Benning Clinches ASUN Superlative Trifecta, Conrad Earns ASUN Coach of the Year

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Senior Allison Benning swept the superlative conference postseason awards clinching ASUN Player of the Year, ASUN Pitcher of the Year and ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.

Benning becomes the first player in the history of the Atlantic Sun Conference to reel in Player, Pitcher & Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the same season. She will finish her two-year Osprey career as a three-time First Team All-ASUN selection with two from utility and one from pitching.

Jeff Conrad earned his first-career ASUN Coach of the Year award in his third year at the helm of the Ospreys' program. He becomes the first UNF coach since Marcie Hickey (Higgs) in 2013 and the second coach in program history to bring in the honor.

A total of seven Osprey players were awarded conference postseason honors with three selections to First Team All-ASUN, one selection to Second Team All-ASUN, two selections to Third Team All-ASUN and three selections to ASUN All-Freshman Team. Benning was selected as both a First Team pitcher and utility player, while Grace Shaw-Rockey earned both Second Team All-ASUN and ASUN All-Freshman honors as an outfielder.

Joining Benning's two selections on the ASUN All-Conference First Team is catcher Mackenzie Woods. Following Shaw-Rockey's ASUN Second Team selection, Kirsten Caravaca (infielder) and Chloe Culp (outfielder) were also recognized for outstanding seasons on the diamond with Third Team All-ASUN selections.

Three First Team All-ASUN selections is the most for the Ospreys since 2017 and six total All-ASUN honorees is the highest mark ever for the program since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2006. The trio of ASUN All-Freshman honorees for UNF ties the highest mark of three from the 2021 season with Shaw-Rockey joining pitchers Macie Hunolt and Taylor Cook with conference distinction.

UNF joins Austin Peay as the only two teams with all five positions (pitcher, catcher, infielder, outfielder and utility) represented in the all-conference selections. The program has now totaled 43 all-conference selections in program history with it also being the fourth time having at least four honorees to the all-conference team.

An Osprey has made an ASUN All-Conference team over the course of every season since 2015, while also having multiple players on a team in all but one year during that span. It is the second time since 2015 that at least four players from UNF have been recognized as all-conference recipients, as UNF has totaled 11 honorees over the past two seasons.

2025 ASUN Softball Postseason Awards

*stats updated through regular season

Allison Benning - Player, Pitcher & Scholar-Athlete of the Year, First Team All-ASUN (Pitcher & Utility), ASUN All-Academic Team

Senior; Lake Elmo, Minn.

3x ASUN Pitcher of the Week, 2x ASUN Player of the Week & Softball America National Player of the Week.
Won ASUN Pitcher & Player of the Week at the same time on Feb. 24 for second time in her career.
Batting .405 (53-for-131) with 53 hits, 49 RBI, 43 runs scored and 19 home runs, all leading the team.
Also put together a 1.508 OPS with 66 walks drawn and 118 total bases while starting all 55 games.
Has a 1.45 ERA in 31 appearances, including 26 starts, with 157 strikeouts in 135.0 innings pitched, all leading the team of qualified pitchers.
Holds a 21-5 record with seven complete games, three shutouts, a save and a .179 opponent BA.
Notched a .407 BA (22-for-54) with eight home runs, 20 RBI, 23 runs scored and 36 walks in ASUN play.
Also has a 1.43 ERA with a perfect 12-0 record and 70 strikeouts in 58.2 innings pitched during ASUN play.
Recorded 14 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI games to go along with a 19-game on-base streak, including a current 12-games on base-streak.
Also had three games with 3+ hits and four games with 4+ RBI, along with five RBI against Bethune-Cookman.
Spun the program's second perfect game against Siena at the Make It Happen Games.
Batted .700 with three home runs, while spinning 15 Ks and 12.0 IP to garner national POTW honors.
ASUN batting ranks: 1st in HR (19), 1st in OPS (1.508), 1st in total bases (118), 1st in walks (66), 2nd in BA (.405), 2nd in RBI (49), 6th in runs (43).
ASUN pitching ranks: 1st in ERA (1.45), 1st in wins (21), 2nd in opponent BA (.179), 2nd in strikeouts (157), 4th in shutouts (3).
NCAA batting ranks: 1st in BB (66), 5th in OB% (.607), 11th in HR (19), 14th in SLG% (.901).
NCAA pitching ranks: 9th in ERA (1.45), 9th in victories (21), 13th in H/7 (4.49), 16th in WHIP (0.96), 27th in Ks (157).
Has 10 more walks drawn than the second-most mark in the nation, as well as six more home runs over the second-most in the ASUN.
Broke the program records for single-season and career home runs in the same weekend against JU.
Helped lead the Ospreys to the ASUN Graphite Division Title with a 22-2 ASUN record and the No. 10 ranking in the D1Softball Mid-Major Poll, as well as receiving votes in national polls.

