By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Historic seasons for Western Washington’s Maleah Andrews and Saint Martin’s Heather Ebner led to them being voted the 2025 Great Northwest Athletic Conference co-Players of the Year as the all-conference team was announced on Wednesday.
 

Andrews currently leads the GNAC and ranks second in Division II softball with a .500 batting average, the second-highest single-season mark in GNAC history. Entering the upcoming GNAC Championships tournament, Andrews leads the GNAC in on-base percentage (.596), runs scored (54), hits (73), doubles (18) and walks (35), ranks fourth in slugging (.726) and eighth in RBIs (38). She has committed just four errors in 127 total chances at third base, holding a .969 fielding percentage. Andrews is the fifth player in WWU history to garner the league’s top award, joining Liza Teichler (2007), Alexie Levin (2014), Emily Benson (2019) and current teammate Hailey Rath (2024).
 
Ebner leads the conference and ranks fifth nationally with 65 RBIs and is two RBIs away from breaking the GNAC single-season record of 66 set by Northwest Nazarene’s Maia McNicoll in 2022. She ranks second in the GNAC in on-base percentage (.526), doubles (15) and hits (64), third in home runs (11) and slugging (.772),

fourth in walks (25) and sixth in runs scored (39). Playing primarily as a first baseman, Ebner posted a .972 fielding percentage in 248 total chances during the regular season. Ebner is the third Saint to earn GNAC Player of the Year honors, joining Lacey McGladrey (2013) and Sam Munger (2015).
 

WWU’s Kaiana Kong was voted by the league’s coaches as the GNAC Pitcher of the Year, after posting a league-leading 1.31 ERA across 90 2/3 innings pitched during the regular season. Kong is the sixth Viking to earn the conference’s top pitching honor, joining Amanda Grant (2002 & 2003), Jackie Quint (2007), Erika Quint (2011), Anna Kasner (2017) and Mareena Ramirez (2023).
 
GNAC Freshman of the Year honors went to Northwest Nazarene pitcher Miah Lusk, who was a regular starter during a standout debut collegiate campaign. Lusk led the GNAC with 111 strikeouts, ranked seventh with a 3.36 ERA and second with 123

innings pitched. She is the fifth player in NNU history to win the award, joining Kylie Orr (2016), Brittany Genuardi (2017), Jordan Adams (2018) and Charlotte Forniss (2022).
 
In her first season competing for Montana State Billings, Wynter Hurst was selected by the coaches as the GNAC Newcomer of the Year. Starting 40 games for the playoff-bound Yellowjackets, the transfer from Missouri Western State batted .328 with 22 RBIs and an OPS of .904 during the regular season. She is the fourth player in school history to claim the honor, after Whitney Whittemore (2009), Meg Harasymczuk (2011) and Maycen O’Neal (2022).
 
WWU head coach Sheryl Gilmore and SFU head coach Stacy Fournier shared the GNAC Coach of the Year honor, after each leading their teams to successful regular seasons. Gilmore delivered WWU’s second GNAC regular-season title and its first since the 2007 campaign as the No. 10 Vikings went 37-10 overall and dominated GNAC play at 21-3 in league games. Gilmore claimed the top coach honor for the second straight season and became the first Viking skipper with multiple GNAC Coach of the Year awards. Fournier is the first-ever Red Leaf to claim the league’s top coaching honor, after piloting her team to a third-place finish in the GNAC standings at 22-23 overall and 13-11 in conference play. Behind Fournier’s leadership, SFU earned just its third-ever GNAC Championships tournament berth and its first since the 2018 season.
 

2025 GNAC Softball Special Awards
Co-Player of the Year	Maleah Andrews, Western Washington
Co-Player of the Year	Heather Ebner, Saint Martin's
Pitcher of the Year	Kaiana Kong, Western Washington
Newcomer of the Year	Wynter Hurst, Montana State Billings
Freshman of the Year	Miah Lusk, Northwest Nazarene
Co-Coach of the Year	Sheryl Gilmore, Western Washington
Co-Coach of the Year	Stacy Fournier, Simon Fraser

 

