FOREST, Va. --- Five-time defending champion Virginia Wesleyan University collected 10 all-conference honors plus four special individual plaudits to headline the 2021 All-ODAC Softball Awards.

Marlins catcher Jessica Goldyn earned ODAC Player of the Year laurels, while VWU lefty Hanna Hull garnered ODAC Pitcher of the Year recognition for the fourth time in as many chances. Marlins mentor Brandon Elliott picked up ODAC Coach of the Year honors from his peers, and VWU righty Emily Seale received ODAC Rookie of the Year distinction. University of Lynchburg shortstop Kayla Hugate was tabbed the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete by the league's athletic communications personnel.

While it has been two years since softball recognized its all-conference standouts, several stars that appeared on the 2019 lists have earned honors this season. That includes seven members of the 2021 All-ODAC First Team. Goldyn and Hull along with teammates Katelyn Biando (2B), Julia Sinnett (SS), and Madison Glaubke (OF) -- the 2018 ODAC Player of the Year who just set the NCAA career record for games played at 211 this weekend -- repeat as first teamers. Bridgewater College third baseman Katrina Martin was an All-ODAC Second Team pick, while Emory & Henry College pitcher and outfielder Alex Braun made the jump from the All-ODAC Third Team.

Lynchburg's Hugate and Eastern Mennonite University designated player Sierra Lantz earned 2021 second team spots after picking up the same recognition in 2019.

RELATED: 2019 All-ODAC Softball Teams | All-Time All-ODAC Softball Teams

Goldyn, a senior from Virginia Beach, Va., has been nothing short of stellar as the Marlins leadoff hitter, although not necessarily prototypical in setting the table given her ability to hit for power and drive in runs. Goldyn leads the country in stolen bases (63) and triples (9) and ranks second in hits (66), total bases (118), and stolen bases per game (1.47). Each of those totals leads the ODAC. She also tops the conference lists in RBI with 47, which sits ninth in Division III. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Goldyn leads league charts in batting (.478) and on-base percentage (.563) while ranking second in slugging (.855). She is also #1 in runs scored (58) and walks (27). Her 19 doubles are second in the ODAC and third in the country behind national leaders Alex Braun from fellow ODAC member Emory & Henry College and Taylor Senter from Transylvania University. Goldyn, who has collected 33 extra-base hits when adding five homers to her double and triples totals, has hit safely in 35-of-43 games played with 20 multi-hit efforts. She has reached base via hit or walk in 39 games.

Hull, a graduate student from Chesterfield, Va., has not only rewritten the ODAC pitching record books, but now has her eyes set on NCAA records with Virginia Wesleyan awaiting play in the upcoming Division III Softball Tournament. Hull is already the winningest pitcher in Division III history, currently boasting 127 career victories. She is nearly to fifth place (1,315) on the D-III career strikeouts list at 1,309 following the ODAC Tournament. This season, Hull is 18-3 with a save in 25 total appearances including 21 starts. She has registered 11 complete games with five shutouts. While her walk totals are elevated (85) this season, she has allowed only 53 hits resulting in a .137 opponents batting average. She has fanned a league-best 156 batters at a 9.36 per seven innings clip over 116.2 frames in the circle. Her 1.56 ERA sits third in the league. Her victory and shutout totals also lead the conference.

Elliott is in the midst of his 14th full season guiding the Marlins softball program. This is the eighth overall and fourth straight season he has been honored as the ODAC’s top coach, joining the awards he earned in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Virginia Wesleyan is currently the #2 team in the country according to the latest NFCA coaches poll and just captured an ODAC-record 13th conference title. It marked the Marlins fifth consecutive league crown, making them the first squad in ODAC softball history to win that many titles in a row. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Elliott’s career record stands at 498-115-1 (.812) including 206-42 (.831) in ODAC regular season games. His teams have captured eight of the Marlins’ 13 conference championships.

Seale, a first-year from Madison, Va., had a stellar first season in Virginia Beach. Seale is tied with Hull for the lead league in victories with an 18-2 record. Her 1.14 ERA leads the ODAC along with her 26 appearances and 21 games started. In an ODAC second-best 116.1 innings in the circle, Seale has walked just 26 batters and fanned 54. She has surrendered 87 hits for a .199 opponents' batting average. She won 10 straight decisions during the middle part of the campaign, which came after opening her collegiate career with five wins in her first seven appearances. Seale enters her first NCAA Tournament on the heels of three ODAC Tournament wins where she gave up only one unearned run on 11 hits in 19 innings.

Hugate, a graduate student from Midlothian, Va., pairs this honor with her fourth appointment to the All-ODAC Second Team. Hugate shines both on and off the field for Lynchburg. She finished her undgraduate career with a 3.89 grade point average as a biomedical science major with a minor in studio art. She currently owns a 4.0 grade point average as she pursues her Master's Degree in public health. A graduate assistant with the Beard Center for Aging, Hugate is a sergeant with the University of Lynchburg EMS. She organized a campus-wide mask drive and worked thru the pandemic as a CNA/ER tech at Johnson Willis Hospital in Richmond. The 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree has also served on the Lynchburg SAAC and as a facilitator for the One Love Foundation escalation workshop.

On the field, Hugate hit .376 with an ODAC fifth-best .484 on-base percentage. She ranks second in walks (25), fourth in runs (34), and sixth in hits (47) and doubles (11). She registered at least one hit in 30-of-47 games played with 13 multi-hit outings. Lynchburg's shortstop will graduate having played in 203 career games, which ranks sixth in Division III history. She is the ODAC's all-time leader in defensive assists (435) and ranks inside the top-10 with 223 career hits.

Listed below are the full All-ODAC Softball Teams.  For more information, visit the websites of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow the @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

2021 ALL-ODAC SOFTBALL AWARDS
ODAC Player of the Year: Jessica Goldyn, Sr., C, Virginia Wesleyan
ODAC Pitcher of the Year: Hanna Hull, Gr., Virginia Wesleyan
ODAC Coach of the Year: Brandon Elliott, Virginia Wesleyan
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Emily Seale, Fy., P, Virginia Wesleyan
ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete: Kayla Hugate, Gr., SS, Lynchburg