The Southern Illinois University softball team placed four student-athletes on Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Teams, the conference announced Tuesday. Jenny Jansen earned a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team while Rylie Hamilton, Sidney Sikes and Ashley Wood each were named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention Team.
Jansen earned the fourth-straight MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honor of her career after another tremendous season, both on the field and in the classroom. Jansen recently graduated with her master’s degree in sports studies and led the MVC in both on-base percentage (.505) and walks (35). She also finished second in the league in batting average (.387), hits (58), and RBI (43). The Warrenton, Mo. native slashed .387/.600/.505 with five doubles and nine home runs while setting school records in career RBI and hits. Jansen recorded at least one hit in 32 of SIU’s 46 games, which included 16 multi-hit games.
Hamilton earned her first career MVC Scholar-Athlete honor in her first year of eligibility. A sports administration major with a 3.48 GPA, Hamilton was also named to the All-MVC First Team after a breakout sophomore campaign in which she finished third in the league in hits (57), fourth in runs scored (39), fifth in batting average (.351) and sixth in RBI (35). The Cabot, Ark. native had a team-high 18 multi-hit games, which included four three-hit games. She also reached base safely at least once in 39 of SIU’s 47 games.
Sikes is also a first-time MVC Scholar-Athlete honoree after she too earned a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention team. An exercise science major with a 3.76 GPA, Sikes had a productive senior season both with the glove and bat. Her 27 RBI this season were nine more than she had in her previous 107 career games while she had more extra base hits (7) this season than she had in her first three seasons combined (5). She also reached base safely in 41 of 47 games during the 2022 season and finished second nationally in hit by pitches per game (.49). Sikes also earned MVC All-Defensive Team honors after she led the Valley in runners caught stealing (15).
Wood earned her first career MVC Scholar-Athlete team honor after a solid senior campaign. A sports administration major with a 3.58 GPA, Wood finished the season ranked in the top-10 of the Valley in on-base percentage (4th: .461), runs scored (7th; 36), doubles (10th; 10) and walks (3rd; 30). She hit .318 on the season and tallied 14 multi-hit games, which included four three-hit games.
