BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Oklahoma Baptist senior centerfielder
Sammie Greene was named the Great American Conference's Player of the Year on Wednesday as the league announced its end-of-season awards.
On top of that individual honor, Greene earned All-GAC First Team accolades as did teammates
Jaycee Shaffer,
Morgan Max and
Greenlee Wells. Plus, freshman
Kaley Cook garnered All-GAC Second Team recognition.
For OBU, it has earned GAC Player of the Year honors for three straight seasons.
Emily Adler (2023) and Max (2024) were the previous winners.
Greene's final campaign on Bison Hill has been nothing short of sensational. Plus, she's now one of only two OBU players in the Division II era (2016-present) to earn All-GAC accolades each of her four seasons. The other is pitching great
Kayleigh Jones.
Over the course of 50 games, the Clovis, Calif., native ranked top eight of the GAC in nine categories. She was tied for the league lead with 44 runs scored and her 36 stolen bases were second. Greene's .394 batting average in GAC play was fourth-best too. This year, she posted career-bests in batting average, hits (61), homers (11), RBI (42), slugging (.669) and stolen bases. Plus, she became the first player in OBU history to surpass 200 hits and 100 steals.
Shaffer's presence in the circle was a big reason why the Bison finished in second place during the regular season. Her first All-GAC honor comes after she tossed the second-most innings (164.0) and posted the fourth-most strikeouts (153). Plus, her 2.39 ERA was sixth-best while her 18 victories were slotted second. During the season, she struck out a career-high 12 vs. Fort Hays State and Arkansas-Monticello and gave up one or less earned runs in 13 starts. Furthermore, Shaffer's .857 winning percentage is third-best in OBU single-season history.
Max, a senior from Moore, had another outstanding campaign and earned her third All-GAC certificate. She ranked top three in slugging (.752), on-base (.509), RBI (53), homers (13) & walks (34). All of those stats were career-bests too. Furthermore, her 53 RBI are third-most in OBU single-season history & 34 walks are second-most. In the circle, Max was an outstanding reliever. Her eight saves were No. 2 in the GAC and fourth nationally while her 27 games finished topped the GAC.
OBU's final first teamer was Wells. The shortstop from Vian, Okla., was the conference leader with 15 homers and a .773 slugging percentage. That slugging mark is also the best by an OBU player in the team's D2 era (2016-present). Wells also ranked second in total bases (116) and had a ridiculous 1.429 OPS in conference play. Defensively, she helped turn 10 double plays with 95 assists.
Cook, a freshman from Jurupa Valley, Calif., had an awesome first regular season at OBU. She ranked first in the GAC with seven triples and 39 stolen bases. Her 39 steals are an OBU record & seven triples are tied for most in OBU history. Cook had a 20-game hitting streak at one point and finished ranked top-10 in the GAC in seven categories. Plus, she had a 1.012 OPS in GAC play and had a perfect fielding mark in 51 chances.
On top of the athletic achievements,
Alli Bordwine and
Ally Ryan were named GAC Elite Scholar Athletes.
