SLU junior Abby Mallo was named Atlantic 10 Conference Softball Co-Player of the Year on Wednesday. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Nora Nichols
Staff Writer
The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its annual softball season awards and all-conference teams on Wednesday.
Saint Louis University standouts Abby Mallo, Chloe Rhine, and head coach Christy Connoyer were among those honored by the league.
Mallo, SLU’s junior catcher and designated hitter, was named Atlantic 10 Softball Co-Player of the Year, along with Fordham’s Sydney Wells. This was the first time a Saint Louis player was named A-10 Player of the Year.
Rhine was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Year and Connoyer was voted A-10 Coach of the Year for the second time in the last three seasons.
SLU softball slugger Abby Mallo (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The Oak Lawn, Ill., native leads the A-10 in home runs (18), RBIs (73) and total bases (125) — school records in all three categories — as well as runners caught stealing (12).
Nationally, Mallo ranks fourth in RBIs, 25th in home runs, 37th in total bases and 39th in runners caught stealing. She was named A-10 Player of the Week four times this season and she also is among the league leaders in hits (second, team-high 59), slugging percentage (third, team-high .776), doubles (tied for third, team-high 12), batting average (fifth, team-high .366), sacrifice flies (tied for fifth, team-high-tying three), runs (tied for seventh, 37) and on-base percentage (10th, .447).
Earlier this season, Mallo became SLU’s all-time career home runs leader. She now has 41. And she is within striking distance of the all-time RBIs record of 183. Mallo currently has 157.
SLU junior shortstop Chloe Rhine was named the 2025 Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Softball Defensive Player of the Year. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Rhine, SLU’s talented junior shortstop, ranks second in the conference with 114 assists and has been a part of 11 of the Billikens’ league-leading 24 double plays. The Fenton, Mo., native, who went to Rockwood Summit High School, has a .962 fielding percentage in all games, and she committed only two errors in 88 chances in A-10 action for a .977 mark.
SLU women’s softball coach Christy Connoyer. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Connoyer led Saint Louis to an A-10 regular-season runner-up finish. The Billikens reached 30 wins, including a school-record 15-game winning streak, for a third successive year and earned a third straight A-10 Championship first-round bye.
Other Billiken players honored by the A-10 include senior left fielder Natalie Sullivan and senior pitcher Taylor Hochman who were voted to the All-Conference second team, and redshirt-freshman pitcher Anna Christ and freshman designated hitter Scout Gallagher, who were named to the A-10 All-Rookie team, giving Saint Louis at least two All-Rookie choices for a fourth consecutive year.
Saint Louis will begin play in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament on Thursday. The Billikens are the No. 2 seed and earned a first-round bye.
The tournament is being played in Washington, D.C., this season, with the championship game scheduled for Saturday.
2025 SLU BILLIKENS SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Tournament | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 6, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 pm | Neutral | Southern Indiana | Honolulu, Hawaii | Paradise Classic | L, 3-4 |
| February 7, 2025 (Friday) | 4 pm | Neutral | Santa Clara | Honolulu, Hawaii | Paradise Classic | W, 4-3 |
| February 7, 2025 (Friday) | 9 pm | Away | Hawaii | Honolulu, Hawaii | Paradise Classic | L, 2-5 |
| February 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Neutral | Santa Clara | Honolulu, Hawaii | Paradise Classic | L, 4-6 |
| February 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Neutral | Southern Indiana | Honolulu, Hawaii | Paradise Classic | W, 2-1 |
| February 20, 2025 (Thursday) | 9 am | Neutral | Evansville | Peoria, Ill. | W, 12-2 (5) | |
| February 20, 2025 (Thursday) | 11 am | Neutral | Evansville | Peoria, Ill. | L, 1-11 (6) | |
| February 23, 2025 (Sunday) | 3 pm | Neutral | Northern Illinois | St. Charles, Mo. (Lindenwood) | W, 6-0 | |
| February 24, 2025 (Monday) | 10 am | Neutral | Green Bay | St. Charles, Mo. (Lindenwood) | W, 7-3 | |
| February 24, 2025 (Monday) | Noon | Neutral | Green Bay | St. Charles, Mo. (Lindenwood) | L, 3-4 | |
| February 28, 2025 (Friday) | 9 am | Neutral | St. John’s | Kennesaw, Ga. | Kennesaw State Tournament | L, 3-4 (8) |
