Horizon League Reveals 2026 #HLSB All-League Awards

May 05

Rachel White

INDIANAPOLIS (May 5, 2026) – The Horizon League unveiled our 2026 #HLSB All-League awards on Tuesday. The awards were voted on by the League’s head coaches.

RMU’s Courtney Poulich earned Player of the Year honors and teammate Aglaia Rudd collected Defensive Player of the Year recognition. Youngstown State’s Kennedy Kimball was named Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year and YSU’s Brian Campbell is the 2026 Coach of the Year. IU Indy’s Molly Kable and Northern Kentucky’s Emma Ginn are our Sportsmanship Award winners.

Dig Deeper:

Poulich is the first RMU student-athlete to collect Player of the Year honors.
- The redshirt senior is having a record-breaking season for the Colonials, hitting .438 and slugging 1.078 in League games with 26 runs, 31 RBIs and 12 home runs.
Kimball is the fourth Penguin to be named Pitcher of the Year and the fifth Penguin to be selected as Freshman of the Year.
- The freshman pitcher posted a League-best 3.31 ERA and seven wins in #HLSB play, tossing 48.2 innings with a .232 opposing batting average and 35 strikeouts.
Rudd is the first Colonial to earn Defensive Player of the Year.
- The junior catcher was also named to the All-League First Team and totaled 87 putouts, caught two runners stealing and allowed only 10 stolen bases in League action.
YSU head coach Brian Campbell was chosen as Coach of the Year after leading the Penguins to the regular season title with a 14-4 #HLSB record.
- Campbell has now won four Coach of the Year awards.
The Sportsmanship Award recognizes student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Sportsmanship is defined as behavior exhibited during competition by student-athletes based on values, respect and integrity.
- “Emma caught every pitch of the Horizon League season. She treats every umpire with integrity and great respect. She gives everything she has to every opportunity in the game and never takes a pitch for granted,” shared NKU head coach Morgan Gerak.
- “Molly stands out as someone who truly embodies what the sportsmanship award is meant to recognize. It's not just about the skill or winning but how she carries herself and she is consistently showing respect, integrity, and a team first mindset. She treats teammates and opponents with the same level of respect, whether things are going her way or not,” commented IU Indy head coach Elisabeth Beirne.
Youngstown State paced the League with four All-League First Team selections.

2026 #HLSB Awards

Player of the Year: Courtney Poulich, RMU

Pitcher and Freshman of the Year: Kennedy Kimball, Youngstown State

Defensive Player of the Year: Aglaia Rudd, RMU

Coach of the Year: Brian Campbell, Youngstown State

Sportsmanship Awards: Molly Kable, IU Indianapolis & Emma Ginn, Northern Kentucky

All-League First Team
Position Players
Gracie Anderson, Green Bay
Sara Ebner, Green Bay
Paige Guse, Green Bay
Brielle Dimemmo, Northern Kentucky
Jena Rhoads, Northern Kentucky
Maggie Murphy, Oakland
Courtney Poulich, RMU
Aglaia Rudd, RMU
Kennedy Dean, Youngstown State
Emma Gilkerson, Youngstown State
Lydia Wilkerson, Youngstown State

Pitchers
Kenna Bommarito, Oakland
Kama Skrek, Oakland
Kennedy Kimball, Youngstown State

All-League Second Team
Position Players
Jenna Higgins, Detroit Mercy
Sidney LaMotte, Green Bay
Jenna Redders, Green Bay
Adeline Blackwell, IU Indianapolis
Callie Dickerson, IU Indianapolis
Molly Kable, IU Indianapolis
Kenzie Gulley, Northern Kentucky
Addison Caldwell, Oakland
Brooklyn Plitz, Oakland
Kaylyn Hopf, RMU
Tai Turner, Youngstown State

Pitchers
Savannah Schultz, Detroit Mercy
Ava Schill, Green Bay
Alicia Flores, Northern Kentucky

All-League Third Team
Position Players
Claire Borg, Detroit Mercy
Alexa Holman, IU Indianapolis
Paige McPhearson, IU Indianapolis
Mack Brow, Northern Kentucky
Brooke Keltner, Northern Kentucky
Autumn Liebhauser, Oakland
Eloise Facher, RMU
Selah Moyer, Youngstown State

Pitcher
Makaree Chapman, Northern Kentucky

Sportsmanship Award Finalists
Elyssa Adams, Detroit Mercy
Madyson Baker, Green Bay
Molly Kable, IU Indianapolis*
Emma Ginn, Northern Kentucky*
Maraina Smith, Oakland
Mary Brant, RMU
Kennedy Dean, Youngstown State