference from 2007 to 2010.
In his four years at the helm of the Bulldog program and heading into this weekend's conference tournament, Wilson has amassed an 118-42 overall record (.738) and has over 500 career wins counting his seasons as a high school coach. This is the third consecutive conference Coach-of-the-Year honor for Wilson as he was honored as American Southwest Conference West Divison Coach-of-the-Year in 2013 before earning the award the last two seasons in the SCAC.
Wilson garnered five votes from his peers for SCAC Coach-of-the-Year, while Beth Krysiak of the University of Dallas received the remaining two votes.
Â
2015 SCAC Player-of-the-YearJennifer Gallagher      Texas Lutheran Univ.  Junior             Catcher                      Missouri City, TexasÂ
2015 SCAC Pitcher-of-the-YearTaylor Grissom            Texas Lutheran Univ.  Junior            Pitcher            Spring, TexasÂ
2015 SCAC Newcomer-of-the-YearAnna Dunn                Centenary College      Freshman        Shortstop        Shreveport, La.
Â
2015 SCAC Coach-of-the-YearWade Wilson               Texas Lutheran Univ.  33-4 Overall Record (23-0 SCAC) / Top Seed2015 All-SCAC Softball First TeamÂ
CatcherJennifer Gallagher      Texas Lutheran University       Junior             Missouri City, TexasÂ
First BasemanLauren Mercado         Trinity University                     Senior             Houston, Texas
Second BasemanAshley Jacobsen         Texas Lutheran University       Senior             Marion, TexasÂ
ShortstopGrace Estes                Texas Lutheran University       Junior            Willis, TexasThird BasemanHeather Hummel        Texas Lutheran University       Junior            Houston, TexasÂ
OutfieldersSydney Oorlag            Southwestern University          Freshman        San Antonio, Texas
Jacquelyn Brown        Texas Lutheran University       Junior            Vidor, Texas
Megan Armistead       Texas Lutheran University       Junior             Montgomery, TexasMackenzie Hill            Trinity University                    Sophomore     Colleyville, Texas
Lyda Tesauro              University of Dallas                 Sophomore     Hollywood, Fla.
Â
UtilitySydney Christopher     Schreiner University                Freshman        Carlsbad, N.M.
Designated PlayerMarissa Irvin                Southwestern University          Sophomore     Houston, Texas
Â
PitchersTaylor Grissom            Texas Lutheran University       Junior            Spring, TexasKatie Lee                    University of Dallas                 Sophomore     Houston, Texas
Veny Pizana               Texas Lutheran University       Sophomore     Odem, Texas2015 All-SCAC Softball Second Team
CatcherCaitlynn Dykes            Trinity University                     Senior             Port Neches, Texas
Â
First BasemanTaylor Yancey            Texas Lutheran University       Junior            Magnolia, Texas                                  Â
Second BasemanHilary Hoffman            Trinity University                     Sophomore     Bryan, Texas
Â
ShortstopAnna Dunn                 Centenary College                  Freshman        Shreveport, La.
Michele Ramos                      Southwestern University          Junior             Houston, Texas
Third BasemanSabrina Nieto             Trinity University                     Freshman        Queen Creek, Ariz.
Â
OutfieldersStacy Rosengren        Southwestern University          Junior             Round Rock, Texas
Avery Finch                University of Dallas                 Sophomore     Jamul, Calif.
Morgan Daigle            Centenary College                  Freshman        Church Point, La.
Â
UtilityKatie Castillon            Trinity University                     Junior             San Antonio, Texas
Â
Designated PlayerHope Estes                  Texas Lutheran University       Senior             Willis, TexasÂ
PitchersKaci Wellik                 Trinity University                     Junior            Austin, Texas
Victoria Herrera                      Austin College                        Sophomore     Houston, Texas
Â
Honorable Mention
Â
Austin College â€" Delaney England (2B), Hailey Clendennen (DH), Sophia Hernandez (UT), Emily Low (OF), Lauren Mara (OF), Raquel Vera (SS);
Centenary â€" Lizzie Moran (OF), Emily Sexton (OF), Michelle Tasin (2B);
Dallas â€" Erin Begle (SS), Taylor Garcia (C), Madison Goforth (3B), Allison Kotlar (OF), Ashley Pickert (2B);
Schreiner â€" Samantha Cordon (1B), Brianna Rodriguez (OF);
Southwestern â€" Ashleigh Scott (3B);
Texas Lutheran â€" Brayden Pinckard (OF);
Trinity â€" Emily Fleischman (OF), Katie Glomb (P), Brittany Huby