First-Team All-Conference
Name	School	Position	Height	Year	Hometown (Previous School)
#* Kaiana Kong	Western Washington	P	5-7	SO	Ewa Beach, HI (Campbell)
@* Joie Baker	Western Washington	P	5-5	SR	Mililani, HI (Mililani)
#&+* Chloe Leverington	Saint Martin's	P	6-0	SR	Forks, WA (Forks)
# Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez	Western Washington	C	6-0	SR	Kahlotus, WA (BYU)
$* Heather Ebner	Saint Martin's	1B	5-11	SO	Keizer, OR (McNary)
Kristen Davyduke	Simon Fraser	1B	5-6	SR	Saskatoon, SK (Tommy Douglas)
$>* Emma Mulligan	Northwest Nazarene	2B	5-3	SR	Reedley, CA (Reedley)
$* Maleah Andrews	Western Washington	3B	5-3	SO	Shoreline, WA (Bothell)
$^* Hailey Rath	Western Washington	SS	5-8	JR	Eatonville, WA (Eatonville)
* Bryn Lucht	Montana State Billings	OF	5-3	SO	Wauconda, IL (Wauconda)
Marleigh Nieto	Montana State Billings	OF	5-7	JR	Billings, MT (Billings West)
$^ Abby McGlynn	Simon Fraser	OF	5-8	SR	Langley, BC (Walnut Grove)
+ Charlotte Forniss	Northwest Nazarene	UTL	5-8	SR	Paso Robles, CA (Templeton)
Cassidy Affeldt	Simon Fraser	DP	5-7	JR	Mission, BC (Thomas Haney)
* - Unanimous Selection | $ - 2024 First-Team All-GNAC | # - 2024 Second-Team All-GNAC | @ - 2024 Honorable Mention All-GNAC ^ - 2023 First-Team All-GNAC | ! – 2023 Second-Team All-GNAC | & - 2023 Honorable Mention All-GNAC + - 2022 First-Team All-GNAC | > - 2021 Honorable Mention All-GNAC

 

Second-Team All-Conference
Name	School	Position	Height	Year	Hometown (Previous School)
Monica Bourque	Simon Fraser	P	5-9	SO	Quisparmsis, NB (Centre Scolaire Samuel-de-Champlain)
@ Alli Kimball	Western Washington	P	5-5	SO	Gig Harbor, WA (Peninsula)
Miah Lusk	Northwest Nazarene	P	5-7	FR	Pocatello, ID (Pocatello)
Kellcie Adams	Northwest Nazarene	C	5-6	SR	Bakersfield, CA (Frontier)
Mia Flores	Central Washington	1B	5-7	JR	Rio Rancho, NM (Trinidad State)
! Kanilehua Pitoy	Western Washington	2B	5-5	SR	Honolulu, HI (Roosevelt)
Keana Bell	Northwest Nazarene	3B	5-7	SO	Las Vegas, NV (Centennial)
& Shelby Lawson	Saint Martin's	SS	5-7	JR	Des Moines, WA (Kennedy Catholic)
#! Clarissa Moreno	Northwest Nazarene	SS	5-6	SR	Selma, CA (Boise State)
Karsyn Decker	Central Washington	OF	5-3	SR	Anchorage, AK (South Anchorage)
# Victoria Zimmerman	Western Oregon	OF	5-0	JR	Ellensburg, WA (Ellensburg)
Erin Murphy	Simon Fraser	OF	5-6	SR	Surrey, BC (Mary)
Wynter Hurst	Montana State Billings	OF	5-8	SO	St. Joseph, MO (Missouri Western State)
$ Ashley Goodale	Saint Martin's	UTL	5-3	SO	Beaverton, OR (Mountainside)
* - Unanimous Selection | $ - 2024 First-Team All-GNAC | # - 2024 Second-Team All-GNAC | @ - 2024 Honorable Mention All-GNAC ^ - 2023 First-Team All-GNAC | ! – 2023 Second-Team All-GNAC | & - 2023 Honorable Mention All-GNAC + - 2022 First-Team All-GNAC | > - 2021 Honorable Mention All-GNAC

 

Honorable Mention All-Conference
Name	School	Position	Height	Year	Hometown (Previous School)
Gabi Casco	Central Washington	2B	5-4	FR	Rio Rancho, NM (St. Pius X)
Jessica Reitz-Eaton	Central Washington	SS	5-7	FR	Bonney Lake, WA (Bonney Lake)
Kennedy Dypwick	Montana State Billings	SS	5-7	FR	Missoula, MT (Sentinel)
Kaylin Galvin	Montana State Billings	C	5-2	SR	Reno, NV (Feather River Coll.)
Jazlyn Kalehuawehe	Montana State Billings	1B	5-7	SR	Folsom, CA (Folsom)
Emily Watters	Montana State Billings	P	5-7	SO	Anamosa, IA (Missouri Western State)
Ava Clark	Northwest Nazarene	OF	5-4	SO	Woodinville, WA (Woodinville)
Amanda Peterson	Saint Martin's	P	5-7	SO	Beaverton, OR (Southridge)
! Kekai Schultz	Saint Martin's	C	5-4	SR	Ridgefield, WA (Ridgefield)
Rae Bates	Simon Fraser	3B	5-6	FR	Chilliwack, BC (Sardis)
Lauren Lugtigheid	Simon Fraser	OF	5-7	FR	Langley, BC (Langley Christian)
Aaliyah Gaboriault	Western Oregon	UTL	5-1	SO	Eugene, OR (Harrisburg)
$ Kate Ronning	Western Oregon	2B	5-6	SR	Keizer, OR (McNary)
! Olivia Matlock	Western Washington	1B	5-9	JR	Menlo, WA (Saint Martin's)
* - Unanimous Selection | $ - 2024 First-Team All-GNAC | # - 2024 Second-Team All-GNAC | @ - 2024 Honorable Mention All-GNAC ^ - 2023 First-Team All-GNAC | ! – 2023 Second-Team All-GNAC | & - 2023 Honorable Mention All-GNAC + - 2022 First-Team All-GNAC | > - 2021 Honorable Mention All-GNAC

