First Team • Gabby Palazzolo • Second Base • Sophomore • Sterling Heights, Mich.
 

The steady start to Palazzolo's career continued on Tuesday as she was named First-Team All-GLIAC for the second time in her career. A staple at the top of the Davenport lineup, Palazzolo hit .326 in 2021 (44-for-135) while ranking second in the league in triples with five and fifth in stolen bases with 17. In the program's career record book, the Sterling Heights native has climbed up to seventh and second in those categories with seven and 42, respectively. As a sophomore this season, the second baseman also tallied 26 runs scored, seven doubles, one home run, 16 RBI, a .474 slugging percentage, nine walks, three hit-by-pitches, and a .376 on-base percentage. Palazzolo enters the GLIAC Tournament on a 10-game hitting streak that has raised her batting average from .289 on April 24 to a season-high .326. In fact, her average was right at .200 just 12 games into the season and has gone up nearly every game since then thanks in part to 10 multi-hit games in that span, something she did just once in the 12 games before.

First Team • Alexis Koza • Catcher/Designated Player • Junior • Wyoming, Mich.
 

Already in her fourth season with the program, Koza has experienced a breakout campaign in 2021. Named First-Team All-GLIAC in 2019, the junior backstop has set new career highs or tied them in batting average (.331), hits (41), doubles (14), home runs (3), RBI (26), total bases (64), slugging percentage (.516), on-base percentage (.344), and stolen bases (4). Among the conference's leaders, she ranks first in doubles, ninth in RBI and third in runners caught stealing (7) from her post behind the plate. Much like Palazzolo, Koza didn't start the season the way she would've hoped as she was hitting just .100 (2-for-20) through her first 10 games. Then, in the first game at Saginaw Valley, she went 4-for-4 at the dish, and seemed to turn a corner and has been right around or above the .300 mark ever since. That 4-for-4 effort was the first of 13 in which Koza had two or more hits including a pair of stretches in which she did it in three-straight games.

First Team • Emma Miller • Left-Handed Pitcher • Sophomore • Mount Dora, Fla.
 

Speaking of breakout campaigns, Miller has experienced every bit of that and more in 2021. The southpaw is among the league's top 10 in several categories including wins with 11 (third), shutouts with three (third), appearances with 23 (fourth), complete games with 11 (fourth), games started with 17 (fifth), innings pitched with 113.2 (sixth), strikeouts with 65 (sixth), and ERA with 2.77 (ninth). Following an outing against Ohio Dominican, Miller's ERA had ballooned to 6.37, but Miller was determined to bring it down and did so quickly. In the 85.2 innings pitched following that appearance, Miller was one of the best pitchers in the conference. In that span alone, Miller's ERA was 1.63 in 15 appearances with 10 complete games, a 9-4 win-loss record, 42 strikeouts, and only 17 walks. That stretch lowered her ERA nearly four runs from 6.37 to 2.48 and it's been below 3.00 ever since.

Second Team • Rachel Griffin • First Base • Junior • Jackson, Mich.
 

Before her 2020 season was cut short, Griffin was arguably the hottest hitter on the planet with a near-.400 batting average (.392) and a ridiculous .941 slugging percentage. Fast forward to 2021 and the Jackson native has been nearly every bit as productive. Named GLIAC Player of the Week for the second time in her career on April 19, Griffin is second in the GLIAC in runs scored (35), second in slugging percentage (.661), third in triples (4), third in home runs (8), third in total bases (84), fifth in RBI (29), fifth in on-base percentage (.432), eighth in walks (15), and ninth in batting average (.362). Twice named Honorable Mention All-GLIAC and likely would have earned a First-Team nod in 2020, Griffin gets the first Second-Team honor of her career.
 

Second Team • Mariah Cura • Center Fielder • Redshirt Sophomore • Plainfield, Ill.
 

Taking over as the everyday center fielder in 2021, Cura has been one of Davenport's best power hitters this season with six long balls (third on the team) and a .492 slugging percentage (fourth on the team). The Illinois native has hit .283 (34-for-120) with 20 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, 20 RBI, five walks, two hit-by-pitches, and a .318 on-base percentage. Cura has had eight multi-hit games in 2021 including a career-high three in two outings. Her average was at its highest on April 17 at .300 following a seven-game span in which she went 9-for-21 (.429) at the plate. Power wise, three of her six home runs came in a four-game span, the doubleheaders against Wayne State and Purdue Northwest on March 28 and April 2.

Honorable Mention • Lindsay Goodman • Shortstop • Sophomore • Grand Ledge, Mich.
 

Prior to this season, Goodman had played in just five games without a start in her two seasons as a Panther. A starter in all 43 of the team's games in 2021, the sophomore shortstop is hitting .331 (43-for-130) with 17 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 25 RBI, a .569 slugging percentage, 14 walks, one hit-by-pitch, and a .400 on-base percentage. GLIAC wise, she ranks third in homers, eighth in total bases (74), eighth in slugging, 10th in RBI, and 10th in walks. Goodman was hitting .415 through the team's first 17 games, .402 through the first 27 and her average has been at least .330 every day since.

Honorable Mention • Rylie Kalina • Right Fielder • Junior • Midland, Mich.
 

In 76 career games played prior to this season, Kalina's batting average was .199 (31-for-156), but she's hit .276 (35-for-127) in 2021 alone. That line includes career highs of 17 runs scored, eight doubles, five home runs, 25 RBI, 58 total bases, and a .457 slugging percentage. The Midland native registered two or more hits in five of her first 12 games and was hitting .375 following that stretch. Her average was above .300 as late as April 11 at .308 following the first game of the Ferris State doubleheader. She'll enter the GLIAC Tournament on a 6-for-17 (.353) stretch.

Story by: Cooper Weidenthaler