Gardner, Webster Lead Eight Hilltoppers on All-CUSA Teams

DALLAS, Texas – WKU Softball saw a program-high eight different Hilltoppers honored on Tuesday as Conference USA announced its All-Conference teams, All-Freshman Team and superlative awards.

Katie Gardner becomes just the second player in program history to earn Pitcher of the Year along with First Team All-Conference Honors. TJ Webster earned First Team All-Conference and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year – the first award of its kind in WKU Softball history. Taylor Sanders rounds out the Tops named First Team All-Conference. Randi Drinnon landed on the Second Team All-Conference list for the first time of her career, along with Morgan Sharpe. Sharpe, Rylan Smith, and Annie White earned spots on the conference All-Freshman Team from their first season on The Hill.

WKU CUSA AWARD BREAKDOWN

As WKU’s top ace in the circle for 2024, Katie Gardner becomes the second pitcher in program history to earn CUSA Pitcher of the Year. She saw action in 166.1 innings this season, making 28 starts in 34 appearances with a 15-12 record. Gardner holds a 2.57 ERA that ranks second in CUSA but leads with 124 strikeouts from the circle. She recorded eight complete game shutouts in the spring, including an 11-inning shutout at Jax State, which ties her for fourth nationally. The eight shutouts rank fourth-most in a single season, while she totals 14 shutouts across her five-year career. The Bowling Green native was named to the Conference USA Preseason Team and Pitcher of the Week twice in 2024.TJ Webster becomes the first Hilltopper to earn CUSA’s Defensive Player of the Year after an outstanding season as the Tops’ shortstop. Picking up only one error all season long from the left side, she operated with a .994 fielding percentage, garnering 68 putouts, 89 assists, and turning nine double plays. Webster was also deemed First Team All-Conference for the second time in her career as she led the league in batting average (.404) and hits (59) this season. The fifth-year senior earned two doubles and an inside-the-park grand slam for extra base hits this year, while scoring 36 runs for the Red and White. She leads with 17 multi-hit games in 2024 and has had four perfect 3-for-3 days at the plate this season. The Huntsville, Alabama native was deemed Preseason All-Conference and was Player of the Week this season for the first time in her career.

In her fifth season on The Hill, Taylor Sanders earns her second All-Conference accolade and first First Team recognition after an impactful season that resulted in three broken records for WKU Softball. Sanders became the all-time home runs leader with 46 career homers, single-season home runs leader with 16 this season, and all-time RBIs leader with 181 career runs plated. In 2024, Sanders has led Conference USA with an .810 slugging percentage and 16 home runs. Batting .361 this season, she leads WKU with 12 doubles, three triples for 119 total bases in 2024. The Shelbyville, Tennessee native has 15 multi-hit and multi-RBI games on the year. From third base, she owns a .963 fielding percentage with 35 putouts and 78 assists. Sanders earned herself two CUSA Player of the Week nods this season.

Starting behind the plate all season, junior Randi Drinnon made an impact for the Tops and was rewarded with Second Team All-Conference accolades. In 51 games, she batted .231 with 28 hits and 18 RBIs. The lone home run of her season was her first career grand slam against FIU, to pair with six doubles. Drinnon led the Tops with an 18-game reached base streak along with four multi-hit and multi-RBI games. The White Pine, Tenn. native fielded .983 as the Tops’ catcher, earning 266 putouts, 30 assists, and caught 11 runners stealing this season.

Sharpe was named Second Team All-Conference and CUSA All-Freshman Team from a stellar first season with Tuesday’s awards. She’s started in all 51 games at second base this season while operating with the Tops’ second-highest batting average (.363) at the plate in 2024. Sharpe, a native of Chattanooga, racked up 57 hits this season with seven doubles and earned 25 RBIs. She held the Tops’ longest hitting streak, picking up a hit in 15 consecutive games, while owning 15 multi-hit and six multi-RBI games. From the field, she holds a .964 fielding average with 73 assists from the right side.

A true freshman that earned her way starting in the circle on week one was Rylan Smith, who earned All-Freshman Team honors. The right-hander owns an 11-6 record in 33 appearances with 18 starts. With a 3.70 ERA in her first season on The Hill, Smith made her Hilltopper debut against Army working 6.0 innings, only giving up one run off of one hit while striking out six. Her 101 strikeouts in 2024 ranks first among all CUSA freshmen pitchers this season, as she led the WKU Pitching Staff with a single-game high nine strikeouts at LA Tech. The Nolensville, Tennessee native earned her first CUSA Freshman of the Week nod on Monday.

Lastly on post-season awards, Annie White earned herself a spot on the All-Freshman Team in 33 games during her rookie season. The Paducah, Kentucky native owns a .288/.475/.315 hitting line as she owns 23 hits and 13 RBIs in 80 at-bats. In extra base hits, the freshman has picked up six doubles and leads the WKU freshmen with three home runs on the season – including hitting her first career home run in seventh inning walkoff fashion against FIU.

Last week, Gardner and Brylee Hage were all named to Conference USA’s 12-player All-Academic Team. Gardner earned her third career bid to the team, while Hage marks her first All-Academic nod.