GREENVILLE, S.C. – The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) announced it 2024 All-Central Region Team as MACU softball had four players earn the regional accolade while head coach Jim Gasso was named the region's Coach of the Year.

Being tabbed to the All-Region Team were senior pitchers Rachel Eggleston and Avery Schneringer along with junior third baseman Kisbel Vizcaya and junior outfielder Brooklyn Wilson.

The NCCAA All-Region Team is voted upon by the region's head coaches and consists of 15 players across the 12 teams that make up the Central Region, including: Arlington Baptist, Central Christian, Dallas Christian, Ecclesia, Kansas Christian, Mid-America Christian, Mission, Southwestern Assemblies of God, Southwestern Christian, Sterling, Wayland Baptist and York.

In Coach Gasso's first year with the program, the Evangels are heading to their first NAIA Tournament Opening Round after wrapping up Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament play with a 36-15 overall record while MACU posted its best record ever in SAC play at 27-9. MACU also picked up a pair NAIA Top 10 wins this season on Mar. 22 and 23 when the Evangels handed No. 4 Science & Arts a pair of 3-2, 2-0 losses inside Bill Smith Ballpark, being the last team to defeat the SAC Tournament Champion Drovers this season.

Earning her third NCCAA All-Region honor, Eggleston once again led a strong MACU pitching staff, posting a 12-5 record in the circle with a 2.35 ERA while tossing 10 complete games and two shutouts. Over 119.1 innings of work, the Kiowa, Oklahoma native has struck out 106 batters and only issued 24 walks.

The senior righty has been particularly great over her last 48 innings of work. After throwing 4.2 innings of scoreless relief in an 8-7 comeback win at Texas Wesleyan on Mar. 29, Eggleston has allowed only 11 earned runs in eight appearances for a 1.60 ERA to go with 45 strikeouts during that stretch.

As a result of her great season, Eggleston was named to the All-SAC First Team for the third consecutive year.

After getting off to a tough start to the season, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.34 ERA through Mar. 11, Schneringer has put together a remarkable second half of the season to finish SAC postseason play with an 11-3 record and a 2.56 ERA to go with a pair of saves over 106.2 innings pitched.

The Blanchard, Oklahoma product's turnaround came when she recorded a save in a 5-2 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State before following it up with back-to-back complete game shutouts, including shutting out No. 4 Science & Arts for the Drovers' only goose egg of the season on Mar. 23. It was a performance that earned Schneringer the NAIA Pitcher of the Week award, becoming MACU Softball's first ever NAIA Player or Pitcher of the Week.

Schneringer also brought her A-game into the SAC Tournament last weekend as she allowed only two earned runs in 17.2 innings of work in a pair of matchups against No. 6 Science & Arts and a complete game shutout win against Texas Wesleyan.

At the conclusion of the regular season, Schneringer was selected for All-SAC honors for the third time in her career while being named to the First Team for the first time after collecting Second Team honors the last two seasons.

Batting out of the leadoff spot for MACU during most of the season, Vizcaya wrapped up SAC tourney play leading the team in batting average (.345) while also leading the team in runs scored (36) and stolen bases (23). In 47 games this season, Vizcaya has hit four doubles, three triples and two homers to go with 20 RBIs.

The Venezuelan third baseman put together her best work in a doubleheader sweep over Southwestern on Mar. 6, when she batted a combined 7-for-9 and scored five runs in the 23-1, 8-7 victories over the Moundbuilders. Vizcaya's biggest hit of the year came in the 11^th inning against Texas Wesleyan in the SAC Tournament on May 3 when she slapped the walk-off RBI single to right to wrap-up a thrilling 5-4 comeback win.

Vizcaya was one of three MACU standouts to garner All-SAC First Team honors in her first season with the program.

Rounding out the All-Region Team, Wilson had always been a great defensive player for the Evangels, but had elevated her game from the plate during the 2024 season. At the conclusion of SAC Tournament play, the Oklahoma City product leads the team in RBIs (35) and doubles (13) while posting the team's second-best slugging percentage (.497), third-best batting average (.318), third-most triples (4) and third-most home runs (2).

Wilson started off the season on a tear from the plate, garnering the first SAC Player of the Week award of the season while tallying nine RBIs with three doubles and a .412 batting average through her first five games and notched a season-high three RBIs with a triple in a 2-for-4 performance in a 7-2 win at Texas Wesleyan on Mar. 28.

On-top of being selected to the All-SAC Second Team, Wilson was named to the SAC Gold Glove team for the second-straight year after posting a .974 fielding percentage in 72 chances to go with six outfield assists.

Mid-America Christian will start its NAIA Tournament run on Monday as the Evangels will start the NAIA Opening Round against No. 5 seed Dickinson State with a noon first pitch in Fayette, Missouri.

*-denotes NCCAA Central Region Player of the Year