Final 2026 Softball Weekly Awards Go To MMU's Nance, USF's Boyle

CHICAGO --- University of St. Francis' Emily Boyle (Union Grove, Wis.) captured her third Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week award, while Mount Mary University's Amanda Nance (Antioch, Ill.) notched her first such player honor when the league office announced its final weekly award winners for the 2026 campaign on Thursday.

Boyle was nearly unscored upon in her four appearances, all of which resulted in victories in the circle.  She allowed just two runs over her 19 innings of work for a sparkling 0.74 earned run average.  She also totaled 20 strikeouts.

The junior's lone complete-game effort of the week came last Monday when she earned a 6-1 decision over Olivet Nazarene University.  She also allowed just three hits over two starts against Judson University on Friday and Saturday.

In Friday's contest, a 10-0 win, Boyle struck out seven batters against two walks and two hits in four innings.  On Saturday, she yielded just one hit over four innings in a 12-0 victory.

St. Francis is 35-15 overall and completed the league season as the runner-up with its 20-7 mark.

Nance's week, meanwhile, is being described as perhaps the greatest offensive showing in the history of the program.  In seven games, she delivered eight hits, five of which were home runs and another that went for a double, for a 1.333 slugging percentage.  She also provided nine runs batted in and hit .444.

The junior catcher/infielder opened the week with home runs in each of the first four contests.  She also totaled three multi-hit and two multi-RBI games.  That included a two-hit, four-RBI contest against Viterbo University last Tuesday.

The five home runs gave Nance seven on the season, which tied a single-season school record.

Other Player Nominees: Mallory O'Connor (Saint Xavier), Alexis Watson (Viterbo), Cynthia Alvillar (Judson), Reece Douglass (Indiana South Bend), Stephanie Hause (Olivet Nazarene), Isabella Landeros (St. Francis), Emily Michalak (Calumet St. Joseph).

Other Pitcher Nominees: Alexis Watson (Viterbo), Payton Antkiewicz (Saint Xavier), Jacci Piper (Calumet St. Joseph), Elyse Starr (Indiana South Bend), Victoria Strines (Olivet Nazarene).