Saluga, Knipe, Pratt Take Athlete of the Year Honors in PSAC Softball
2013 Softball All-PSAC
Lock Haven, Pa. –
Katie Saluga of Slippery Rock,
Brianna Knipe of Kutztown, and
Kate Pratt of Mansfield were named the Athletes of the Year for their respective divisions. On the mound,
Alex Sagl of California,
Emily Estep of Shippensburg and
Cait Paine of Bloomsburg were deemed the Pitchers of the Year. Cal’s
Lindsay Reicoff,
Sierra Wagner of East Stroudsburg and
Megan Miller of Mansfield all earned Freshman of the Year recognition. The Coaches of the Year were selected with
Rick Bertagnolli of Cal earning the West honors,
Bob Brookens of Shippensburg clinching the East Coach of the Year and
Edith Gallagher of Mansfield being named the Central Coach of the Year.
Salgua, The Rock’s catcher, not only led her squad this season in batting average with a .434 but also led the conference. She racked-up a team-high 56 hits while driving-in 32 runs. The senior capped the season with a team-leading .736 slugging percentage, while hitting .368 in conference play.
Kutztown’s Knipe, the 2013 PSAC Softball Championship Most Valuable Player, knocked in the game winning run with a three-run homerun in the bottom of the 10
th inning in the league championship game against California. The shortstop is hitting .371 on the season with 53 hits and 29 RBI.
Kate Pratt of Mansfield earned Central Athlete of the Year as a pitcher-shortstop. Pratt drove-in 50 Mountie runs this season, enough to rank ninth in all of Division II. Pratt’s .396 batting average is among the top ten in the league, while her 17 homeruns this season top her conference opponents. In the pitching circle, Pratt carried a 2.33 ERA throughout her junior campaign while fanning 68 batters.
Freshman hurler Sagl carries the fourth lowest ERA (1.50) into NCAA Atlantic Regional play. Sagl has
anned 165 batters in her 135.2 innings of work on the mound so far this season. Sagl has an 18-2 record with three saves, while surrendering less than 30 earned runs. The All-Conference honoree is joined by her teammate
Hope Spancake as the other Western Division pitcher All-PSAC selection.
Emily Estep of Shippensburg registered the best ERA in the league against PSAC opponents with 0.64 in 55 innings of work. On the season Estep accumulated 150 strikeouts with a 1.35 ERA that ranks 17
th in Division II, while allowing 25 earned runs in 130 innings pitched. This season marks the first All-Conference selection for the hurler who amassed a 15-6 record in her junior season.
Bloomsburg’s Cait Paine led the conference this season in strikeouts with 274 giving her 783 for her career, the most in Bloomsburg University history. In addition, her 1.66 ERA is the seventh-best mark in the PSAC. She also has the second lowest opponent batting average in the conference, as foes are hitting just .183 off her this season.
California’s Lindsay Reicoff led the Vulcans in her freshman season with a .415 batting average accumulated through 40 starts at primarily first base. Reicoff drove in 41 runs couple with 12 doubles and as many homeruns to earn All-Conference honors. Additionally, Reicoff is second in the league in slugging percentage with .785, only behind West Athlete of the Year Kate Pratt.
Sierra Wagner of East Stroudsburg led her team in batting average for most of the season, finishing at .309 (38-for-123) with a .370 on-base percentage, five doubles, one home run, 13 RBI and 21 runs scored. In ESU’s freshman record book, she ranks third in on-base percentage, tied for third in runs and tied for fourth in hits.
Megan Miller of Mansfield hit over .250 as a rookie outfielder for the Mounties. Miller started 34 games for Mansfield and amassed 27 hits, six doubles, drove-in 16 runs, and scored on 14 occasions. On defense, the freshman committed just one error all season with 25-recorded putouts.
Cal’s Head Coach Rick Bertagnolli has been named the West Coach of the Year for five seasons in a row, marking his 12
th in his 20-year tenure at the helm of the Vulcans’ program. This season the 2013 NFCA Hall of Fame inductee has led Cal to its 18
th NCAA tournament appearance and a 2013 PSAC Softball Championship runner-up trophy.
Shippensburg’s Bob Brookens earned his sixth PSAC East Coach of the Year award of his career in 2013. Brookens is in his 13
th season with the Raiders and was named the Coach of the Year in 2011 and from 2002-2005. Through the previous four seasons, Brookens has led the Raiders to either a first or second seed in the PSAC Championship tournament.
Edith Gallagher has now earned her second-consecutive Central Coach of the Year award in her 22 years as head coach of the Mounties. The 2013 PSAC Softball Championship marked the seventh time in her tenure that the Mounties earned a berth into the conference tournament and the first time a Mansfield women’s program has earned a PSAC title of any kind since 1983.
