Jankowski, Keeny and Wall Headline PSAC Softball All-Conference Teams
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has released its 2019 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 Renee Wall claimed the Athlete of the Year award. It marks the second major award in Wall’s career (Freshman of the Year, 2018). IUP has boasted the representative for the award for the second consecutive season (Kaitlyn Beers) and third in school history. Wall impressed with a .339 batting average and accumulated 19 extra-base hits, including 13 doubles. The sophomore tortured league pitching while hitting .469 in PSAC play and slugging .816.
Lock Haven senior Bekah Slattery was tabbed Pitcher of the Year for the third time in her storied career. She currently leads all of Division II in strikeouts with 292. The senior was named the PSAC Championship Most Valuable Player after striking out 52 batters in 32 innings. Offensively, she hit three homers and had four RBI in the tournament. Slattery led the PSAC in most pitching categories, including earned run average (1.45), opposing batting average (.174), innings pitched (197.1), saves (6) and wins (20). Slattery and the Bald Eagles claimed a spot in the NCAA DII Softball Championship as the No. 8 seed and will open action on Thursday at West Liberty.
Bloomsburg’s Erin DelPierre was named Freshman of the Year. It is the ninth time a Bloomsburg athlete has garnered the award and first since 2016 (Taylor Winkelman). DelPierre led the Huskies in batting average (.429), on-base percentage (.470), doubles (12), triples (3), and total bases (84) as a freshman in 2019 – good for sixth in the entire league. The freshman finished fourth in the PSAC in hits (66) and ninth in on-base percentage (.470). DelPierre also finished second on the team in RBI (31), slugging percentage (.545), and stolen bases (7). She struck out only eight time in 154 at bats during the season and had 22 multiple-hit games to lead the team in that category. DelPierre had a season-long 18-game hitting streak from March 20 to April 9.
Bloomsburg’s Susan Kocher earned Coach of the Year recognition for the second time in her career (2016) after leading the Huskies to the PSAC Central Division crown and a 30-17 overall record. The 30 victories marks the sixth time in nine seasons under Kocher that the Huskies have won at least 30 games in a season. She has led the Huskies to a 280-147 overall record in her nine seasons as the Huskies’ head coach, leading the team to the PSAC tournament in each season to go along with six NCAA postseason appearances.
In the East, Kutztown junior Sara Keeny claimed Athlete of the Year honors. It marks the second major award in Keeny’s career (Freshman of the Year, 2016). She is the first Golden Bear to claim the award since 2013 (Brianna Knipe). It marks the sixth time Kutztown has boasted the winner while Keeny is the fifth athlete to accomplish the feat. Keeny led the PSAC in five offensive statistical categories including batting average (.518), on-base percentage (.561), hits (100), runs scored (62) and triples (7) for a Kutztown offense that ranked at the top of the conference in several categories of its own. Keeny’s 100 hits is the most in a single season by a KU player in program history, and her .518 average at the plate is the highest in a season. She also ranks second in the PSAC in stolen bases (45), third in doubles (15) and sixth in slugging percentage (.684).
West Chester junior Reilly Gearhart swiped the Pitcher of the Year honor and it marks the fourth time in the last five seasons a Golden Ram has claimed the award. Gearhart is one of four pitchers in the PSAC to post a sub-2.00 earned run average (1.98). The junior held batters to a .237 batting average while striking out 93 batters. She tossed seven shutouts and 12 complete games.
Kutztown’s Bridget Bailey won the Freshman of the Year and it marks the eighth time that a Golden Bear has claimed the honor. She finished with an 18-8 record with a 2.60 ERA and 181 strikeouts and three saves in 178.0 innings. Bailey’s 18 wins, 181 strikeouts and 178 innings pitched rank second in the PSAC, while her 2.60 ERA is 10th. Hitters batted just .229 against her this season, fourth-best in the conference.
West Chester’s Diane Lokey claimed the Coach of the Year merit for the fifth time in her career and second consecutive season in a row. Lokey led the Golden Rams to their sixth consecutive PSAC East title and a 34-19 record. West Chester made its third consecutive appearance in the PSAC Championship semifinals. The Golden Rams earned an at-large bid to the NCAA DII Softball Championship and will represent the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Region. Under her direction, five West Chester athletes were named to the all-conference team this season.
In the West, Edinboro senior Olivia Jankowski was named Athlete of the Year. She is the second Fighting Scot to claim the award (Dana Webb, 2009). The senior is the first Fighting Scot to earn a major award since 2010 (Marissa Pullo, Freshman of the Year). Jankowski’s.479 batting average this season is third-best in the PSAC and is the second-highest in school history. She set single-season school records in doubles (13), homers (10) and RBI (44). During the season, Jankowski produced a 23-game hit streak. She produced 17 multi-hit and 14 multi-RBI
games.
