Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Williams, Coburn Named to Preseason All-MVC First Team
01/22/2026 | 2:00:00 | Softball
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Juniors Emily Williams and Mikaela Coburn of the Southern Illinois University softball team have been named to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team, as announced by the league on Thursday.
In 2025, both Williams and Coburn were selected to the All-MVC First Team after their sophomore campaigns.
Williams was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year in 2025 while also being on the All-MVC First Team and the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team. The junior from Louisville, Ky., hit for a batting average of .333 and had 17 home runs and 53 RBI. Williams tied SIU's single-season home run record, broke the single-season slugging percentage record (.767), and had the second-most RBI in program history.
Coburn hit for a .357 batting average in her first year as a Saluki, which was tied for seventh in the MVC. The junior outfielder from Paducah, Ky., also had 40 hits, 27 runs, five doubles, one triple, two home runs, and 20 RBI to go along with a .416 on-base percentage. This is Coburn's first Preseason All-MVC appearance at SIU.
As a team, Southern Illinois was voted to finish third. Belmont was picked to finish first while Northern Iowa was second.
The Salukis, who won the MVC Regular Season Championship in 2025, will begin their season on Friday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. against Charlotte in the FGCU Kickoff Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.
Preseason All-MVC First Team
1B Olivia Turner (Bradley)
2B Skylar Benesh (UNI)
3B Kate Lappe (UNI)
SS Nicole Hughes (Belmont)
C Drew Hinrichs (UNI)
UT/P Azalya Lopez (Valparaiso)
DT/UP-NP Emily Williams (S. Illinois)
OF Mikaela Coburn (Southern Illinois)
OF Katy Huels (Murray State)
OF Kierston McCoy (Bradley)
P Maya Johnson (Belmont)
P Anna Wischnowski (UNI)
Honorable Mentions
1B Ella Smithson (UNI)
3B Rylee Spindler (Belmont)
C Brenna Blume (Belmont)
OF Maddy Balsiger (Belmont)
OF Ava Curry (Drake)
OF Morgan Goodrich (Indiana St.)
P Hannah Meshnick (Illinois State)
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Softball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiSoftball and on Instagram at @SIU_Softball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Â
