COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) announced their all-conference teams, individual major awards, and gold gloves for the 2023 softball season on Wednesday morning with Courtnie Heller of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team being named as a Second Team All-Conference honoree.
 
Colorado Christian University's Kenzie Middleton and Kali Crandall were named the RMAC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, while Cougars' head coach Larry Hays was tabbed as the RMAC Coach of the Year. Utility player and pitcher Jenna Medhus of Metropolitan State University Denver rounded out the major awards as she earned RMAC Freshman of the Year honors.
 
RMAC individual awards, gold gloves, and all-conference rosters are voted on by the league's 12 head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for themselves or their players. Student-athletes who received one First Team vote, or two Second Team votes, were named Honorable Mention.
 
An All-RMAC Honorable Mention following the 2022 season, Heller makes her way onto the All-RMAC Second Team for the 2023 campaign after posting a strong performance as the Mountain Lion's primary designated player. A starter in each of the team's 51 games, Heller went on to lead the team with her .306 batting average, .462 on base percentage, and .974 OPS while also drawing a team-high 28 walks and striking out just 11 times. Heller's eye in the batter's box proved to be one of the best in the RMAC, as she finished the regular season ranked fourth in the conference for walks and tied for fifth in OBP. She also continued to exhibit her ability to drive in runs from the middle of the order as she ended the year second on the team with 32 RBIs while also adding 37 hits, seven doubles, and six home runs. A native of Thornton, Colo., Heller concludes her career at UCCS with an impressive .300 batting average and .455 on base percentage while totaling 11 doubles, 13 home runs, and 56 RBIs across more than 310 plate appearances.
 
The Mountain Lions closed out the 2023 season with a 14-37 overall record and an 11-31 record in conference games as they finished tenth in the RMAC standings.
 
For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com.
 
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions