Four Red Devils Receive All-SLIAC Honors
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Four Red Devils have received All-St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference recognition for the first time.
Eureka's KayLee Hohlbauch (Arcola, Ill./Arcola/Lincoln), Gada Bryant (Westville, Ill./Bismark-Henning/Rossville-Alvin/Lincoln) and Bria Wessel (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) were all selected to the All-SLIAC Third Team as infielders, and Macey Whisker (Washington, Ill./Washington/Illinois Central College) was selected to the Third Team as an outfielder.
Hohlbauch, a third baseman, first baseman and designated hitter this season, led the Red Devils with a .353 batting average in 18 SLIAC games this spring. The sophomore posted a team-high 18 hits, including a double and a home run, notched a team-high nine RBI, drew four walks, scored four runs and had one stolen base.
She also led the Red Devils with a .323 batting average on the season, finishing the year with a team-high 31 hits and 18 RBI. Hohlbauch had eight multi-hit performances and recorded a .966 fielding percentage, recording 62 putouts and 24 assists in 89 chances.
Bryant, the Red Devils' starting shortstop, ranked fourth in the SLIAC this season with 16 stolen bases. In 18 SLIAC games, she notched 14 hits, swiped seven bases, scored six runs, had five RBI and one walk.
She had the team's second-highest batting average, hitting .297 with 15 hits, including three doubles, drove in eight runs and scored 15 runs. At the plate, she had four multi-hit games, including a 4-for-4 performance and a 3-for-3 performance. In the field, Bryant helped turn 11 double plays while posting 72 assists and 63 putouts in 151 chances.
Wessel, the Red Devils' starting first baseman and the lone returner of Eureka's honorees, led the team in home runs and was third in the conference with six. In 18 SLIAC games this season, she contributed 12 hits, including a pair of home runs and a double, drove in seven runs, scored five times, drew four walks and stole a base. She led the Red Devils with a .505 slugging percentage and a .364 on-base percentage and was the only EC player to appear in all 40 games this season.
She recorded 29 hits, including three doubles to go with her six home runs, tied with Hohlbauch for most RBI on the team (18), scored 16 runs, drew eight walks and had two stolen bases. At first base, Wessel recorded a career-best .966 fielding percentage, tallying 195 putouts and four assists in 206 chances. On April 12 and 13, Wessel notched a home run in three straight games, and she finished the season with six multi-hit games, including three-hit showings against league foes Blackburn and Fontbonne.
Whisker, the Red Devils' starting center fielder and primary leadoff hitter, tied with Hohlbauch with a team-high 31 hits. She had the second-best on-base percentage on the team at .355 and batted .279 on the season with a team-high five doubles and a team-high 17 runs scored. She also drew a team-high 13 walks and was second in stolen bases with 10.
In 17 SLIAC games, Whisker batted .281 with 16 hits, including three doubles and a home run. She scored six times, stole five bases and drew five walks. In center, Whisker covered a lot of ground and made numerous tough plays, recording 67 putouts and eight assists in 78 chances to finish with a .966 fielding percentage. She had two or more hits in a game five times, including going 3-for-3 with a home run and a double in the Red Devils' 9-7 Senior-Day win over Blackburn on May 2.
Kloey Wheeler (Farmington, Ill./Farmington Central/Heartland) was Eureka's representative on the SLIAC's All-Sportsmanship Team.