PSAC Announces 2016 Softball All-Conference Awards
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The PSAC has announced the 2016 PSAC Softball All-Conference award recipients, as voted on by the league's coaches. The PSAC Athlete of the Year honorees are Taylor Parker (Bloomsburg) in the central division, Rachel DiBartolomeo (Mercyhurst) in the western division, and Sarah Walasavage (West Chester) in the eastern division.
Bekah Slattery (Lock Haven) has been named PSAC Central Pitcher of the Year, Alex Sagl has been named PSAC West Pitcher of the Year, and Brooke Harner (West Chester) has been named PSAC East Pitcher of the Year.
Bloomsburg’s Taylor Winkelman, California’s Taylor Robblee, and Kutztown’s Sara Keeny were all selected as the PSAC Freshman of the Year in their respective divisions.
Susan Kocher of Bloomsburg has been named the PSAC Central Coach of the Year, Rick Bertagnolli of California has been named the PSAC West Coach of the Year, and Diane Lokey of West Chester has been named the PSAC East Coach of the Year went to.
Parker has thrived all year in the field, at the plate, and in the circle. She starts at shortstop and pitcher for the Huskies, and led the PSAC in home runs and RBIs. As a pitcher, she went 13-1 with a 1.80 ERA. DiBartolomeo led the conference in hitting (.433) in 2016. She also had the highest slugging percentage in the league (.772). Walasavage scored the most runs in the conference this season and was tied for the most stolen bases, while also being the in the top 10 in batting average and hits.
Slattery earns top pitcher honor in just her freshman season. Slattery had an ERA of 1.52, led the PSAC in strikeouts (172) and wins (22), and helped guide LHU to the NCAA Tournament. Sagl is no stranger to the conference’s top pitching award, as she has now claimed the prize all four years, ranking among the conference leaders in every major statistical category. Harner is the second straight West Chester pitcher to win this award (Amanda Houck), finishing the season with the lowest ERA in the league (1.08).
All three of the freshman honorees also earned a spot on the all-conference team. Winkelman was honored as the utility/non-pitcher for the PSAC Central. She hit over .400 this season and led the league in total hits. Robblee is the utility/pitcher for the PSAC West. Opponents are hitting just .160 off of Robblee, the lowest batting average in the conference. Keeny is an outfielder for the PSAC East, ranking second in the league in batting average (.425) and tying for the league lead in stolen bases (29).
Kocher, Lokey, and Bertagnolli represent the three division winning teams in the PSAC this season. Bloomsburg, West Chester, and California were all preseason favorites in their respective divisions, and all three would go on to win the divisional titles and all three were selected for the NCAA Tournament.
For Kocher, she won her first PSAC Championship as a head coach this season, and she is now winning PSAC Coach of the Year for the first time in her six years as the leader of the Husky program. Lokey is winning PSAC Coach of the Year for the third time in her career at the helm for WCU. She also won the honor in 2008 and 2010. Bertagnolli has now been named the PSAC Coach of the Year 15 times in 23 seasons as head coach of the Vulcans. In his career, Bertagnolli has won two national championships.
The complete list of all-conference honorees can be found below.
ALL-PSAC CENTRAL
| Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown/Previous School |
| Catcher |
Anna McElroy |
Bloomsburg |
Jr. |
Jessup, Pa. / Valley View |
| First Base |
Rachael Sterner |
Mansfield |
So. |
Duncannon, Pa. / Susquenita |
| Second Base |
Rachel Francis |
IUP |
Sr. |
Jefferson, Ohio / Jefferson |
| Third Base |
Michelle Holweger |
Lock Haven |
Jr. |
Lansdale, Pa. / North Penn |
| Shortstop |
Hannah Mercer^^ |
IUP |
Jr. |
Hollidaysburg, Pa. / Hollidaysburg Area |
| Outfield |
Morgan Cannin |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Fr. |
Jenners, Pa. / North Star |
| Outfield |
Megan Gould* |
IUP |
Jr. |
New Germany, Pa. / Forest Hills |
| Outfield |
Emily Mayhew* |
Bloomsburg |
So. |
Perkasie, Pa. / Pennridge |
| Pitcher |
Bekah Slattery |
Lock Haven |
Fr. |
Douglassville, Pa. / Daniel Boone |
| Pitcher |
Mallory Tomaschik |
Bloomsburg |
Jr. |
Catawissa, Pa. / Southern Columbia |
| Designated Player |
Rachel Mouillesseaux^ |
Lock Haven |
Jr. |
Endicott, N.Y. / Union Endicott |
| Utility/Non-Pitcher |
Taylor Winkelman |
Bloomsburg |
Fr. |
Springfield, Pa. / Springfield |
| Utility/Pitcher |
Taylor Parker^* |
Bloomsburg |
Jr. |
Dewart, Pa. / Warrior Run |
