ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Drake softball team had four of its student-athletes named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete teams, the league announced on Thursday morning.
Molly Hoekstra and
Carey Koenig garnered First Team selections, while
Emma Dighton and
Heidi Wheeler were selected to the Second Team.
Hoekstra was one of the main arms for the Bulldogs pitching staff and led the team in innings pitched this season with a total of 99.1. The senior made 28 appearances in her 2025 campaign with 14 starts, which were tied for the most on Drake. Tossing four complete games, Hoekstra ended the season with a record of 4-10 and a 4.02 ERA to go along with a team-leading 52 strikeouts.
Koenig was a versatile player for the Bulldogs suiting up for multiple positions during her senior season. Appearing in every game mainly at third base or behind the plate at catcher, the Iowa City native tallied a batting average of .229 totaling 36 hits in 2025. Koenig also tallied four home runs, five doubles, and a career-best two triples to produce a slugging percentage of .365 and 13 RBI.
Coming off selections to the All-MVC First Team and All-Defensive Team, Dighton adds another honor to her impressive resume. The Boone, Iowa native proved to be one of the best hitters in the league starting in every game and hitting at a clip of .350, which ranked 13th in the league. Dighton's 11 home runs this season were tied for the sixth most in the MVC and rank as the third most in a single season in program history. She also led the Bulldogs in a multitude of other hitting categories including hits (55), triples (4), RBI (37), and slugging (.669).
Wheeler closes out her career in the Blue and White with her best statistical season over her four seasons in Des Moines. The local product from Waukee, Iowa post a batting average of .257 racking up 26 hits over 46 games played. The outfielder drove in nine RBI to go along with four doubles, one triple, and hit her first career home run against Valparaiso on April 26. In the field, Wheeler was nearly flawless with only one error against her in 49 total chances for a fielding percentage of .980.
The entire Scholar-Athlete teams and selections are detailed below.
Scholar-Athlete of the Year - Maya Johnson, Belmont
2025 MVC Softball Scholar-Athlete First Team
Emma Austin, Southern Illinois
Abbot Badgley, Bradley
Delainey Bryant, Illinois State
Baie Ensio, Belmont
Molly Hoekstra, Drake
Maya Johnson, Belmont
Carey Koenig, Drake
Erin Lackey, Murray State
Kate Lappe, UNI
Jackie Lis, Southern Illinois
Addison Masching, Illinois State
Addison McElrath, UNI
Ella Shafer, Bradley
Ava Smithson, UNI
Makenzi Swick, Missouri State
McKenzie Vaughan, Missouri State
Emily Williams, Southern Illinois
2025 MVC Softball Scholar-Athlete Second Team
Brenna Blume, Belmont
Anna Carder, Southern Illinois
Mackenzie Chacon, Missouri State
Emily Cockrill, Belmont
Emma Dighton, Drake
Zoe Frossard, Evansville
Morgan Goodrich, Indiana State
Hailey Griffin, Indiana State
Bre Haislip, Murray State
Sydney Kennedy, Bradley
Sofia King, Missouri State
Abby Knight, Illinois State
Kayden Krug, Valparaiso
Makenna Kuper, UNI
Erin Lee, SIU
Hannah Meshnick, Illinois State
Mckenzie Newcomb, Southern Illinois
Raylee Roby, Murray State
Annie Waggoner, Indiana State
Addison Welsh, Bradley
Heidi Wheeler, Drake
