The 2021 All-Midwest Conference teams and other major awards for softball were announced on Tuesday and the Foresters were extremely well represented in both areas.
Lake Forest posted an overall record of 25-8 and went 13-3 in league play to finish atop the MWC North Division standings. The other head coaches in the division selected Forester Head Coach Joe Kinsella and his assistants, Laura Fillipp and Anthony Fagan, as the MWC North Coaching Staff of the Year. Kinsella was also an MWC Coach of the Year in 2009, 2010, and 2019.
MWC North Pitcher of the Year honors went to Forester Maddie Webb, who won four of her five starts and posted a 1.52 earned run average in conference play. League opponents batted just .219 against her and struck out 20 times in 32.1 innings. The senior finished her career 17-8 with a 3.21 ERA and ranked fifth in program history in winning percentage. In addition to her exploits in the circle, Webb also hit .516 with four doubles and a triple during conference games.
Carlie Mertz was named MWC North Newcomer of the Year after hitting .543 with four doubles, two triples, two home runs, and a slugging percentage of .848 in MWC play this spring. In those 16 contests she also scored 19 runs, drove in 16, and racked up 25 base hits. The junior transfer also contributed in the circle, posting a 3-1 record and 1.52 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 23 innings against league opponents. Mertz's overall batting average (.487), on-base percentage (.539), and slugging percentage (.775) this season rank among the top five in team history.
Joining Webb and Mertz as All-MWC North selections were senior second baseman/pitcher Shaye Gauthier and junior center fielder Josie Klein. Gauthier is the only one of the Foresters' four honorees to previously appear among the league's best, having earned Second Team All-MWC honors as a freshman and sophomore. She batted .463 with 25 base hits, including seven doubles, and went 4-0 with a 2.59 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 24.1 innings against league foes in 2021. Klein hit .413 with six doubles, two triples, four home runs for a slugging percentage of .891. The junior also scored 17 runs, drove in 15, and stole five bases.
Lake Forest has now had at least four players earn all-conference honors each of the last eight complete seasons.
