Cole, Kurtz Among Eight Eagles to Earn KCAC Softball Honors

Eight headliners in a historic season for Avila softball that helped the Eagles win the KCAC Tournament and return to the NAIA Opening Round for the first time since 2019 all earned postseason distinction from the KCAC in 2023, highlighted by First Team honors for Talley Cole and a Gold Glove selection for Chelsea Kurtz.

Talley Cole began her Avila career splitting time behind the plate as a freshman, but once she took over the catcher position full-time as a sophomore last spring she fully seized that role and evolved into one of the best all-around players at her positions in the region. 

Long known for her defense and control of the game, this season Cole also developed into a consistent offensive option for the Eagles, smashing her previous career best marks in nearly every stat and setting a new personal best slash line across the board.

And all this while still employing her trademark stellar defense behind the plate. The KCAC’s Gold Glove recipient in 2022 (two errors, .989 fielding percentage, 16 caught steals), in 2023 Cole produced nearly the same fielding percentage (.984) despite facing more than 50 more defensive chances than last year, and threw out another 12 runners stealing. She was passed over for the Gold Glove this season, but she still takes home First Team All-KCAC honors as one of the two best catchers in the conference in her final season of college softball – the third-year student from Wichita graduated from Avila a year early with plans on enrolling in graduate school.

Speaking of stellar defense and excellent all-around play, Chelsea Kurtz has now been a fixture in center field for three straight seasons for the Eagles, and this season was one of the best players at any position in the KCAC. After a stellar season atop the order last spring, the junior from Wichita returned to the leadoff spot this season and improved on all of her numbers, setting new personal bests in nearly every category, including all three parts of her slash line (.373/.432/.411).

Kurtz led the Eagles in hits (59) and runs (54), and smashed her own program record by swiping an incredible 72 bases – the most in the NAIA among players with verified stats – and was the winner of the NFCA’s Golden Boot Award as the best base stealer in the NAIA. She also committed just one error in 77 total chances (.987 fielding percentage), best among league outfielders, to earn Gold Glove status from the KCAC. A First Team All-KCAC selection last season and ultimately an NFCA All-American this season, Kurtz was somehow left off the First Team by the conference’s coaches this season, but still finished with Second Team status to earn a postseason selection for the third straight season.

Payton Walter threw only 13.2 innings in her first season in Kansas City and was used almost exclusively as a reliever in her second, but over her final two she blossomed into the ace of head coach Charlie Kennedy’s staff and became one of the better starting pitchers in the KCAC. The senior from Grain Valley went 20-9 with a 2.10 ERA and a 3.8 K/7 ratio over 35 appearances in 169.2 innings this season – all of which were career highs – and she tossed 17 complete games while also recording three saves.

A real contender for First Team status in her final season of softball, Walter finished third in the KCAC in ERA, second in innings pitched, seventh in strikeouts, fourth in complete games, sixth in WHIP (1.23) and tied for first in wins. Avila’s unquestioned ace throughout its postseason run to a conference tournament title, Walter ultimately earned Second Team All-KCAC honors for the second straight season.

Head coach Charlie Kennedy infused his roster with a ton of new talent over the offseason, and the impact of those new players was evident in Avila’s postseason honors readout: three multi-year starters took home the biggest awards, but Avila also had five Honorable Mention All-Conference selections – all of whom were new members of the team in 2023. 

It was apparent early on that Brooke Belflower would be a centerpiece of the Eagles’ offense this season, and she emerged as the team’s most potent power threat, leading the team in doubles (13), home runs (8), slugging (.637) and runs batted in (51), more than 20 more than the next closest player. The junior from Tunnel Hill, Georgia finished fifth in the KCAC in RBI and ninth in slugging, earning Honorable Mention status in her first season in Kansas City. 

Julia Douglass wasn’t a starter immediately this season, but once she took hold of the second base position a few weeks into the campaign she never gave it up, becoming a true threat in the middle part of the Eagles’ order. Douglass hit a flat .300 on the season and finished third on the team in at-bats (140), doubles (9) and RBI (64). The junior from Huntington Beach, California earns Honorable Mention All-Conference honors in her first season in Kansas City.

A true utility player, Ka’Zem Wood saw time across the outfield and even behind the plate before ultimately settling in as the Eagles’ everyday left fielder, hitting second in the order, later on in the campaign. A lineup regular regardless of position, Wood finished second on the team in runs (36) and led the team with five triples – she was the only Eagle to hit at least three doubles, triples and homers this season. The junior from Palestine, Texas earns Honorable Mention All-Conference honors for the first time.

Avila’s other former Trinidad State Trojan, Chaunelle Penn ultimately became the Eagles’ No. 2 pitching option behind Walter this season, finishing second on the team in appearances (26), innings (93.0) and ERA (2.94), while leading regular pitchers with a 5.65 K/7 clip. Penn also finished atop the conference with five saves, and allowed just two home runs in nearly 100 innings pitched. The junior from Farmington, New Mexico figures to be a featured member of the staff next year after earning Honorable Mention All-Conference honors for the first time.

Avila’s only first-year player to pick up a postseason honor, Stephanie Hayes was one of the KCAC’s top freshman bats this season – and one of the best first-year players in the region, as evidenced by her inclusion to the list of finalists for the NFCA’s Freshman of the Year Award. Hayes was Avila’s primary designated player while also seeing time at both first and third base, and ultimately paced the team with a .388 batting average including 13 doubles, tied with Belflower for the team lead. The freshman from Homer Glen, Illinois earned Honorable Mention All-KCAC honors in her first season in Kansas City.

Bethany’s two-way standout Lilliana Martinez was named the KCAC Player of the Year; Friends starter Laila Spracklen was named Pitcher of the Year; Ottawa starter Ashlynn Mercer was named Newcomer of the Year; and Oklahoma Wesleyan’s Reagan Rector was named Freshman of the Year – an award not all sports have. The full 2023 KCAC Softball All-Conference Team can be found below, and on the league website.

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