Weber State softball: Amicone, Henderson headline Big Sky All-Conference awards
ROBERT CASEY, Weber State Athletics
Weber State's Arissa Henderson, left, high-fives head coach Mary Kay Amicone after hitting a home run against Sacramento State on Saturday, April 30, 2022, at Wildcat Softball Field in Ogden.Weber State softball head coach Mary Kay Amicone was voted Big Sky Conference coach of the year, the league revealed Tuesday as part of its All-Conference awards for the 2022 softball season.
It’s the third straight season Amicone has won the award and her fourth overall; it was voted unanimously by the league’s other head coaches this season. Weber State is 42-6 in Big Sky regular-season play over the last three seasons.
Weber State set a new program record for longest winning streak earlier this year with a 12-game unbeaten run. The Wildcats are 35-10 overall and went 13-1 in the Big Sky, claiming their sixth consecutive regular-season championship.
WSU senior pitcher and hitter Arissa Henderson was named the league’s newcomer of the year, as well as First Team honors as a pitcher/utility player.
As a pitcher, Henderson led the Big Sky with a 2.04 ERA and a 14-1 record. At the plate, she was third in the conference in slugging (.694), fourth in on-base percentage (.461), and hit eight home runs. Henderson averaged one home run every nine at-bats.
Despite those marks, and leading a team with five less conference losses than the team in second place, Henderson was not named as the league’s pitcher of the year or player of the year.
Sacramento State’s Marissa Bertuccio (1.68 ERA in league games) was named pitcher of the year. Shortstop Maygen McGrath (second-best average of .386, league bests in slugging a .743 with 15 home runs) was named Montana’s first-ever player of the year.
Joining Henderson on the all-conference First Team: second baseman Faith Hoe, outfielder Chloe Camarero, and non-pitcher utility player Mika Chong.
On the Second Team: catcher Lauren Hoe, first baseman McKell McCuiston, outfielder KC Whiting and pitcher Mariah Ramirez.
Shortstop Makayla Donahoo, third baseman Emily Ruhl and outfielder Mia Rushton were named honorable mentions, thus accounting for all of WSU’s most regular players in all-conference voting.
The No. 1 Wildcats open Big Sky tournament play at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on their home field against the winner of No. 4 Northern Colorado and No. 5 Idaho State, who open the tournament at 9:30 a.m.