Four Lawrence Vikings earn all-conference softball honors

(LAWRENCE ATHLETICS) APPLETON, Wis. — Four Lawrence University softball players have been named to the All-Midwest Conference team in a vote of league coaches.
Mattigan Haller, Zoe Doherty and Janessa Gonzalez all were chosen for the first team, and Avery Chilson was a second-team selection.
Haller (Eau Claire, Wis./North) made the team for the fourth consecutive season. Haller, who split her time between catcher and center field, was one of the all-conference team’s at-large selections.
Haller hit .353 in conference play with four doubles, one triple, four homers, 15 runs batted in and 14 runs scored. Haller, who was named Midwest Conference Player of the Week on April 14, posted a 1.137 OPS during the 16 league games. On the season, she hit .363 with nine doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 43 RBIs and 45 runs scored. She led the team in homers, RBIs and runs scored.
Haller put together a stellar career that saw her finish with a .342 batting average. She piled up 39 doubles, 10 triples, 18 homers, 90 RBIs and 114 runs scored. In Lawrence’s career rankings, Haller is third in hits (154), doubles, triples and runs scored. She ranks fourth in home runs and RBIs.
Doherty (Algonquin, Ill./Huntley) was honored for the first time after putting together a spectacular offensive season. Batting at the top of Lawrence’s order, the third baseman hit .490 in conference play with four doubles, two triples, one homer, 11 RBIs and 16 runs scored. Doherty picked up Midwest Conference Player of the Week honors on April 21.
For the season, Doherty hit .431 with eight doubles, four triples, five homers, 33 RBIs and 43 runs scored. The diminutive lead-off hitter packed a wallop as she put together a .735 slugging percentage and .597 on-base percentage for a stunning 1.332 OPS.
Gonzalez (Elk Grove Village, Ill./James B. Conant) was chosen for the all-conference team for the second time. A junior second baseman, Gonzalez also earned second-team honors in 2023. Gonzalez got hot during the conference season and finished with a .442 batting average in 16 league games. She picked up six doubles, drove in 10 runs and scored four times. On the season, Gonzalez hit .356 with seven doubles, 11 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
Chilson (Lake Mills, Wis./Lake Mills) was chosen for the all-conference team for the second consecutive season. A backbone of the Lawrence pitching staff, the sophomore went 5-3 with two shutouts in conference play with a 2.38 earned run average. In 53 innings, Chilson struck out 31 and walked just nine batters. Chilson tossed a three-hit shutout at Beloit College to clinch Lawrence’s berth in the conference tournament on the regular season’s final day.
On the season, Chilson finished with an 8-11 record with a 5.00 ERA. She tossed a team-high 113.1 innings with 70 strikeouts and 37 walks.
Led by this group, Lawrence finished in third place in the Midwest Conference with a 10-6 record and earned a berth in the league tournament for the first time since 2015. Despite playing a brutally difficult nonconference schedule, the Vikings finished 19-21 overall to earn the most victories in a season since 2015.