Representing the GNAC-champion Vikings on the first team along with Andrews and Kong were pitcher Joie Baker, catcher Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez and shortstop Rath. Baker was equally as dominant in the circle as Kong was, ranking second in the GNAC with a 1.89 ERA, first in opponents’ batting average at .205, third in strikeouts with 87 and third in wins with 13. Andrewjeski-Ramirez hit .357 with six home runs and 47 RBIs, while starting 43 games and striking out just eight times across 151 plate appearances. Rath, the 2024 GNAC Player of the Year, earned her third straight first-team honor after hitting .352 with 13 doubles, five home runs and 36 RBIs and starting all 47 games for the Vikings during the regular season. Pitcher Alli Kimball (2.04 ERA, 14 wins) and second baseman Kanilehua Pitoy (.370/.405/.500) each garnered second-team all-conference for WWU.
 
Ebner was joined on the first team by teammate Chloe Leverington, who had a stellar season in the circle. The senior led the GNAC with 17 wins while ranking third in innings pitched (116 2/3), seventh in strikeouts (69) and eighth in earned run average (3.54). Leverington was the lone player on this year’s all-conference team to earn the honor for the fourth time, after being first team in 2022, honorable mention in 2023 and second team in 2024. Saints shortstop Shelby Lawson (.431/.512/.590) and utility player Ashley Goodale (.374, 16 SB) represented their squad with second-team honors. The Saints went 31-12 overall and finished second in the GNAC with a conference record of 16-7.
 
The third-place Red Leafs had three players selected to the all-conference first-team, in first baseman Kristen Davyduke, outfielder Abby McGlynn and designated player Cassidy Affeldt. Davyduke led the GNAC in slugging at .788 during the regular season, ranking second in home runs with 13 and fifth in RBIs with 43. McGlynn’s .391 batting average was fifth-highest in the conference, as she earned first-team honors for the third consecutive season. Affeldt was right behind at seventh in league in hitting (.387) and sixth in RBIs (41) while posting an OPS of 1.148. SFU ace Monica Bourque, who was second in the GNAC with 95 strikeouts, and outfielder Erin Murphy, whose 43 stolen bases are second-most in GNAC single-season history, were each named to the second team.
 
A pair of Yellowjacket outfielders garnered first-team all-conference recognition, as they helped their team to its first GNAC Championships berth since the 2015 campaign. Junior Marleigh Nieto and sophomore Bryn Lucht each earned their first all-conference accolades, after posting slash lines of .391/.424/.531 and .350/.457/.786, respectively. Lucht led the GNAC with 14 home runs during the regular season, with her slugging percentage of .786 ranking second in the conference. Hurst was the Yellowjackets’ second-team all-league honoree. MSUB picked up the No. 4 seed into the conference tournament, after going 16-26 overall and 11-11 in conference play.
 
Northwest Nazarene senior second baseman Emma Mulligan earned her third all-conference award and senior utility player Forniss earned her second first-team nod. Mulligan hit .314 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs and ranked fourth in the conference with 15 stolen bases. She finished her four-year career No. 6 in GNAC history with 73 steals. Forniss hit .315 with seven homers and 45 RBIs and contributed the fifth-lowest ERA in the conference at 2.38 with 56 innings pitched in 2025. Freshman of the Year Lusk led a group of four Nighthawks on the second team, with catcher Kellcie Adams, third baseman Keana Bell and shortstop Clarissa Moreno each appearing on that list as well. Moreno picked up her third all-conference award after being a second-team selection in both 2023 and 2024. NNU went 23-23 overall and placed fifth in the GNAC with a conference record of 11-13.
 
Making it two consecutive seasons with all-conference recognition was Western Oregon outfielder Victoria Zimmerman, who was voted to the second team. The Wolves junior hit .326 with 30 runs scored and 13 stolen bases and started all 50 games. It was her second year in a row appearing on the second team. WOU went 13-37 overall and finished sixth in the GNAC standings at 6-17 in league play.
 
Central Washington was represented by second team selections Mia Flores and Karsyn Decker. Flores, a first baseman, hit .289 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in her debut season with the Wildcats. Decker, a senior outfielder, earned her first-career all-conference nod after hitting .341, starting all 38 games and going a perfect 13-for-13 in stolen bases. CWU finished seventh in the GNAC at 6-32 overall and 4-20 in league play.
 
The 2025 GNAC Softball Championships kick off on Thursday afternoon at Halle Field in Nampa, Idaho. The winner of the conference tournament earns the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships. Full tournament information and coverage can be found online here.