| At-Large |
Sarah Bortner |
Bloomsburg |
Jr. |
Glenville, Pa. / South Western |
| At-Large |
Brooke Darling |
IUP |
Sr. |
Springville, Pa. / Elk Lake |
| At-Large |
McKenna Garlock^* |
Lock Haven |
Jr. |
Three Springs, Pa. / Southern Huntingdon |
| At-Large |
Koryn Wickwire |
Mansfield |
So. |
Wysox, Pa. / Towanda |
| At-Large |
Lauren Zola |
IUP |
Fr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Seton-La Salle |
Athlete of the Year: Taylor Parker, Bloomsburg
Pitcher of the Year: Bekah Slattery, Lock Haven
Freshman of the Year: Taylor Winkelman, Bloomsburg
Coach of the Year: Susan Kocher, Bloomsburg
ALL-PSAC WEST
| Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown/Previous School |
| Catcher |
Megan Jahoda* |
California |
Jr. |
Buchanan, N.Y. / Hendrick Hudson |
| First Base |
Lindsay Reicoff*** |
California |
Sr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Chartiers Valley |
| Second Base |
Courtney Brothers |
Mercyhurst |
Sr. |
Blissfield, Mich. / Blissfield |
| Third Base |
Natalya Smarra^* |
California |
Sr. |
McKees Rocks, Pa. / Sto-Rox |
| Shortstop |
Emily Price^ |
California |
So. |
Warren, Ohio / Howland |
| Outfield |
Brooke Callaghan |
Edinboro |
Jr. |
Aliquippa, Pa. / Central Valley |
| Outfield |
Rachel DiBartolomeo |
Mercyhurst |
Jr. |
Saegertown, Pa. / Saegertown |
| Outfield |
Kaity Finley* |
California |
Jr. |
Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe |
| Pitcher |
Olivia Gumbita^ |
Gannon |
Jr. |
Latroba, Pa. / Greater Latrobe |
| Pitcher |
Alex Sagl*** |
California |
Sr. |
Oakville, Ontario / Oakville Trafalgar |
| Designated Player |
Hailey Wilson |
California |
So. |
Delaware, Ohio / Olentangy |
| Utility/Non-Pitcher |
Caitlin Baxter |
Slippery Rock |
Jr. |
Butler, Pa. / Butler |
| Utility/Pitcher |
Taylor Robblee |
California |
Fr. |
Woodstock, Ontario / College Avenue |
| At-Large# |
Olivia Jankowski |
Edinboro |
Fr. |
Hamburg, N.Y. / Lancaster |
| At-Large |
Katie Kaiser |
Slippery Rock |
Sr. |
Garrettsville, Ohio / James A. Garfield |
| At-Large |
Megan Maloney |
Slippery Rock |
Sr. |
Laurel, Md. / Reservoir |
| At-Large |
Jackie Martinez |
Gannon |
So. |
Phoenix, Ariz. / Xavier College Prep |
| At-Large |
Ashley Samluk* |
Slippery Rock |
Sr. |
Erie, Pa. / McDowell |
| At-Large |
Meghan Uher |
California |
Sr. |
Acme, Pa. / Connellsville |
Athlete of the Year: Rachel DiBartolomeo, Mercyhurst
Pitcher of the Year: Alex Sagl, California
Freshman of the Year: Taylor Robblee, California
Coach of the Year: Rick Bertagnolli, California
ALL-PSAC EAST
| Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown/Previous School |
| Catcher |
Cat Hammer |
West Chester |
So. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Archbishop Ryan |
| First Base |
Brittany Smith |
Millersville |
Jr. |
Wyomissing, Pa. / Wilson |
| Second Base |
Heather Visco |
East Stroudsburg |
So. |
Atco, N.J. / Hammonton |
| Third Base |
Danielle Sienko |
Kutztown |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. / William Penn Charter |
| Shortstop |
Alyssa Herion |
West Chester |
Fr. |
Avon Grove, Pa. / Avon Grove |
| Outfield |
Tara Bicko |
Shippensburg |
So. |
Johnstown, Pa. / Greater Johnstown |
| Outfield |
Sara Keeny |
Kutztown |
Fr. |
Warminster, Pa. / William Tennent |
| Outfield |
Sarah Walasavage^ |
West Chester |
Jr. |
Minersville, Pa. / Minersville |
| Pitcher |
Brianna Andraos* |
Millersville |
Sr. |
Malvern, Pa. / West Chester East |
| Pitcher |
Brooke Harner |
West Chester |
So. |
Chadds Ford, Pa. / Kennett |
| Designated Player |
Danielle Amato^ |
Kutztown |
So. |
Henderson, Nev. / Coronado |
| Utility/Non-Pitcher |
Sara Ercolani |
West Chester |
Fr. |
Downingtown, Pa. / Downingtown East |
| Utility/Pitcher |
Bridget Newman* |
Kutztown |
So. |
Ardmore, Pa. / Haverford |
| At-Large# |
Laura Altenburger*^ |
West Chester |
Sr. |
Feasterville, Pa. / Neshaminy |
| At-Large |
Chloe Collins |
Shippensburg |
So. |
Adamstown, Md. / Tuscarora |
| At-Large |
Heather Lutz |
Millersville |
Jr. |
Horsham, Pa. / Hatboro-Horsham |
| At-Large |
Savannah Nierintz^ |
Kutztown |
Jr. |
Clifton Heights, Pa. / Upper Darby |
| At-Large |
Taylor Pattillo** |
Shippensburg |
Sr. |
Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg Area |
| At-Large |
Haley Thomas |
East Stroudsburg |
Sr. |
Dillsburg, Pa. / Northern |
Athlete of the Year: Sarah Walasavage, West Chester
Pitcher of the Year: Brooke Harner, West Chester
Freshman of the Year: Sara Keeny, Kutztown
Coach of the Year: Diane Lokey, West Chester
*Indicates previous All-PSAC First Team selection
^Indicates previous All-PSAC Second Team selection
#Number of honorees altered due to tie