Over the past several weeks, the University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics has been releasing its All-Decade Teams of the 2010s. For a full look at our All-Decade Teams for all 17 intercollegiate sports, check out the links at the bottom of the page.
DETROIT (5/22/2020) -- The University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics is unveiling its All-Decade Teams of the 2010s, compiling the best student-athletes across the past 10 seasons (2010-19) into a First and Second Team in each intercollegiate sport. Closing out our list of All-Decade Teams is a squad that won a Horizon League championship just last year in Detroit Mercy softball.
The Titans won their fifth conference championship in school history and first since 1992 last season, advancing to their first NCAA Tournament in program history in 2019. The Titans shutout UIC twice during the final day of the 2019 Horizon League Championship, winning 2-0 and 1-0 against the top-seeded and host Flames in Chicago. The Titans, under HL Coach of the Year John Conway, won a decade-high 31 games in 2019, while senior hurler
Ashley Mauser was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year. Junior pitcher
Liz Murphy was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 Horizon League Championship after firing back-to-back shutouts to help seal the crown.
The red, white and blue reached at least the semifinals in two of the final three seasons of the decade, winning seven total tournament games -- including three-straight in 2017 to reach the semifinals of the championship, before winning four of five at the 2019 championship to win it all. The 31 wins in 2019 were the most since 1991, while the 16 league wins last season were a school-record.
Detroit Mercy student-athletes earned All-Horizon League accolades 15 times during the decade, including First Team laurels seven times.
Courtney Gilbert was a three-time All-League player (2017-19), including twice as a First Team honoree.
Jordan Manno was also three-time All-Conference (2016, 2018-19), while Savvy Ferstle, Kayla Kostich and Christa McGahuey were each All-League twice for the Titans.
Additionally, eight Titans were named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer/Freshman Teams during the 10 years, including six players on the All-Decade Teams below.
Courtney Gilbert and
Liz Murphy were both also two-time All-Tournament (2017, 2019).
McGahuey broke the all-time home run record (28) in Detroit Mercy softball history in 2016, while Ferstle set a new Titan mark in Runs Batted In (113) and Mauser set a new mark in strikeouts (433) in a Titan career during the decade. Manno also set new records in games (210), games started (208) and runs (120) for Detroit Mercy.
Liz Murphy also posted a new career record in saves (nine), after tallying eight saves during the conference championship season of 2019.
After a standout season in the circle for the Titans during the 2019 season, Mauser was voted NFCA Third Team All-Region, marking the first time since the 2008 season that a Titan earned All-Region honors nationally.
Manno and Mauser both earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2019 after earning All-District laurels in the same season. Manno was Second Team All-America, while Mauser was voted to the Third Team. The duo were just the fourth and fifth softball student-athletes in school history to earn Academic All-America honors and first since 2007. Sara Cupp was also Academic All-District during the decade, earning the distinction in 2012. Manno was also the Athletic Department's President's Award winner in 2019.
All-League honors, award winners, standout and record-breaking performances, academic achievements and accolades as well as submissions from fans were all considered for each of the Detroit Mercy All-Decade Teams of the 2010s.
Detroit Mercy Softball All-Decade Team of 2010s
First Team
Ashley Mauser, P (2016-19)
Jordan Manno, C (2016-19)
Sara Cupp, 1B (2011-14)
Rachel Copple, 2B (2009-12)
Savvy Ferstle, 3B (2015-18)
Courtney Gilbert, SS (2017-19)
Kori Keyes, OF (2018-19)
Alyssa Schaub, OF (2012-13)
Laura Villagrana, OF (2016-17)
Christa McGahuey, DP (2013-16)
Second Team
Liz Murphy, P (2017-Pres.)
Jennifer Cottle, C (2015-16)
Leena Mortensen, 1B (2019-Pres.)
Alyssa James, 2B (2016-17)
Katelyn Steffel, 3B (2011-14)
Kayla Kostich, SS (2012-15)
Alexx Astorga, OF (2015)
Kat Hoffman, OF (2012-15)
Katy Severson, OF (2013-16)
Ellie Boteler, DP (2017-20)
Take a full look at our other All-Decade Teams:
April 13 --
Women's Soccer
April 15 --
Men's Soccer