"I couldn't be happier for Benny. She is a team-first kid. She not only had a tremendous season, but she also wrapped up her career on top. To win the conference superlative trifecta, as well as being a regular season and conference tournament champion, is a memory she will cherish forever."
-- head coach Jeff Conrad

Mackenzie Woods - ASUN First Team All-Conference

Redshirt Senior; Cape Coral, Fla.

Batting .292 (33-for-113) with 33 hits, 31 RBI, 13 runs scored, four doubles and five home runs.
Also put together a .914 OPS with 56 total bases while starting 48 of 49 games.
Holds a .300 BA (21-for-65) with 19 RBI, a double, two triples and three home runs in ASUN play.
Has notched four multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games, including a four-RBI game against JU.
Went on an 11-game hitting streak and went on a run towards the end of the season notching a hit in 14 of 15 games played.
Notched 261 putouts and 282 chances (both 4th in ASUN) with 16 assists and a .982 FLD% in the field as the every-day catcher.
ASUN ranks: 21st in RBI (31), 21st in HR (5), 23rd in OPS (.914).
Helped lead the Ospreys to the ASUN Graphite Division Title with a 22-2 ASUN record and the No. 10 ranking in the D1Softball Mid-Major Poll, as well as receiving votes in national polls.
Also became the winningest player in program history with over 160 wins over five seasons.

"[Mackenzie] Woodsie is one of the best teammates this program has ever had. To end her career with the best year she's probably ever had playing softball is a fitting way for her time at UNF to wrap up."
-- head coach Jeff Conrad

Grace Shaw-Rockey - ASUN Second Team All-Conference, ASUN All-Freshman Team

Freshman; Bradenton, Fla.

ASUN Player of the Week (Mar. 17); first freshman in program history to receive conference POTW honor.
Batting .357 (35-for-98) with 35 hits, 25 RBI, 26 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples and two home runs.
Put together a .998 OPS with 52 total bases while starting 33 of 44 games played.
Became a regular start during ASUN play, where she held a .375 BA (24-for-64).
Also tallied with 20 RBI, 20 runs scored, seven steals, five doubles and both home runs in conference.
Recorded 10 total multi-hit games on the season, including a three-hit game against Mercer.
Earned eight of the 10 multi-hits games over her first 14 conference games.
Notched five multi-RBI games, including a pair of four-RBI games against Stetson and Queens.
In her six games against Stetson this season, she batted .647 (11-for-17) with 10 RBI and two home runs.
Smashed her first collegiate home run on the road against Stetson in ASUN opener.
Recorded at least one hit and one RBI in the same game on 13 occasions.
Also had multiple hits and RBI in a game four different times with three of the four against Stetson.
ASUN ranks (conference only): 8th in RBI (20), 8th in runs (20), 9th in doubles (5), 9th in OB% (.500), 11th in OPS (1.078), 14th in BA (.375), 22nd in hits (24).
ASUN ranks: 6th in OB% (.467), 11th in OPS (.998), 13th in BA (.357).
Helped lead the Ospreys to the ASUN Graphite Division Title with a 22-2 ASUN record and the No. 10 ranking in the D1Softball Mid-Major Poll, as well as receiving votes in national polls.

"GSR came in and impacted us right away. She has such a bright future in this program. She's a worker who was rewarded being all-conference in a position that is really deep in this league."
-- head coach Jeff Conrad

Chloe Culp - ASUN Third Team All-Conference

Sixth Year; Tallahassee, Fla.

Batting .336 (45-for-134) with 45 hits, 36 RBI, 19 runs scored, 10 doubles and four home runs.
Also put together a .883 OPS with 69 total bases while starting 49 of 50 games.
Leads the team with a .435 BA (27-for-62) with 19 RBI, five doubles, a triple and a home run in ASUN play.
Has the fourth-best batting average in conference play with a top-10 mark in RBI and doubles as well.
Recorded a four-hit game, including the walk-off RBI single, against Jacksonville in River City Rumble.
Has notched eight multi-hit games, including five games with 3+ hits, and nine multi-RBI games with four games with 3+ RBI.
Ended the season with nine hits over last five games and 15 hits over last nine games.
Has posted three games of 3+ hits over the last nine games as well.
Helped lead the Ospreys to the ASUN Graphite Division Title with a 22-2 ASUN record and the No. 10 ranking in the D1Softball Mid-Major Poll, as well as receiving votes in national polls.

"Chloe [Culp] really elevated her game this year at a time when we really needed her too. People had little interest in pitching to Benny, and Chloe often made them pay for those decisions."
-- head coach Jeff Conrad

Kirsten Caravaca - ASUN Third Team All-Conference

Junior; Davie, Fla.

