Beers, Garber and Myers Headline PSAC Softball All-Conference Teams
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has released its 2018 softball all-conference teams, the league announced Monday afternoon.
All-conference teams and major award winners are determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
In the Central, IUP sophomore Kaitlyn Beers was tabbed Athlete of the Year. It marks the second time that the Crimson Hawks has sported the award and first since 1999 (Molly Carrs). The sophomore enjoyed a solid season with a .362 batting average with 46 hits, including 13 doubles. Beers accumulated 33 RBI while slugging at a .575 clip.
Lock Haven junior Bekah Slattery was named Pitcher of the Year for the second time in her career (2016). It marks the sixth time that LHU has sported the award after Kristen Erb claimed it in all four years of her career. Slattery paced the league with 200 strikeouts and complete games (22) while tying for second in wins (17). Slattery had eight efforts of at least 10 strikeouts, including a season-high 15 against Bemidji State.
IUP’s Renee Wall was named Freshman of the Year. It marks the seventh time that the Crimson Hawks represent the award winner and first time since 2014. Wall impressed with a .370 batting average along with 13 doubles and a pair of homeruns. The freshman produced nine multi-hit games, including a trio of three-hit contests.
LHU’s Kelly Shannon grabbed Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Shannon led her squad to a flawless 20-0 PSAC record. The Bald Eagles are the first team to go undefeated in conference play since 2014 (California) and eighth team since 1993. It is the eighth time LHU has earned the recognition. Shannon’s team earned the No. 4 seed in the NCAA DII Softball Atlantic Region and will serve as host for the Atlantic 1 Regional.
In the East, West Chester sophomore Bri Garber was tabbed Athlete of the Year. It is the fourth time that WCU represented the award winner and first since 2016. Garber paces the PSAC in batting average (.468), on-base percentage (.549), runs scored (53), walks (30), hits (80) and at-bats (171). She claimed the East Freshman of the Year award in 2017. Garber was one of three Golden Rams to start in all 53 games.
WCU senior Amanda Houck was named Pitcher of the Year for the second time in her career (2016). It marks the third time that WCU has claimed the merit. Houck finished the season as the league leader in earned run average (1.14) and wins (27). She accumulated two saves while striking out 148 batters. Houck tossed 21 complete games and eight shutouts. She currently sits at 93 career wins.
Shippensburg’s Courtney Coy was honored as Freshman of the Year. Coy is the sixth Raider to earn the award and first since 2011. On the year, Coy hit .280 with 10 doubles and 19 RBIs and had the fewest strikeouts of any PSAC hitter per plate appearance (2 Ks in 125 ABs). She ranks fifth in the country as the toughest player to strike out (minimum 2 ABs/game). From the circle, Coy struck out 13 hitters in 28.2 innings, posting a 2-1 record including one shutout. In PSAC East play, Coy led the Raiders with 13 of her 19 RBIs on the season while hitting .306 and slugging .429 against league foes.
WCU’s Diane Lokey swiped Coach of the Year accolades for the fourth time in her career and first since 2014. Under Lokey’s direction, the Golden Rams claimed their fifth consecutive Eastern Division crown while posting a 14-2 conference record. WCU reached the PSAC Championship Game for the second consecutive season. The Golden Rams earned the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region. Lokey won her 500th career game earlier in the season against Molloy.
In the West, Slippery Rock junior Kailey Myers was selected as Athlete of the Year. She is the second SRU representative to win the award (Katie Saluga, 2013). Myers claimed PSAC West Athlete of the Week on two occasions while hitting a whopping .489 with runners in scoring position. Myers amassed eight homers, 39 RBI and scored 22 runs. She ranked third in the PSAC in on-base percentage (.493), fourth in batting average (.419) and fifth in slugging percentage (.661).
Gannon sophomore Madi Beining earned Pitcher of the Year honors after being named the PSAC Softball Tournament MVP. She led the West in wins (14) and ERA (2.08) while recording 58 strikeouts. Beining made 20 starts while appearing in 25 games and twirled five shutouts. She recorded five strikeouts on four different occasions.
