TAMPA, Fla. – The Sun Conference announces its major award winners and all-conference honorees for the 2025 softball season.
Chapel Cunningham of Southeastern has been named the Sun Conference Player of the Year. A four-year starter and leader for Southeastern, Cunningham holds a .419 career batting average. This season, she hit .404 in conference play and ranks top-5 in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, and stolen bases. Defensively, she’s anchored the infield at shortstop with a .949 fielding percentage.
Maria Zelenka of Southeastern has been named the Sun Conference Pitcher of the Year. In her sophomore season, Zelenka has tripled her innings in the circle from a year ago, earning eight wins in conference play and 17 overall. She leads the conference with a 1.00 ERA, has thrown six shutouts, and has recorded 98 strikeouts while issuing just 16 walks.
Hailey Bradley of Southeastern has been named the Sun Conference Freshman of the Year. Bradley, second in batting average for the Fire, has tallied 39 hits and 14 RBIs from the 9 spot in the lineup, with a .460 on-base percentage in conference play. Always laying it all out on the field, she’s been a defensive force in the outfield during her freshman season.
Samantha Proctor of Webber International is this year’s Champion of Character award recipient. On campus at Webber, she’s been a leader in softball camps, worked in multiple departments, and is a Dean’s List honoree. A captain for the Warriors, she also has spent her time substitute teaching this semester at local elementary schools while completing her graduate studies. Proctor also volunteers with Freedom Church, Habitat for Humanity, and coaches youth softball.
JC Gutierrez of St. Thomas has been named the Sun Conference Coach of the Year. In his fourth season at the helm, he has helped lead the Bobcats to their first Regular Season Title since 2011 and their first outright title in program history. STU finished the conference slate at 21-3 and hold a record of 44-6 overall.
Softball Award Winners
Player of the Year -- Chapel Cunningham, Southeastern
Pitcher of the Year -- Maria Zelenka, Southeastern
Freshman of the Year -- Hailey Bradley, Southeastern
Champion of Character -- Samantha Proctor, Webber International
Coach of the Year -- JC Gutierrez, St. Thomas
Softball All-Conference Teams
| First Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
Institution |
| C |
Isabella Andujar |
St. Thomas |
| C |
Kelsey Ganci |
Keiser |
| IF |
JK Bland |
Webber International |
| IF |
Chapel Cunningham* |
Southeastern |
| IF |
Leah Gonzalez* |
Southeastern |
| IF |
Genesis Iglesias |
Keiser |
| IF |
Emma Jones |
Coastal Georgia |
| IF |
Thalia Romero* |
Webber International |
| OF |
Mya Achenbach* |
St. Thomas |
| OF |
Ella Brooks* |
Southeastern |
| OF |
Faith Campos |
Keiser |
| OF |
Kaitlynn Martinez |
St. Thomas |
| OF |
Raylei McKinney* |
Southeastern |
| DP |
Gabriella Gilbert* |
St. Thomas |
| UTL |
Rylee Mills* |
Coastal Georgia |
| P |
Mackenzie Masternak |
Keiser |
| P |
Victoria Navarro |
St. Thomas |
| P |
Edan Playa* |
Southeastern |
| P |
Anna Toon* |
St. Thomas |
| P |
Maria Zelenka |
Southeastern |
| |
|
|
| Second Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
Institution |
| C |
Saremi Flores |
New College of Florida |
| IF |
Claire Czajkowski |
Keiser |
| IF |
Bridget Dunham |
Keiser |
| IF |
Kassidy Moore |
Southeastern |
| IF |
Lauren Sekinger |
Southeastern |
| DP |
Rylie Smith |
Coastal Georgia |
| OF |
Hailey Bradley |
Southeastern |
| OF |
Kaitlyn Carolino |
Coastal Georgia |
| OF |
Natalie Kopicova |
St. Thomas |
| P |
Taylor Thomas |
Webber International |
* - Repeat First or Second Team All-Conference honorees from last year
The 2025 Sun Conference Softball Tournament gets underway Thursday, May 1, in Clearwater, Fla. Day 1 of the tournament kicks off with No. 4 Coastal Georgia and No. 5 Webber International at 11:00 a.m. and No. 3 Keiser vs. No. 6 New College of Florida at 1:30 p.m. No. 1 St. Thomas and No. 2 Southeastern await the winners for matchups at 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 2:30 p.m. The championship is set for Saturday, May 3, at 12:00 p.m. For more info on the 2025 Softball Tournament, click here.
ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now in its 35th year, The Sun Conference, a 501c3 organization, continues to be one of the most successful intercollegiate athletic conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Under the guidance of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, the league sponsors championships in 24 NAIA sports. Learn more at thesunconference.com
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