| February 28, 2025 (Friday) | Noon | Neutral | East Tennessee State | Kennesaw, Ga. | Kennesaw State Tournament | L, 3-5 |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Neutral | Rider | Kennesaw, Ga. | Kennesaw State Tournament | W, 13-1 (5) |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 6 pm | Away | Kennesaw State | Kennesaw, Ga. | Kennesaw State Tournament | L, 6-7 (8) |
| March 2, 2025 (Sunday) | 9 am | Neutral | Rider | Kennesaw, Ga. | Kennesaw State Tournament | W, 5-4 (8) |
| March 7, 2025 (Friday) | 2 pm | Away | Illinois | Urbana-Champaign, Ill. | L, 0-5 | |
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 11 am | Away | Purdue | West Lafayette, Ind. | Boilermaker Classic | W, 8-5 |
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 4 pm | Neutral | Bradley | West Lafayette, Ind. | Boilermaker Classic | L, 4-5 |
| March 9, 2025 (Sunday) | 11 am | Neutral | Bradley | West Lafayette, Ind. | Boilermaker Classic | L, 0-7 |
| March 9, 2025 (Sunday) | 1:30 pm | Away | Purdue | West Lafayette, Ind. | Boilermaker Classic | L, 2-4 |
| March 11, 2025 (Tuesday) | Noon | Home | South Dakota State | Billiken Sports Center | L, 1-10 (5) | |
| March 12, 2025 (Wednesday) | 2 pm | Away | Western Illinois | Macomb, Ill. | W, 8-5 | |
| March 14, 2025 (Friday) | 1 pm | Away | Dayton | Dayton, Ohio | L, 0-4 | |
| March 14, 2025 (Friday) | 3:30 pm | Away | Dayton | Dayton, Ohio | L, 8-13 | |
| March 15, 2025 (Saturday) | Noon | Away | Dayton | Dayton, Ohio | L, 1-5 | |
| March 19, 2025 (Wednesday) | 5 pm | Home | Lindenwood | Billiken Sports Center | W, 11-3 (6) | |
| March 21, 2025 (Friday) | 6 pm | Home | Fordham | Billiken Sports Center | W, 10-2 (6) | |
| March 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Home | Fordham | Billiken Sports Center | W, 6-0 | |
| March 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Home | Fordham | Billiken Sports Center | L, 1-6 | |
| March 26, 2025 (Wednesday) | 5 pm | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Billiken Sports Center | W, 9-5 | |
| March 29, 2025 (Saturday) | 11 am | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. | L, 2-3 (8) | |
| March 29, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. | W, 8-3 | |
| March 30, 2025 (Sunday) | 11 am | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. | W, 8-1 | |
| April 1, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | SIU-Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL | L, 5-6 | |
| April 6, 2025 (Sunday) | 3 pm | Home | George Washington | Billiken Sports Center | W, 3-0 | |
| April 6, 2025 (Sunday) | 5 pm | Home | George Washington | Billiken Sports Center | W, 9-0 (5) | |
| April 7, 2025 (Monday) | Noon | Home | George Washington | Billiken Sports Center | W, 3-0 | |
| April 9, 2025 (Wednesday) | Noon | Home | Loyola Chicago | Billiken Sports Center | W, 7-3 | |
| April 9, 2025 (Wednesday) | 2 pm | Home | Loyola Chicago | Billiken Sports Center | W, 3-2 (8) | |
| April 14, 2025 (Monday) | 9 am | Away | Rhode Island | Kingston, R.I. | W, 3-0 | |
| April 14, 2025 (Monday) | 11 am | Away | Rhode Island | Kingston, R.I. | W, 8-0 | |
| April 16, 2025 (Wednesday) | 4 pm | Home | Eastern Illinois | Billiken Sports Center | Canceled | |
| April 17, 2025 (Thursday) | 6 pm | Home | George Mason | Billiken Sports Center | W, 7-0 | |
| April 18, 2025 (Friday) | 11 am | Home | George Mason | Billiken Sports Center | W, 8-6 (8) | |
| April 18, 2025 (Friday) | 1 pm | Home | George Mason | Billiken Sports Center | W, 3-2 | |
| April 23, 2025 (Wednesday) | 5 pm | Away | Lindenwood | St. Charles, MO | W, 4-3 | |
| April 26, 2025 (Saturday) | Noon | Home | St. Bonaventure | Billiken Sports Center | W, 15-6 | |
| April 26, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | St. Bonaventure | Billiken Sports Center | W, 3-0 | |
| April 27, 2025 (Sunday) | Noon | Home | St. Bonaventure | Billiken Sports Center | W, 18-0 | |
| May 3, 2025 (Saturday) | 11 am | Away | Massachusetts | Amherst, Mass. | W, 3-1 | |
| May 3, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | Massachusetts | Amherst, Mass. | L, 6-2 | |
| May 4, 2025 (Sunday) | 11 am | Away | Massachusetts | Amherst, Mass. | L, 4-3 (8) | |
| May 7-11, 2025 | TBA | Neutral | Atlantic 10 Championship | Washington, D.C. | Atlantic 10 Conference Championship | |
| May 16-18, 2025 | TBA | Neutral | NCAA Regional | TBA | NCAA Regionals | |
| May 23-25, 2025 | TBA | Neutral | NCAA Super Regional | TBA | NCAA Super Regionals | |
| May 29 – June 5 (Thursday) | TBA | Neutral | Women’s College World Series | Oklahoma City, Okla. | Women’s College World Series |