GU’s Kaity Stocker grabbed Freshman of the Year accolades and she is the first Golden Knight to accomplish the feat. Stocker paced the division in homers (10), slugging percentage (.740) and RBI (42). With her offensive success, she ranks in the top-10 in school history in single-season RBI.
GU’s Tom Jakubowski was named Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Under his direction, GU claimed its first PSAC title in school history after defeating WCU, 5-3, Saturday. Jakubowski’s squad boasts five all-conference players this season while he has compiled 244 career wins and is in his 10th season at GU. The Golden Knights earned an automatic bid to the NCAA’s and will be the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Region.
Bloomsburg senior Emily Mayhew landed on an all-conference team for the fourth time in her career while six athletes appear on their third all-conference team, respectively.
A full list of honorees is below.
PSAC SOFTBALL CENTRAL DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown/Previous |
| Catcher |
Madison Mathes |
So. |
Lock Haven |
Hammonton, N.J. / Hammonton |
| First Base |
Amanda Parrish |
Sr. |
IUP |
Dysart, Pa. / Altoona |
| Second Base |
Kaitlyn Beers* |
So. |
IUP |
Reynoldsville, Pa. / Dubois Area High School |
| Shortstop |
Faith Ceely* |
Jr. |
Lock Haven |
Troy, Pa. / Troy |
| Third Base |
Renee Wall |
Fr. |
IUP |
Topton, Pa. / Brandywine Heights |
| Outfield |
Emily Mayhew*** |
Sr. |
Bloomsburg |
Perkaise, Pa. / Pennridge |
| Outfield |
Taylor Nonnenberg |
Jr. |
Clarion |
Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional |
| Outfield |
Moriah Lindsey |
Sr. |
Lock Haven |
Woolrich, Pa. / Central Mountain |
| Designated Player |
Kaylnn Wheeland |
R-Jr. |
Bloomsburg |
South Williamsport, Pa. / South Williamsport |
| Utility/Non Pitcher |
Taylor Winkelman** |
Jr. |
Bloomsburg |
Springfield, Pa. / Springfield |
| Utility/Pitcher |
Rebecca Kelley |
Fr. |
Clarion |
King William, Va. / St. Margaret's School |
| Pitcher |
Bekah Slattery** |
Jr. |
Lock Haven |
Douglassville, Pa. / Daniel Boone |
| Pitcher |
Kayla Gee |
So. |
Lock Haven |
Williamsport, Pa. / Loyalsock |
| At-Large |
Tara Baney |
Fr. |
Bloomsburg |
Howard, Pa. / Bellefonte |
| At-Large |
Becca Caputo |
Jr. |
Lock Haven |
Williamsport, Pa. / Jersey Shore |
| At-Large |
Joelle Snyder |
Fr. |
Mansfield |
Dornsife, Pa. / Line Mountain |
| At-Large |
Bryann Hilty |
Jr. |
Lock Haven |
Lock Haven, Pa. / Central Mountain |
| At-Large |
Koryn Wickwire* |
Sr. |
Mansfield |
Wysox, Pa. / Towanda |
Athlete of the Year: Kaitlyn Beers, IUP
Pitcher of the Year: Bekah Slattery, Lock Haven
Freshman of the Year: Renee Wall, IUP
Coach of the Year: Kelly Shannon, Lock Haven
PSAC SOFTBALL EASTERN DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown/Previous |
| Catcher |
Cat Hammer** |
Sr. |
West Chester |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Archbishop Ryan |
| First Base |
Heidi McCollester |
Jr. |
West Chester |
West Chester, Pa. / Henderson |
| Second Base |
Sara Ercolani** |
Sr. |
West Chester |
Downington, Pa. / Downington East |
| Shortstop |
Rebecca Blatt |
So. |
Millersville |
Hamburg, Pa. / Hamburg |
| Third Base |
Mary Wallick* |
Sr. |
