CARMEL, Ind. – The Franklin College softball team collected a haul of all-conference honors on Tuesday (May 14) morning, when the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced its list of all-conference winners.
 
Six total Grizzlies earned all-conference honors and Franklin collected two of the league's major awards for the season. Eriana Wagner became the second Franklin player to be named the HCAC Player of the Year, joining former Franklin standout Savannah Blevins who was the first Grizzly to earn the award back in 2017.
 
Head coach Angie Bain became the first Franklin boss to be named the HCAC Coach of the Year, guiding Franklin to 27 wins, a program record 15 conference wins, the number two seed in the HCAC Tournament and the program's first 10-game winning streak.
 
Joining Wagner on the HCAC First Team was juniors Molly Wallace and Genesis Munoz along with freshmen Kendall Lowry and Lauren Duncan. Senior shortstop Shelby Crockett was Franklin's lone representative on the league's second team.
 
Wagner turned in one of the most dominant seasons by someone in the blue and gold ever. The Indianapolis-native batted .481 with a program record 17 home runs, a number that still ranks second in the nation. Wagner also led the Grizzlies with 64 hits, 53 runs scored, 35 RBI, 27 walks, 12 stolen bases, a .962 slugging percentage and a .574 on-base percentage. She was a two-time HCAC Player of the Week and became a two-time First Team All-HCAC selection with her performance in 2024.
 
Munoz collected her third First Team All-HCAC selection after hitting .336 with 34 RBI, 44 hits, six doubles and a team-low five strikeouts among all qualified hitters. The Seymour, Ind.-native finished with 13 multi-hit games and finished her career with a .350 average, eight home runs and 101 RBI over 124 games as a Grizzly.
 
Wallace also collected her third First Team All-HCAC selection in as many years, starting all 41 games on the right side of the infield while batting .374 with three home runs, 28 RBI and a team-high 15 doubles. The Fort Wayne, Ind.-native finished with 53 hits, 32 runs scored and went a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts. She also earned the HCAC Hitter of the Week award for the first time in her career this spring.
 
Lowry was a breakout star as a true freshman, making 38 appearances with 36 starts and handling the bulk of the catching duties. The Mooresville, Ind.-native hit .382 with one home run, 25 RBI, 47 hits, 14 doubles and had a .931 OPS for the year.
 
Also enjoying a brilliant debut campaign was fellow battery mate Duncan, who emerged as Franklin's top pitcher during the season. The Peru, Ind.-native made 23 appearances with 21 starts in the circle, going 14-6 with a 2.68 ERA and 51 strikeouts over 120 innings on the mound.
 
Crockett closed out her career by picking up the second all-conference honor of her career, batting .333 with 18 RBI and 10 doubles her senior year while playing in all 41 games as the team's starting shortstop. The Pittsboro, Ind.-native added to a 2021 Second Team All-HCAC selection in her trophy case and she closed out her career as a .290 hitter with four home runs and 67 RBI in 161 career games.