MCAC Softball All-Division and All-MCAC Team Announced

The Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) has announced the 2025 MCAC Softball All-Division awards and the All-MCAC Team.

Faith Kazemba, a third baseman and catcher for Minnesota West Community and Technical College, has earned the 2025 South Division Softball Player-of-the-Year honor.  In 19 games, Kazemba made 82 plate appearances and hit .544 on the season. She picked up 37 hits with 11 doubles and two home runs. Kazemba drove in 45 runs and scored 27. She walked 8 times and only struck out four.  In the field, Kazemba had a .986 fielding percentage. In 72 total chances, she had 55 put outs and 16 assists. The freshman from Round Lake, MN, was ranked second in the MCAC South Division in doubles and runs batted in and 5th in runners caught stealing (3).  

Greg Thorstad, head coach at St. Cloud Technical and Community College, was named the MCAC South Division Coach of the Year.  Under Coach Thorstad's direction, the Cyclones finished the season with a 33-11 overall record and went 11-1 in the MCAC South Division. Thorstad's team won the South Division title during the regular season and were the runners-up in the NJCAA Region 13B Tournament, losing in the championship game of the tournament to the NJCAA #1 ranked North Dakota State College of Science.

Central Lakes College pitcher and shortstop, Kaitlyn Geschwill, earned the MCAC North Division Player-of-the-Year honor for the second consecutive season.  In the pitching circle, Geschwill made 25 appearances and started 19 of them, earning a record of 15-5 with one save. She ranked first in the MCAC North Division in complete games with 15 and in shutouts with 4. Geschwill ranked first in the MCAC in strikeouts with 153 and gave up only 34 earned runs in 124.2 innings pitched.  Her earned run average of 1.91 was tops in the MCAC North. Offensively, in her 177 plate appearances, Geschwill hit .399 on the season and led the North Division in hits with 59 and runs scored with 62. She had 14 doubles, a triple, and five home runs. The Pequot Lakes, MN, sophomore stole 15 bases and walked 25 times. 

Central Lakes College head softball coach Ray Austin earned the MCAC North Division Coach-of-the-Year honor.  Coach Austin led the Raiders to a 32-11 overall record, and his team was perfect in the MCAC North Division with a 20-0 record. The Raiders were the North Division champions and earned the top seed in the NJCAA Region 13A Tournament. Central Lakes punched their ticket to the 2025 NJCAA DIII Softball National Tournament by winning the Region 13A Tournament over Minnesota West Community and Technical College in the championship game. The Raiders await their seeding for nationals and will begin play on May 21 in DeWitt, NY.

MCAC Softball was split into two divisions during the 2025 season with Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Ridgewater College, Rochester Community and Technical College, and St. Cloud Technical and Community College competing in the South Division.  Central Lakes College, Minnesota North College-Itasca, Minnesota North College-Mesabi Range, Minnesota North College-Rainy River, Minnesota North College-Vermilion, and Northland Community and Technical College competed in the North Division.

Following the conclusion of the regular season, MCAC softball coaches nominated and voted on players from each division to be named to the first or second team of the respective divisions.  The top-ranked player from each division was named the Player of the Year.  The coach of the year was also voted on for each division.  

The first team members from each all-division team were also named to the All-MCAC Team.

MCAC North All-Division Team

All-MCAC Team

 https://www.mcacsports.org/general/2024-25/releases/20250516lh08vw