EASTERN DIVISION
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
|
1B |
Colleen Smith |
Kutztown |
Jr. |
Islip Terrace, N.Y. / Hofstra |
|
2B |
Morgan Booth |
Kutztown |
Jr. |
Stroudsburg / Stroudsburg |
|
SS |
Brianna Knipe |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Bethlehem / Liberty |
|
3B |
Nicole Henninger |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Reading / Muhlenberg |
|
OF |
Kelly Anderson* |
West Chester |
Jr. |
Middletown, Del. / Caravel Academy |
|
OF |
Jackie Hetzler* |
Kutztown |
Jr. |
Turnersville, N.J. / Washington Twp. |
|
OF |
Kiersten Darhower |
Shippensburg |
Sr. |
Dauphin / Central Dauphin |
|
C |
Katie Lynch^* |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Willow Street / Lampeter-Strasburg |
|
DH |
Kim Murl |
West Chester |
Jr. |
Hamilton, N.J. / Nottingham |
|
P |
Emily Estep* |
Shippensburg |
Jr. |
Chambersburg / Chambersburg |
|
P |
Devon Utterback* |
West Chester |
Sr. |
Warrington / Central Bucks South |
|
At-Large |
Megan Kelly |
West Chester |
Jr. |
Hatboro / Hatboro-Horsham |
|
At-Large |
Rebecca Smith |
East Stroudsburg |
Jr. |
Valatie, N.Y. / Ichabod Crane |
|
At-Large |
Maria Isgro |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Galloway, N.J. / Absegami |
CENTRAL DIVISION
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
|
1B |
Rachel Fredell |
Bloomsburg |
Jr. |
Dingmans Ferry / Delaware Valley |
|
2B |
Courtney Bauder |
Mansfield |
So. |
Jersey Shore / Jersey Shore |
|
SS |
Kate Pratt^* |
Mansfield |
Jr. |
Troy / Troy |
|
3B |
Bridgette Clarke |
Lock Haven |
Sr. |
Bloomsburg / Central Columbia |
|
OF |
Kayla McHale |
Bloomsburg |
So. |
Dillsburg / Northern |
|
OF |
Steph Simmeth* |
Mansfield |
Jr. |
Cheektowaga, N.Y. / St. Mary's |
|
OF |
Nicole Smith** |
Lock Haven |
Jr. |
Milton / Milton |
|
C |
Alicia Cacciotti |
Lock Haven |
Sr. |
Horseheads, N.Y. / Horseheads |
|
DH |
Taylor Magee |
Lock Haven |
Jr. |
Chesapeake, Va. / Western Branch |
|
UTL |
Erika Yanora |
Bloomsburg |
So. |
Tunkhannock / Tunkhannock |
|
P |
Brianna Jennings |
Lock Haven |
So. |
Wyalusing / Wyalusing |
|
P |
Cait Paine^^* |
Bloomsburg |
Sr. |
Lebanon / Lebanon |
|
At-Large |
Chelsea Edwards |
Lock Haven |
Jr. |
Horsham / Hatboro-Horsham |
|
At-Large |
Amanda Gough |
Clarion |
Sr. |
Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton |
WESTERN DIVISION
|
Pos. |
Player |
University |
Cl. |
Hometown / Previous School |
|
1B |
Lindsay Reicoff |
California (Pa.) |
Fr. |
Pittsburgh / Chartiers Valley |
|
2B |
Shelby Lia |
California (Pa.) |
Jr. |
Whitby, Ontario / Donald A. Wilson |
|
SS |
Breanna Morris |
California (Pa.) |
So. |
Waynesburg / Waynesburg Central |
|
3B |
Jenna Geibel*** |
Slippery Rock |
Sr. |
Butler / Butler |
|
OF |
Alexa Archambeault |
Gannon |
Fr. |
Horseheads, N.Y. / Horseheads |
|
OF |
Shelby Heyd* |
California (Pa.) |
So. |
Innisfil, Ontario / Nantyr Shores Secondary |
|
OF |
Brenna Cosgrove |
Edinboro |
Jr. |
Fairview / McDowell |
|
C |
Katie Saluga |
Slippery Rock |
Sr. |
Warren, Ohio / Champion |
|
DH |
Alyssa Bates |
Gannon |
Fr. |
Greensburg / Hempfield |
|
UTL |
Marissa Pullo*^^ |
Edinboro |
Sr. |
Tonawanda, NY / Holy Angels Academy |
|
P |
Alex Sagl |
California (Pa.) |
Fr. |
Oakville, Ontario / Oakville Trafalgar |
|
P |
Hope Spancake** |
California (Pa.) |
Jr. |
Pine Grove / Pine Grove |
|
At-Large |
Courtney Smith |
Mercyhurst |
Jr. |
Amherst, N.Y. / Sweet Home HS |
|
At-Large |
Kristie Cortazzo* |
Gannon |
Jr. |
Jeannette / Jeannette |
* Indicates previous All-PSAC first team selection
^ Indicates previous All-PSAC second team selection
|
WESTERN DIVISION |
EASTERN DIVISION |
CENTRAL DIVISION |
|
Athlete of the Year – Katie Saluga, SRU |
Athlete of the Year – Brianna Knipe, KUTZ |
Athlete of the Year – Kate Pratt, MANS |
|
Freshman of the Year – Lindsay Reicoff, CAL |
Freshman of the Year – Sierra Wagner, ESU |
Freshman of the Year – Megan Miller, MANS |
|
Pitcher of the Year – Alex Sagl, CAL |
Pitcher of the Year – Emily Estep, SHIP |
Pitcher of the Year – Cait Paine, BLOOM |
|
Coach of the Year – Rick Bertagnolli, CAL |
Coach of the Year – Bob Brookens, SHIP |
Coach of the Year – Edith Gallagher, MANS |