EIU Award Winner List
Eastern Illinois softball player
McKenzie Oslanzi has been named the Panthers 2023-24 Female Newcomer of the Year after helping guide the Panthers softball team to a regular season Ohio Valley Conference title.
Oslanzi was named the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and a first team All-OVC selection after helping lead the Panthers to a 40-win season including a 22-5 record in OVC play. Oslanzi added CSE Freshman All-American and second team NFCA All-Region honors during the season. In April she was named to the NFCA / TUCCI Top 25 Freshman Award List.
In the circle Oslanzi led the OVC with 21 wins posting a 21-5 record with a 1.70 ERA. She had 149 strikeouts in 172.2 innings of work in the circle while only issuing 29 walks. She held opponents to a .225 batting average on the season. The freshman had 12 complete games with five shutouts and one save. Her 21 wins tied for the fourth most at EIU in a season while she dotted the NCAA national rankings finishing the season ranked 20th in the NCAA in strike out to walk ratio (149 K's / 29 BB) while ranking 23rd in wins, 25th in fewest walks allowed per seven innings and 32nd in earned run average. Oslanzi was a two-way player also hitting for herself in the line-up and in the designate player role. At the plate she finished hitting .260 for the season with eight doubles, three home runs, 27 RBI and 12 runs scored.
Oslanzi was one of five candidates for this year's award joined on the list by
Natalie Mitchem (volleyball / beach volleyball),
Alex Tetteh (soccer),
Brenda Torres (cross country / track & field), and
Aleyla Wooten (tennis).
EIU will continue the release of its end-of-year awards on Friday with the Male Newcomer of the Year and then next week with the Male & Female Athlete of the Year set for Monday & Tuesday with the Male & Female Athletic Director's Award set for Wednesday & Thursday.