Gannon junior Madi Beining earned Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season. Beining sits seventh in the PSAC with a 2.30 ERA while sporting a 17-6 record. The junior has thrown 20 complete games and six shutouts. She has struck out 100 batters in 155 innings.
Gannon’s Megan Dietrick claimed the Freshman of the Year accolade. The Lady Knights have boasted the award-winner for the second consecutive season. The freshman is batting .342 on the season while only striking out eight times in 35 games. Dietrick is slugging .506 while sporting a .402 on-base percentage. She turned in eight multi-hit games and has .973 fielding percentage.
Gannon’s Michelle Wiley was named Coach of the Year for the first time in her career. It marks the third consecutive season that Gannon has sported the recipient. The Lady Knights received an at-large bid to the NCAA DII Softball Championship after posting a 30-14 record and appearing the PSAC Championship Game. Under Wiley’s direction, eight Lady Knights were named to the all-conference team. Gannon will represent the No. 6 seed in the Atlantic Region and will take on West Chester Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
Slattery and Bloomsburg’s Winkelman landed on an all-conference team for the fourth time in their respective careers while four athletes landed on their third all-conference team.
A full list of honorees is below.
PSAC SOFTBALL CENTRAL DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown / Previous |
| Catcher |
Jenna Rhue |
Fr. |
IUP |
Youngstown, N.Y. / Lewistown-Porter |
| First Base |
Kristie Radvan |
So. |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Sarver, Pa. / Freeport |
| Second Base |
Kelsey Impink |
Jr. |
Bloomsburg |
Schwenksville, Pa. / Perkiomen Valley |
| Shortstop |
Taylor Winkelman*** |
Sr. |
Bloomsburg |
Springfield, Pa. / Springfield |
| Third Base |
Renee Wall |
So. |
IUP |
Topton, Pa. / Brandywine Heights |
| Outfield |
Erin DelPierre |
Fr. |
Bloomsburg |
Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin |
| Outfield |
Joelle Snyder |
So. |
Mansfield |
Dornsife, Pa. / Line Mountain |
| Outfield |
Kassie Kesneck |
Jr. |
IUP |
Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston |
| Designated Player |
Rachel Gricoski |
So. |
Lock Haven |
Frackville, Pa. / North Schuylkill |
| Utility/Non Pitcher |
Moriah Lynn |
Sr. |
Clarion |
Berwick, Pa. / Berwick Area |
| Utility/Pitcher |
Chelsea Liroff |
Fr. |
Clarion |
Coral Springs, Fla. / Coral Springs Charter School |
| Pitcher |
Bekah Slattery*** |
Jr. |
Lock Haven |
Douglassville, Pa. / Daniel Boone |
| Pitcher |
Abby Wild |
So. |
Bloomsburg |
Collegeville, Pa. / Perkiomen Valley |
| At-Large |
Tara Baney* |
So. |
Bloomsburg |
Howard, Pa. / Bellefonte |
| At-Large |
Casey Carpenter |
Jr. |
Lock Haven |
SPRING BROOK, PA. NORTH POCONO |
| At-Large |
Alli McGovern* |
Jr. |
Mansfield |
Binghamton, N.Y. / Binghamton |
| At-Large |
Marissa Shelhamer |
Sr. |
Bloomsburg |
Bloomsburg, Pa. / Central Columbia |
| At-Large |
Jade Stubblefield |
So. |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Cherry Hill, N.J. / Cherry Hill West |
Athlete of the Year: Renee Wall, IUP
Pitcher of the Year: Bekah Slattery, Lock Haven
Freshman of the Year: Erin DelPierre, Bloomsburg
Coach of the Year: Susan Kocher, Bloomsburg
PSAC SOFTBALL EASTERN DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown / Previous |
| Catcher |
Kaitlyn Caleen* |
So. |
East Stroudsburg |
Bangor, Pa. / Bangor Area |
| First Base |
Jenna Lipowski |
So. |
Kutztown |
Nanticoke, Pa. / Greater Nanticoke Area |
| Second Base |
