CLEVELAND — The Mid-American Conference announced its end-of-the-year All-MAC/Specialty Awards on Tuesday. Seniors Rissa Bajusz, Haley Boxwell, and junior Payton Kelly garnered Mid-American Conference honors for the 2024 season. Bajusz would collect MAC Pitcher of the Year and All-MAC First Team accolades, while Kelly and Boxwell added All-MAC First Team and All-MAC Second Team honors to their career resumes. This spring, the trio of Broncos led the Western Michigan softball team to 27 wins for only the sixth time since 1998. 

Rissa Bajusz: MAC Pitcher of the Year, All-MAC First Team 

The senior Bajusz continued her historic season after becoming the first Bronco in program history to earn the MAC Pitcher of the Year title. During the 2024 campaign, Bajusz posted a career-high in wins (16) and strikeouts (209, fifth all-time in single-season history for WMU softball). Bajusz's 19 complete games this season ranks first in the MAC and was eighth in the NCAA at the time of her nomination. 

In the circle, Bajusz had nine games with 10 or more strikeouts, in addition to three games with nine total strikeouts. In MAC play, Bajusz tallied six games with nine or more strikeouts, including five-10 strikeout games. Additionally, in conference play, Bajusz dominated by leading the MAC in wins (11), complete games (11), shutouts (5), strikeouts looking (26), and opponent batting average (.167). The senior would also pace the conference with the lowest earned run average (1.74), opposing batting average (.167), batters struck out (216), and batters struck out looking (52). Bajusz would round out her impressive year by tying for the most saves in the MAC on the year (4) and was second in wins with 16.

In 2024, Bajusz earned three MAC Pitcher of the Week awards and became the first Bronco since Allyson Kus in 2016 to earn at least three MAC Pitcher of the Week honors in a single season. Bajusz started her season off strong by leading WMU to a 5-0 win over Pittsburgh on March 8, after limiting Pitt to four hits in a complete game shutout. With WMU's victory over Pitt, Bajusz propelled the Broncos to their first Power 5 win since February 8, 2020, versus Arizona State.

This year, Bajusz was first in the MAC in hits allowed per seven innings at 4.52, second in complete games, and first in the MAC with eight total shutouts. At the time of Bajusz's nomination, she was ranked 24th in strikeout to walk ratio in the NCAA with a ratio of 4.90 to 1. The closest pitcher in the MAC in strikeout-to-walk ratio to Bajusz was Alexis Lucyshyn (Buffalo) at 3.04 to 1 (113th in NCAA).

Bajusz ramped up her play in the month of April by earning a total of three NFCA Top Performance nods on April 2, 23, and 30, which marked the first three NFCA Top Performer selections of her career. The pitcher saw her stellar month of April continue during the week of April 8, after she was ranked 5th in the nation under D1Softball's Z-Contact rankings. In the circle, Bajusz collected a complete game win over Central Michigan on April 6, where she gave up one hit after striking out 12 batters, and would later see a three-hit complete game win over Kent State on April 14, behind 12 strikeouts and a two-hit complete game win over NIU on April 16, (13 strikeouts).  Later on April 30, with the help of two shutout wins over Bowling Green, Bajusz surpassed 500 career strikeouts and became the third Bronco in program history to achieve such a feat.

Payton Kelly: All-MAC First Team

The junior Kelly had a terrific season after notching 51 hits, (five home runs), 22 RBI, four (4-4) on stolen bases, and 72 total bases. Kelly is ranked 13th in the MAC in batting average (.356), is 30th in runs scored (26), has 51 hits which is 10th in the MAC, and is 21st in total bases with 74.  

This season, Kelly has 13 multi-hit games and counting, which leads WMU. She also saw five games with two RBI and one game with three RBI during the 2024 regular season. The outfielder is currently on an eight-game hitting streak which is her longest stretch of games this season recording a hit. Regardless of where she is in the lineup and the situation of the game, Kelly has found ways to be a crucial asset to WMU's success: As a leadoff batter, Kelly jump-started the Bronco offense in 2024 by batting a .464 batting average for the Brown and Gold. Down the lineup, Kelly has been clutch offensively for the Brown and Gold and posted a .500 batting average with the bases loaded for WMU. Additionally, with Kelly at the plate when the Broncos were down to their last out of the inning, the junior hit an efficient .295. 

The junior's bat has been so instrumental to WMU's success, that in games where she recorded at least one hit, the Broncos notched a 24-13 record (.648 win percentage). In games where Kelly did not record a hit, the Brown and Gold were 3-7 (.300 win percentage) this season. Kelly's success at the plate saw dividends and she was recently ranked 102nd in the nation as the toughest batter to strike out, with only seven strikeouts in her first 128 at bats of the season.  

Haley Boxwell: All-MAC Second Team

In 2024, the senior catcher Boxwell batted .327 on the year (third on WMU) and recorded 23 RBI. This year, Boxwell registered 10 multi-hit games and five games with multiple RBI. The catcher would also see success with sacrifice flies this season and ranked fourth nationally in sacrifice flyouts and was first in the MAC in sacrifice flies with seven. In comparison to all catchers in the NCAA, Boxwell's season total of seven sacrifice flies ranked second on the year. 

Boxwell saw a career year defensively in 2024 with a personal best of 199 putouts, which led the Brown and Gold during the regular season. Offensively, the senior recorded personal bests in hits (37), doubles (23), multi-hit games (9), and tied a season-high with three home runs. To round out her successful season, the catcher posted two, three-hit performances with her first in a 7-0 win vs. Monmouth on March 1 this year. Later, Boxwell tallied three hits again in a 10-2 win at Kent State on April 13. 

Bajusz, Kelly, Boxwell, and the rest of the WMU softball team will begin MAC Championship play on Wednesday, May 8, at 2:30 PM against the sixth-seed Ball State Cardinals on ESPN+.

For all things WMU softball, make sure to follow the team on Instagram @wmusoftball_, X @WMUSoftball, and Facebook @westernmichigansoftball.