Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Seven Salukis Receive All-MVC Honors; Danielson, Delgado Earn Specialty Awards
05/06/2026 | 8:00:00 | Softball
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Southern Illinois University softball team had seven players earn All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, as announced by the league on Wednesday.
Two of those players received specialty awards, as Brooklynn Danielson was named the MVC Freshman of the Year and Emily Delgado was selected as the MVC Newcomer of the Year.
Danielson was one of four Salukis to be named to the All-MVC First Team and was joined by Emily Williams, Amanda Knutson, and Maleah Blomenkamp. This is the first time Danielson, Knutson, and Blomenkamp have been awarded All-MVC honors while Williams is making her second appearance on the All-MVC First Team.
Hayden Kurtz was named to the All-MVC Second Team for the first time in her career. Sydney Potter was SIU's representative on the All-Defensive Team, becoming the fourth catcher in program history to receive this recognition.
Danielson is Southern Illinois' eighth Freshman of the Year and is the first since Maddia Groff in 2024. Three of the eight SIU players to be named Freshman of the Year were pitchers. Danielson has been dominant in league play, tallying an 8-1 record with one save, a 1.39 ERA, and 60 strikeouts in 70.1 innings pitched. The freshman's 1.39 ERA is second in the Valley.
Delgado is Southern Illinois' second-ever MVC Newcomer of the Year after Emily Williams earned the award in 2025. The junior pitcher out of Corona, Calif., is 7-2 with a league-leading four saves in conference play. Delgado's 2.20 ERA against Valley opponents ranks third in the MVC and is the lowest among all pitchers that have recorded at least two saves.
Williams earned a spot on the All-MVC First Team for the second consecutive season. The junior is tied for the most home runs in conference play with 12 and her 42 RBI are the most in the league. Against MVC opponents, Williams has a .368 batting average and .800 slugging percentage in 27 games played.
Knutson is a first-time All-MVC member after ranking top 10 in conference play in batting average (.383, ninth), slugging percentage (.704, sixth), doubles (eight, tied for fourth), and home runs (six, tied for eighth). Southern Illinois' starting third baseman has also tallied 22 RBI against Valley opponents.
Blomenkamp was awarded a spot on the All-MVC First Team after finishing the regular season with a league-leading .459 batting average in league play. The redshirt sophomore also ranked second in the MVC in hits with 39 and was third in on-base percentage at .535. Blomenkamp's overall batting average of .385 leads the team.
Kurtz is SIU's lone representative on the All-MVC Second Team. The sophomore, who entered the starting lineup on March 1 and started the remaining 29 games, is tied for fourth in the league in Valley play with eight doubles. Kurtz hit for a .351 batting average, .420 on-base percentage, and .649 slugging percentage to go along with five home runs and 21 RBI against conference opponents.
Potter was named to the All-Defensive Team after playing in and starting all 48 games as SIU's catcher. The junior had a .996 fielding percentage and caught four stolen base attempts over the course of the season. Potter is the 10th Saluki to be named to the All-Defensive Team since the award was created in 2015.
Southern Illinois will be hosting this week's MVC Tournament at Charlotte West Stadium from Wednesday, May 6, to Saturday, May 9. SIU is the No. 2 seed and will face either No. 3 Murray State or No. 6 Evansville on Thursday, May 7, at 3 p.m.
Tickets for the tournament can be purchased here.
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