CHICAGO -- Highlighted by Freshman of the Year honors for Sarah Viar, the University of St. Francis softball program came away with 12 awards when the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference announced its softball postseason honor roll for 2026 Wednesday afternoon.

Garnering first team honors were Sarah Viar, Emily Boyle, Missy Saldana and Emily Hurst, while Kaitlyn Schofield, Isabella Landeros, Jaelynn Taylor, Kylie Cook and Morgan Smardo were recognized by the conference as second team selections.  Kamryn Koontz and Landeros rounded out the league accolades with each player representing USF on the nine-member Gold Glove team.

The 2026 season marked the third All-Conference squad Taylor was named to with the senior previously earning second team honors in 2024 and 2025, while Hurst, Landeros, Cook and Boyle all each earned their second All-Conference recognition.  Hurst and Cook were each named to the first team one year ago, while Landeros garnered first team and gold glove honors in 2024 with Boyle receiving second team recognition that same year.  Earning all-league commendations for the first time were Viar, Saldana, Schofield and Smardo, while Koontz picked up her first gold glove award in 2026 as well.

Sarah Viar has had a prolific season with her .417 batting average and 25 doubles topping the list.  That doubles total for a single season is the most by a St. Francis player in the 47-year history of the program.  Along with her doubles total, she also led the USF squad in sacrifice flies (4), extra base hits (27) and double plays turned (9), while ranking second in total hits (70), total bases (101), walks (18), on-base percentage (.472) at-bats (168), batting average (.417), and defensive assists (80).  She also authored the team's third best slugging percentage (.601).

The second baseman's name can be found atop the Top 10 conference leaderboard in no fewer than 13 statistical categories, while claiming the top spot in the doubles department with her 25 and falling one extra base short of tying for the league lead in extra base hits (27).  Her No. 3 rankings are her 101 total bases, four sacrifice flies and nine defensive double plays turned, while her fourth and fifth slots include plate appearances (198) and at-bats (168), respectively.

Viar also sits sixth with her 70 total hits, seventh in sacrifice bunts (5), eighth in defensive assists (80), ninth in batting average (.417) and tenth in RBIs (38) and hit-by-pitch (3).

Nationally, she is tied for the third-most doubles amongst all NAIA competitors.



Viar was joined on the first team by starting pitcher Emily Boyle.  The junior hurler led the league in six departments, including authoring the most wins (22) and strikeouts (150), while also registering the most appearances (38), games started (30), innings pitched (170.0) and batters faced (790).  She is also second with her strikeouts per seven innings (6.15), third in ERA (2.76) and saves (2), and fifth in WHIP (1.57).

Boyle is currently 22-7 on the season with her 22 victories ranking her tied for eighth most overall in program history.  She also collected CCAC Pitcher Player of the Week accolades on three occasions during the 2026 season.

Emily Hurst, a senior designated hitter, led the Saints in six statistical categories highlighted by her .422 batting average, .688 slugging percentage and .524 on-base percentage.  She also claimed the club's top spot in RBIs (47), total bases (106) and walks (34), while ranking second in extra base hits (24), runs scored (43), totals hits (65), and home runs (8).

In the conference, Hurst ranked among the top 10 players in 14 departments topped by her No. 2 placement in slugging percentage, total bases and walks, No. 3 recording in extra base hits (24), No. 4 showings in home runs and RBIs, and No. 5 billings in on-base percentage and doubles (15).  She is also placed seventh overall in total hits, seventh in batting average, eighth in plate appearances (188), ninth in runs scored and sacrifice flies (2), and tenth in at-bats (154).

Missy Saldana also produced solid numbers as a Saint in her first year with the program this spring.  The freshman centerfielder ranked first on the Saint leaderboard in total hits (73), runs scored (50), at-bats (183) and hit-by-pitch (8), while placing second in doubles (16), RBIs (44), and stolen bases (8), and third in batting average (.399) and on-base percentage (.463).