East Stroudsburg |
Bristol, Pa. / Bristol |
| Outfield |
Bri Garber* |
So. |
West Chester |
Willow Street, Pa. / Lampeter-Strasburg |
| Outfield |
Sara Keeny* |
Jr. |
Kutztown |
Warminster, Pa. / William Tennent |
| Outfield |
Tara Bicko* |
Sr. |
Shippensburg |
Johnstown, Pa. / Greater Johnstown |
| Designated Player |
Alyssa Herion** |
Jr. |
West Chester |
Avon Grove, Pa. / Avon Grove |
| Utility/Non Pitcher |
Cheyenne Jones |
R-Jr. |
Kutztown |
Levittown, Pa. / Northwest Florida State |
| Utility/Pitcher |
Chloe Collins* |
Sr. |
Shippensburg |
Adamstown, Md. / Tuscarora |
| Pitcher |
Amanda Houck* |
Sr. |
West Chester |
Gap, Pa. / Pequea Valley |
| Pitcher |
Taryn Wilson* |
Jr. |
Shippensburg |
Hegins, Pa. / Tri-Valley |
| At-Large |
Kayla Bonawitz |
So. |
Shippensburg |
Palmyra, Pa. / Palmyra |
| At-Large |
Kaitlyn Caleen |
Fr. |
East Stroudsburg |
Kaitlyn Caleen |
| At-Large |
Macy Luck |
Sr. |
Shippensburg |
Centreville, Va. / Centreville |
| At-Large |
Courtney Coy |
Fr. |
Shippensburg |
Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg Area |
| At-Large |
Emily Maseth |
So. |
West Chester |
Westminster, Md. / Westminster |
Athlete of the Year: Bri Garber, West Chester
Pitcher of the Year: Amanda Houck, West Chester
Freshman of the Year: Courtney Coy, Shippensburg
Coach of the Year: Diane Lokey, West Chester
PSAC SOFTBALL WESTERN DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown/Previous |
| Catcher |
Lauren Hawley* |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
Brookefield, Ohio / Brookfield |
| First Base |
Paige Wilson |
So. |
California |
Warren, Pa. / Warren |
| Second Base |
Taylor Wilp |
So. |
Gannon |
| Cincinnati, Ohio / Oak Hills |
|
| Shortstop |
Kailey Myers |
Jr. |
Slippery Rock |
Norton, Ohio, Norton |
| Third Base |
Carlee Wickstrom |
Sr. |
California |
Canonsburg, Pa. / Peters Township |
| Outfield |
Jackie Martinez** |
Sr. |
Gannon |
Phoenix, Ariz. / Xavier College Prep |
| Outfield |
Emily Nagle* |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
Bellwood, Pa. / Bellwood-Antis |
| Outfield |
Olivia Jankowski* |
Jr. |
Edinboro |
Hamburg, N.Y. / Lancaster |
| Designated Player |
Kaity Stocker |
Fr. |
Gannon |
Tipp City, Ohio / Tippecanoe |
| Utility/Non Pitcher |
NONE |
|
|
|
| Utility/Pitcher |
Devyn Terry |
Jr. |
Seton Hill |
Elberton, Pa. / Elberton County Comprehensive |
| Pitcher |
Kennedy DeMatteis |
Fr. |
Gannon |
|
| Pitcher |
Madi Beining |
So. |
Gannon |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny |
| At-Large |
Danna Heh* |
Jr. |
Edinboro |
Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny |
| At-Large |
Brooke Wilson |
Fr. |
California |
Coraopolis, Pa. / West Allegheny |
| At-Large |
Tori Pierucci |
Jr. |
Mercyhurst |
San Francisco, Calif. / Hillsdale High School |
| At-Large |
Paige Hertzog* |
Sr. |
Seton Hill |
Mt. Pleasant, Pa. / Mt. Pleasant |
| At-Large |
Megan Brown |
Jr. |
Slippery Rock |
Twinsburg, Ohio / Twinsburg |
Athlete of the Year: Kailey Myers, Slippery Rock
Pitcher of the Year: Madi Beining, Gannon
Freshman of the Year: Kaity Stocker, Gannon
Coach of the Year: Tom Jakubowski, Gannon
*Indicates previous All-PSAC First Team selection
^Indicates previous All-PSAC Second Team selection