CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced Thursday afternoon the regular season award winners for the 2021 season.  Along with the All-MAC First and Second teams, the conference office also announced the All-Defensive team and individual awards as voted on by the 11 head coaches of the MAC. 

In what continues to be a record-breaking season, the Miami University softball team captured three specialty awards as senior Courtney Vierstra was named MAC Pitcher of the Year, Karli Spaid was tabbed MAC Freshman Player of the Year, and Kirin Kumar was selected as MAC Coach of the Year.

Nine RedHawks were also named to All-MAC Teams. Joining Vierstra and Spaid on the All-MAC First Team were junior Allie Cummins and freshman Holly Blaska. On the All-MAC Second Team were junior Riley Coyne, junior Brianna Pratt, senior Mackenzie Moore, and junior Adriana Barlow. Named to the MAC All-Defensive Team were Blaska and senior Morgan Lott.

It is the first time Miami Softball has had three specialty award winners in the same year and boasted its most All-MAC selections in program history.

Vierstra has pitched three perfect games this season en route to a 26-3 record in the circle. She has amassed 13 shutouts, which ties for first among national leaders while ranking among the Top 25 in six statistical categories this season. Her 26 wins in the circle rank third. She was named MAC Pitcher of the Week seven times and was the NCFC/Louisville Slugger Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 13. Vierstra is Miami's first MAC Pitcher of the Year honoree since Jessica Simpson took home the award in back-to-back seasons in 2011 and 2012.

Spaid has had a breakout freshman campaign. She ranks among the Top 25 nationally in five categories and currently owns Miami records for home runs and runs and leads the MAC in slugging percentage. Spaid was named MAC Player of the Week three times and was the NFCA/Louisville Slugger Player of the Week on March 30. She is a Top 15 Finalist for the NFCA/Schutt Sports Division I Freshman of the Year. Spaid is Miami's first MAC Freshman of the Year since Meghan Mawn earned the honor in 2008.

In her first year as head coach, Kumar has made an immediate impact on the program. She led the RedHawks to their second-straight MAC regular-season title, fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, and shattered Miami and MAC records along the way to a 46-8 overall record and blistering 32-2 MAC mark. Kumar owns more wins than any active first-year softball head coach. She brings home Coach of the Year honors for just the second time in program history and gives Miami back-to-back Coach of the Year awards, with Clarisa Crowell earning the honor in 2019.

Toledo Senior third baseman Dayna Denner was honored for her outstanding 2021 season on Thursday afternoon by being named Mid-American Conference Player of the Year. Denner started all 53 games for the Rockets and ranked second in the MAC with a .550 on-base percentage (17^th nationally), .841 slugging percentage (18^th nationally), 20 doubles (T-3^rd nationally) and 37 walks, third with a .421 batting average, and fourth with 13 home runs. In league play, Denner led the way with a .597 on-base percentage and 16 doubles, while ranking second with a .459 batting average and third with a .898 slugging percentage.

Bowling Green's Payton Gottshall, who was a native of Massillon, Ohio (Perry), had one of the finest seasons in the circle in BGSU softball history. Despite missing nearly a month of the season due to injury, she had a 20-12 record and a 1.87 earned-run average. Gottshall shattered the school records for strikeouts (282) and strikeouts per seven innings (9.79) and allowed opponents to hit just .185 against her.

Gottshall had two no-hitters this season, including a perfect game, and her 14 games with double-digit strikeout totals include a school-record 20 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout. She is just the fourth pitcher in school history, and the first since 1995, to win 20 games in a season. Gottshall had eight shutouts among her 25 complete games (in 29 starts) and added her name to no fewer than eight BGSU single-season records lists. And, Gottshall – again, just a redshirt freshman – already has added her name to seven BGSU career lists.

All-MAC First Team
Stacy Payton, Catcher, Ball State*
Haley Dominique, Outfield, Ball State*
Faith Hensley, Outfield, Ball State 
Payton Gottshall, Pitcher, Bowling Green
Madi McCoy, Shortstop, Bowling Green 
Anna Aguon, Outfield, Buffalo 
Alexis Lucyshyn, Util-P, Buffalo 
Holly Blaska, First Base, Miami 
Courtney Vierstra, Pitcher, Miami 
Karli Spaid, Second Base, Miami 
Allie Cummins, Util-F, Miami 
Katie Keller, Catcher, Northern Illinois
Katie Yun, Shortstop, Ohio*  
Dayna Denner, Third Base, Toledo 
Mackenzie Swinehart, Outfield, Western Michigan 
 
All-MAC Second Team 
Kayla Lissy, Shortstop, Ball State
Deborah Jones, Pitcher, Ball State
Alexis Matheney, Outfield, Buffalo 
Abbey Tolmie, Outfield, Central Michigan* 
Megan Turner, First Base, Kent State
Brooklyn Whitt, Outfield, Kent State
Jessica LeBeau, Pitcher, Kent State
Kennadie Goth, Outfield, Kent State
Kaitlyn Miller, Util-F, Kent State
Riley Coyne, Catcher, Miami
Brianna Pratt, Pitcher, Miami 
Mackenzie Moore, Third Base, Miami 
Adriana Barlow, Shortstop, Miami* 
Mikenzie Vaughn, Second Base, Ohio
Allie Englant, Outfield, Ohio*
Sydney Stefanick, Util-P, Western Michigan

*At Large Selections

All-Defensive Team
Kennedy Wynn, Ball State
Greta L'Esperance, Bowling Green
Emily Bracamonte, Central Michigan 
Carlee Selle, Kent State
Morgan Lott, Miami 
Holly Blaska, Miami 
Katie Keller, NIU 
Caroline Spacek, Ohio 
Leah Munson, Toledo
 
Coach of the Year
Kirin Kumar, Miami 
 
Freshman Pitcher of the Year
Payton Gottshall, Bowling Green 

Freshman Player of the Year
Karli Spaid, Miami 
 
Nan Harvey Award
Katie Keller, NIU
 
Pitcher of the Year
Courtney Vierstra, Miami 
 
Player of the Year
Dayna Denner, Toledo