Rochester, MN –

The Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) has announced the 2023 MCAC Softball All-Division awards and the All-MCAC Team.

After winning a division high 16 games this season, Molly Gross, RHP from Anoka-Ramsey Community College, has earned the 2023 South Division Softball Player-of-the-Year honor.  Gross made 22 appearances in the pitching circle, going 16-4 this season, with 185 strikeouts and only 30 walks. She held her batters to a lowly .186 batting average and allowed only 22 earned runs on the season. Besides her phenomenal pitching stats, the sophomore from Columbia Heights, MN, was stellar at the plate as well. Hitting .408 on the season and .426 in division play, Gross hit 5 home runs, 16 doubles, and a triple in her 62 hits, while driving in 47 runs and scoring 42 times. 

Anoka-Ramsey Community College softball coach, Dave Alto, was named the MCAC South Division Coach-of-the-Year.  Coach Alto led his team to an MCAC South Division Championship and a 38-9 overall record, 16-0 in the South Division. Coach Alto and his Golden Rams will host the NJCAA Region 13A Softball Tournament beginning on Thursday in Cambridge, MN.

Central Lakes College freshman pitcher and infielder, Emma Tautges, was named the MCAC North Division Player-of-the-Year.  In her 99 plate appearances, Tautges hit .467 on the season and .407 in conference play, with 6 doubles and 4 home runs.  She had 27 RBI and scored 31 runs, and compiled a slugging percentage of .663.  Defensively, Tautges had 83 put-outs and 21 assists for a .963 fielding percentage, while pitching 2 shutouts and limiting North Division batters to a .47 earned run average and .183 batting average against her. 

Ray Austin, Central Lakes College softball coach, earned the MCAC North Division Coach-of-the-Year honor.  After going 13-14 overall and 7-1 in the North Division, Coach Austin led his Raiders to a share of the MCAC North Division title.  Coach Austin and the Raiders will host the NJCAA Region 13B Tournament in Brainerd, MN beginning Saturday.

MCAC Softball is split into two divisions with Anoka-Ramsey, M-State Fergus Falls, Minnesota West, Ridgewater, Riverland, Rochester, and St. Cloud Technical and Community College competing in the South Division.  Central Lakes, Hibbing, Itasca, Mesabi Range, Northland, Rainy River, and Vermilion compete in the North Division.

Following the conclusion of the regular season, MCAC softball coaches nominated and voted on players from each division to be named to the first or second team of the respective divisions.  The top-ranked player from each division was named the Player-of-the-Year.  The coach of the year was also voted on for each division.  

The first team members from each all-division team were also named to the All-MCAC Team.

Below is a complete list of the 2023 MCAC Softball All-Division Teams and All-MCAC Team:

 MCAC South All-Division Team

South Coach of the Year:        Dave Alto          Anoka-Ramsey Community College

MCAC North All-Division Team

North Coach of the Year:        Ray Austin          Central Lakes College

All-MCAC Team

This release sponsored by: 

About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference

The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system.  The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions.  The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.