It's been eight years since Linfield softball last had multiple All-Americans in the same season. That all changed on Tuesday when the Wildcats' Katie Phillips and Tayah Kelley were two of 54 players voted to the 2022 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-America teams.
 
The three NFCA All-America teams were made up of student-athletes from 36 different programs. Phillips was named a First Team All-American while Kelley earned an at-large Second Team All-America nod. The two become the first All-Americans for Linfield since Makenna Clizer in 2019. It's the first time the 'Cats had more than one All-American since Ashley Garcia (First Team) and Karina Paavola (Third Team) earned the honor in 2014. Phillips and Kelley are both also Top-25 finalists for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player and Pitcher of the Year awards.
 
The 11^th Linfield player to be named the NWC Player of the Year, Phillips batted .405 with a .409 on-base percentage and a .624 slugging percentage during her senior campaign. The left fielder leads Division III with 70 hits while also ranking ninth with 19 doubles. The Tustin, California, native also notched 46 runs and 42 RBI to go with five triples and 108 total bases.
 
A junior from Myrtle Creek, Oregon, Kelley earned the NWC Pitcher of the Year award, marking the first time that Linfield took both top NWC awards since the 2013 season. Kelley finished the season with a 25-5 record in the circle, the 25 wins ranking tied for No. 3 in the nation. She tossed 22 complete games and six shutouts while picking up a pair of saves in 180.2 innings pitched. Kelley led the NWC with a .181 opposing batting average and a 1.78 ERA and ranks No. 4 in Division III with 252 strikeouts, a Linfield single-season record. She was named the Linfield Female Co-Athlete of the Year.
 
Linfield finished the season at 38-9 overall and 25-3 in NWC play. The 'Cats won their 17^th NWC regular season title before claiming their eighth NWC Tournament championship in 11 seasons. Their postseason run ended on Championship Saturday in the NCAA Division III Regionals.