Bri Garber** |
Jr. |
West Chester |
Willow Street, Pa. / Lampeter-Strasburg |
| Shortstop |
Katelyn Ostaszewski |
Fr. |
Kutztown |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Archbishop Ryan |
| Third Base |
Courtney Coy |
So. |
Shippensburg |
Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg Area |
| Outfield |
Sara Keeny** |
Jr. |
Kutztown |
Warminster, Pa. / William Tennent |
| Outfield |
Annamarie Hartman |
So. |
West Chester |
Phoenix, Ariz. / Xavier College Prep |
| Outfield |
Tamara Jennings |
Sr. |
Kutztown |
Philadelphia, Pa. / Nazareth Academy |
| Designated Player |
Cheyenne Jones* |
RSr. |
Kutztown |
Levittown, Pa. / Northwest Florida State |
| Utility/Non Pitcher |
Heidi McCollester* |
Sr. |
West Chester |
West Chester, Pa. / Henderson |
| Utility/Pitcher |
Hannah Johnson |
Fr. |
Shippensburg |
Woodbridge, Va. / Forest Park |
| Pitcher |
Reilly Gearhart |
Jr. |
West Chester |
Lancaster, Pa. / Manheim Township |
| Pitcher |
Bridget Bailey |
Fr. |
Kutztown |
Norwood, Pa. / Interboro |
| At-Large |
Kayla Bonawitz* |
Jr. |
Shippensburg |
Palmyra, Pa. / Palmyra |
| At-Large |
Maegen Kavanagh |
RSo. |
West Chester |
Easton, Pa. / Easton |
| At-Large |
Emily Maseth* |
Jr. |
West Chester |
Westminster, Md. / Westminster |
| At-Large |
Madison Vicendese* |
Sr. |
East Stroudsburg |
Ellicott City, Md. / Maryvale Prep |
| At-Large |
Faith Willenbrock |
So. |
Millersville |
Glenmoore, Pa. / Downingtown East |
Athlete of the Year: Sara Keeny, Kutztown
Pitcher of the Year: Reilly Gearhart, West Chester
Freshman of the Year: Bridget Bailey, Kutztown
Coach of the Year: Diane Lokey, West Chester
PSAC SOFTBALL WESTERN DIVISION ALL-CONFERENCE
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown / Previous |
| Catcher |
Brooke Wilson* |
So. |
Cal U |
Coraopolis, Pa. / West Allegheny |
| First Base |
Addy Nicholson |
RFr. |
Slippery Rock |
Scottdale, Pa. / Southmoreland |
| Second Base |
Taylor Wilp* |
Jr. |
Gannon |
Cincinnati, Ohio / Oak Hills |
| Shortstop |
Sarah Ingerick |
Jr. |
Gannon |
Middlebury Center, Pa. / Wellsboro Area |
| Third Base |
Kristina DeMatteis |
So. |
Gannon |
Boyers, Pa. / Moniteau |
| Outfield |
Olivia Jankowski** |
Sr. |
Edinboro |
Hamburg, N.Y. / Lancaster |
| Outfield |
Rachel Tanilli |
Jr. |
Gannon |
Gibsonia, Pa. / Deer Lakes |
| Outfield |
Jenna Osikowicz |
So. |
Seton Hill |
Greensburg, Pa. / Hempfield |
| Designated Player |
Shannon Gilbert |
Jr. |
Edinboro |
Williamsville, N.Y. / Buffalo Academy Of The Sacred Heart |
| Utility/Non Pitcher |
Megan Dietrick |
Fr. |
Gannon |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon |
| Utility/Pitcher |
Taylor Robblee* |
Sr. |
Cal U |
Woodstock, Ontario / College Avenue |
| Pitcher |
Madi Beining* |
Jr. |
Gannon |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny |
| Pitcher |
Devyn Terry* |
Sr. |
Seton Hill |
Elberton, Pa. / Elberton County Comprehensive |
| At-Large |
Emiliee Downing |
Sr. |
Cal U |
Groveport, Ohio / Groveport Madison |
| At-Large |
Danna Heh** |
Sr. |
Edinboro |
Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny |
| At-Large |
Lisa Szajn |
Jr. |
Gannon |
Maple, Ontario / St. Joan of Arc Catholic |
| At-Large |
Christiana Skrabak |
Jr. |
Seton Hill |
North Huntingdon, Pa. / Ohio University |
| At-Large |
Maria Taliani* |
Jr. |
Gannon |
Cheswick, Pa. / Deer Lakes |
Athlete of the Year: Olivia Jankowski, Edinboro
Pitcher of the Year: Madi Beining, Gannon
Freshman of the Year: Megan Dietrick, Gannon
Coach of the Year: Michelle Wiley, Gannon
*Indicates previous All-PSAC First Team selection
^Indicates previous All-PSAC Second Team selection