Amongst league competitors, Saldana ranked No. 2 in at-bats and hit-by-pitch, No. 3 in plate appearances (201), No. 4 in total hits and doubles, No. 6 in runs scored and RBIs, and No. 8 in total bases (92).

Saldana also collected CCAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades on two occasions during the 2026 season.

USF upped its four first-team selections by one with five more on the second team in pitcher Kaitlyn Schofield, catcher Isabella Landeros, first baseman Jaelynn Taylor, third baseman Kylie Cook and right fielder Morgan Smardo.

Kaitlyn Schofield, like Boyle, ranks high in the league in nine pitching categories.  The junior boasts the third-best strikeout total (108), wins total (16) and appearances total (31), while placing fourth in saves (1), games started (24) and WHIP (1.48).  She is also sixth in ERA (3.25) and strikeouts per seven innings (5.21) and seventh in batters faced (653).

Schofield has a 16-9 record on the season and collected CCAC Pitcher Player of the Week accolades on two occasions during the 2026 season.

Isabella Landeros, meanwhile, currently has racked up the highest total chances mark in the conference at 304 aided by her No. 2 rankings in putouts (271) and runners caught stealing (11) and her No. 8 billing in fielding percentage (.990).  The senior's offensive marks are just as impressive with the senior ranking fifth in the league in sacrifice flies (3), eighth in at-bats (163), ninth in total hits (62) and tenth overall in doubles (14).  Her other Top 15 categories include her No. 12 showings in RBIs (37) and plate appearances (171) and No. 15 ranking in total bases (81).  She also has a .380 batting average and 16 extra base hits, which puts her 17th-best overall in both categories among all conference players.

Landeros also collected CCAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades on one occasion during the 2026 season.

Jaelynn Taylor was the frontrunner for the Saints in home runs (10) and putouts (282), and ranked second on the club in slugging percentage (.617), double plays turned (8) and total chances (294), while placing third in total bases (95), RBIs (40) and extra base hits (22).  The senior first baseman also placed in the Top 15 among league competitors in 10 separate categories, including first in putouts, second in home runs and total chances, fifth in extra base hits, sixth in total bases, ninth in RBIs, tenth in slugging percentage, twelfth in at-bats (154) and fifteenth overall in plate appearances (168) and fielding percentage (.983).

Kylie Cook, a third baseman, also produced a very productive season for the Saints in 2026.  The junior ranked first on the team in defensive assists (95) and sacrifice bunts (17), while securing the No. 3 spot in at-bats (163), No. 4 in on-base percentage (.409), and No. 5 in totals hits (60), runs scored (36) and batting average (.368).  In the conference, Cook led the league in sacrifice bunts, and showcased a No. 3 billing in assists, No. 6 in plate appearances (190), No. 7 in at-bats, No. 10 in hit-by-pitch (3), No. 11 in total hits, and No. 16 in runs scored and total defensive chances (165).

Morgan Smardo, a junior outfielder, rounds out the list of all-conference recipients for the Saints.  She ranks first on the team in stolen bases (14) and triples (3), third in runs scored (40), and fifth in slugging percentage (.507). In the league, she currently sits at No. 6 overall in triples, No. 10 in stolen bases and runs scored, No. 11 in sacrifice bunts (4), No. 17 in extra bases hits (16) and doubles (11), and No. 20 in home runs (2).

Claiming USF's last two awards was Isabella Landeros and Kamryn Koontz, who were selected as members of the league's Gold Glove team.  Landeros claimed the second Gold Glove of her collegiate career in catching position with her previously mentioned defensive performance, while Koontz received the honor for the first time as a left fielder.  On the season, Koontz committed just one error in 64 total chances for a .984 fielding percentage, while registering 61 putouts with two assists - both of which prevented runners from scoring at home plate.

USF, under second year head coach Alyssa Moreno, finished the 2026 regular season and conference tournament postseason campaign at 38-16.  At the league level, the Saints went 20-7 to place second among ten teams and advanced to the CCAC Tournament where they finished second overall against the eight qualifying teams.

For the all-conference release, go to CCAC.  For the complete awards list, go to List.

You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.