Franklin College softball made history this season by winning 30 games and claiming a share of the HCAC regular-season championship for the first time. On Thursday, the conference rewarded the Grizzlies' top performers.

Three Griz standouts — junior pitcher Lauren Duncan, sophomore second baseman Jaylee Fansler and junior utility player Zoey Kugelman — were named to the All-HCAC first team, while junior catcher Kendall Lowry made the second team. Duncan was also selected as the league's Pitcher of the Year.

Duncan, a product of Peru, Indiana, was outstanding in the pitching circle all season long, posting a 13-5 record with one save and a 3.06 earned-run average. She struck out 78 batters while walking just 19 across 109.2 innings of work, going the distance in 12 of her 17 starts.

Fansler, who transferred to Franklin after one season at Ohio Northern, ranked among the league leaders in several offensive categories. The Bainbridge, Indiana native batted a team-high .464 with 13 doubles, six home runs, 40 runs batted in and a team-leading 53 runs scored. She drew 24 walks and struck out just eight times, finishing with an on-base plus slugging (OPS) of 1.283.

Kugelman, who primarily played third base but also pitched 59.1 innings, batted .416 and led the team with 62 hits and 17 doubles while scoring 40 runs and driving in 34. A native of Mooresville, Indiana, Kugelman posted a 2.48 ERA over 18 pitching appearances, eight of those starts.

Lowry, who also hails from Mooresville, paced the Griz with 41 RBIs while batting .371 with 13 doubles and two home runs. She struck out just four times on the year.

All four of Franklin's all-conference honorees are expected to return and lead a strong core in 2027; the Grizzlies return all but two lineup regulars and bring back their three leading pitchers.