Batting .352 (51-for-145) with 51 hits, 29 RBI, 36 runs scored, 10 doubles, two triples and two home runs.
Also put together a .929 OPS with 71 total bases while starting 52 of 54 games played.
Holds a .323 BA (21-for-65) with 20 runs scored, 15 RBI and three doubles in ASUN play.
Leads the team in multi-hit games with 15 total on the season.
Notched seven multi-RBI games, including two three-RBI games in back-to-back games against Jacksonville and Stetson.
Also had a 12-game streak of reaching base towards the end of non-conference play.
Had five straight games with at least two hits, as well as two or more hits in seven of eight games.
Recorded at least one hit, one run and one RBI in the same game on 13 different occasions.
Ended the season with 13 hits over the last 12 games with hits recorded in 10 of the 12 matchups.
Smashed her first-career home run in her third collegiate season against Western Michigan.
Notched 22 assists, with 240 putouts and 266 chances in the field as the every-day first baseman.
ASUN ranks: 10th in doubles (10), 14th in BA (.352), 16th in runs (36), 20th in OPS (.929), 21st in hits (51), 26th in RBI (29), 26th in total bases (71).
Helped lead the Ospreys to the ASUN Graphite Division Title with a 22-2 ASUN record and the No. 10 ranking in the D1Softball Mid-Major Poll, as well as receiving votes in national polls.

"[Kirsten] 'Vaca had a tremendous year. Her versatility was such an asset to us this year. She started games at multiple positions and was a vital piece in the middle of our lineup all year."
-- head coach Jeff Conrad

Macie Hunolt - ASUN All-Freshman Team

Freshman; Moscow Mills, Mo.

ASUN Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 18)
Has a 2.69 ERA in 20 appearances, including 16 starts, with 58 strikeouts in 83.1 innings pitched.
Holds a 9-4 record with three complete games, three shutouts and a 1.14 WHIP.
Notched four games with five or more strikeouts this season, including a season-high 10 strikeouts against West Georgia in 5.1 IP.
Made seven starts with at least four innings pitched and no earned runs allowed.
Spun two complete-game shutouts this season with three hits allowed combined against MTSU and Army.
ASUN ranks: 8th in ERA (2.69), 11th in wins (9), 13th in strikeouts (58)
NCAA ranks: 14th in hit batters (2), 19th in BB/7 (1.30), 40th in K/BB ratio (3.73), 48th in WHIP (1.09), 80th in shutouts (3), 94th in ERA (2.69)
Helped lead the Ospreys to the ASUN Graphite Division Title with a 22-2 ASUN record and the No. 10 ranking in the D1Softball Mid-Major Poll, as well as receiving votes in national polls.

Taylor Cook - ASUN All-Freshman Team

Freshman; Moorpark, Calif.

ASUN Pitcher of the Week (Apr. 21)
Made 14 appearances with three starts totaling 27 strikeouts over 32.1 innings pitched.
Notched a 1.70 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP against ASUN opponents.
Holds a 2-1 overall record with a save, along with only 20 earned runs allowed for a 4.33 ERA.
Also notched seven strikeouts in five appearances and 12.1 innings pitched with a win in conference.
Was the opening day starter on the road against Florida for her first collegiate start.
Notched 13 combined strikeouts with only one earned run allowed in her first two home appearances.
Came in relief against Jacksonville to pitch five innings and strike out five batters with no earned runs allowed to assist in comeback win in the River City Rumble.
Helped lead the Ospreys to the ASUN Graphite Division Title with a 22-2 ASUN record and the No. 10 ranking in the D1Softball Mid-Major Poll, as well as receiving votes in national polls.

"There were a lot of really good newcomers in our league this year. Placing three on this team is a great accomplishment. We knew we brought in an elite recruiting class and this trio being represented really supports that."
-- head coach Jeff Conrad

Jeff Conrad, Mario Hernandez & Amber Fiser - ASUN Coaching Staff of the Year

Clinched Graphite Division & top seed in ASUN Championship during sweep against JU.
42-13 overall record, 22-2 ASUN record, 20-6 record at UNF Softball Complex.
First time in D-I program history with 20+ ASUN wins, third time with 40+ overall wins.
Won all eight ASUN series played in this season for first time in program history, including six sweeps.
Nine combined ASUN weekly awards this season (3 Players, 6 Pitchers).
Ranked 10th by the D1Softball Mid-Major Poll, 45th in NCAA RPI.
Top 12 nationally in ERA (2.39) & shutouts (14).
Reached 100 career wins during River City Rumble home weekend against JU.
Six batters hitting over .300 on team, eight batters hitting over .300 in ASUN play, including two over .400.

"There are a lot of outstanding coaches in this league. I'm humbled they chose me as the ASUN Coach of the Year. Even though my name is on the award, Mario [Hernandez] and Amber [Fiser] will enjoy every ounce of this as everything we do is a total team effort."
-- head coach Jeff Conrad