May 6, 2008

2008 All-Conference Teams

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Saint Joseph's sophomore catcher Brooke Darreff and UMass junior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter have been named the 2008 Atlantic 10 Softball Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, in voting conducted among the Conference's head coaches. This is Balschmiter's third-straight Pitcher of the Year award. In that same vote, Umass designated player Lindsay Maroney was tabbed as the Rookie of the Year and Elaine Sortino of Massachusetts was named Coach of the Year for the second straight year and ninth time overall. Additionally, senior Brianna Bricker, a third baseman and pitcher from St. Bonaventure, repeats as the Student-Athlete of the Year in voting among the Conference's sports information directors.

Darreff enters this week's Atlantic 10 Championship (May 7-10) boasting a .472 batting average, good for fourth nationally. The sophomore from Hartsville, Pa., also ranks ninth nationally in on-base percentage (.550) and is 39th in the nation in doubles per game (0.31). She has reached base safely in 36 of 39 games played and is batting .512 with runners in scoring position and .750 with a runner at third and less than two outs.

Balschmiter, who garners her third-straight A-10 Pitcher of the Year award, enters the Championship with the nation's lowest ERA at 0.53. She has appeared in 35 games while tossing 16 shutouts and five no-hitters, including two perfect games. A native of Newark, N.Y., she has held opponents to a .136 batting average and has currently recorded 20 wins in a row and 71 consecutive scoreless innings. She was named the A-10 Pitcher of the Week a league-record nine times and set a UMass record with 14 strikeouts in a five-inning game against Temple on Apr. 13. The junior is just the second player in league history to earn three Pitcher of the Year honors, joining former Massachusetts standout Danielle Henderson (1997-99) as the only players to hold that distinction.

Maroney has had an impressive rookie campaign for the nationally-ranked Minutewomen. She ranks second on the squad in both batting average (.370) and slugging percentage (.605) and leads the team in on-base percentage (.422). The designated player from Bradford, Mass., has two grand slams on the year and is 6-for-7 in stolen base attempts. The freshman is hitting .500 with the bases loaded and .448 with two outs.

Joining Darreff, Balschmiter and Maroney on the All-Conference first-team are Sarah Reeves, Whitney Mollica and Carly Normandin of Massachusetts; Charlotte's Sarah Malene; Rachel Heet of Saint Louis; Fordham's Melissa Andrews; Erika Rosenwinkel of Saint Joseph's; and St. Bonaventure's Sherri Thompson.

The All-Conference second-team consists of St. Bonaventure's Brianna Bricker; Courtney Norene of Temple; Stephanie Mott and Allison Twarowski of Fordham; Whitney Williams, Lauren Proctor and Jessica Serio of Massachusetts; Charlotte's Whitney Williams; Chrysanthi Halkiotis and Amanda Gabriel of George Washington; and Dani Gonzales from Saint Joseph's.

The All-Rookie team includes Maroney and Williams from Charlotte, along with Jocelyn Dearborn and Samantha Pellechio of Fordham; St. Bonaventure's Kara Morenus; Ali Shepherd of La Salle; Emily Stegeman of Dayton; George Washington's Katie Terrazas; and Caitlin Trevillyan of Saint Louis.

Bricker earns Student-Athlete of the Year honors for the second straight year after leading the Bonnies in batting average (.346), runs (30), hits (47) and home runs (six). A second-team All-Conference team selection, she sits atop the all-time SBU home run list with 23 homers and ranks in the top ten of nearly every school career batting category. Bricker, who hails from Albion, Pa., sports a 3.92 grade point average as a management sciences major.

Along with Bricker, the softball Academic All-Conference team consists of Lorena Floccari of Saint Louis; Dayton's Erin LaFayette and Laura Matthews; Carrie Higdon of George Washington; Charlotte's Sarah Malene; Kelsey Moir of Saint Joseph's; Temple's Courtney Norene; Lauren Proctor of Massachusetts; and Fordham's Allison Twarowski.

Now in her 28th year at Massachusetts, Sortino has made winning a habit. The A-10 Coach of the Year has earned the award an unprecedented nine times, this time for leading her Minutewomen to their 20th A-10 regular season title, a perfect 20-0 record in Conference play and earning her 1,000th career win. She became just the 11th coach in NCAA history and eighth in Division I annals to reach the 1,000- win plateau. Under her direction, top-seeded UMass enters the A-10 Championship riding a 26-game winning streak.