Condon, Three Players Claim NECC Softball Awards
Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)
CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College softball team had three players receive New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) All-Conference recognition, announced by the league office Monday afternoon. Senior pitcher Bethany Grimes (Terryville, Conn.) earned her second straight First Team All-NECC selection, while senior shortstop Gina DiGiovanni (Springfield, Mass.) and junior catcher Kierstan Skinner (South Windsor, Conn.) took home All-NECC Honorable Mentions. Head Coach Cheryl Condon was selected as the NECC Coach of the Year for the third time in her career.
Grimes earns back-to-back First Team honors after a dominant season from the pitcher's circle for the Blazers, posting a 13-7 record with a 1.92 earned run average. Grimes tallied 124 innings pitched across 22 appearances with 15 complete games and a conference-high 161 strikeouts. At the plate, Grimes batted .329 with 26 hits, including five doubles and a home run, while driving in 20 runs and scoring 12 times. In league play, Grimes was 8-2 from the circle with a 1.51 earned run average and 100 strikeouts in 65 innings of work. Grimes clipped at a .404 mark from the dish in 18 conference games, recording four doubles, 15 runs batted in and 10 runs scored.
DiGiovanni takes home her first All-Conference award after battling back from an early season injury to bat a team-high .391 with 25 hits, including three doubles and an inside-the-park home run, along with 16 runs batted and 12 runs scored. DiGiovanni swiped a team-high 10 stolen bases, ranking second in the NECC. DiGiovanni recorded a .975 fielding percentage at shortstop, making 39 putouts on 41 chances.
Skinner was a leader at the top of the order, batting .384 while leading the Blazers in hits (43), at bats (112), runs (31), doubles (9), triples (2), home runs (3), and runs batted in (25). Behind the plate, Skinner gunned down 11 runners attempting to steal. In league play, Skinner went 28-for-69 (.406), with four doubles, two home runs, and a triple, along with 23 runs scored and 19 runs batted in. This is Skinner's second NECC All-Conference selection after earning Second Team honors in 2014.
Condon takes home her third NECC Coach of the Year award, and her first since 2010. On April 19th, the Blazers registered a 10-2 victory over Bay Path University in game one of a doubleheader sweep, earning Condon her 400th career victory in her 29th season as head coach at Elms. With 20 wins, the 2015 team has matched the fifth-most wins in a season in program history. The Blazers posted a program-high 15 wins in NECC play, besting the 14-win seasons of 2009 & 2010.
Lesley University outfielder Mekenzie Golden earned Player of the Year honors and Mitchell College teammates Brittany Fiederlein and Samantha DelConte were selected Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year respectively in All-Conference balloting by the New England Collegiate Conference softball coaches.
Golden, a sophomore from Laguna Niguel, Calif., was named Player of the Year after being selected NECC Rookie of the Year and first team All-Conference in her first season in 2014. The outfielder hit .476 in 2015 Conference action with seven doubles and seven home runs among her 30 hits. Her Conference slugging percentage was .921 and she got on base half of the time she was at the plate.
Fiederlein, also a sophomore, was named Pitcher of the Year after being named to the NECC All-Conference second-team as a first year player in 2014. The Hampton, Conn., native pitched in 17 Conference games for the Mariners in 2015 and compiled a 14-1 record with an ERA of 0.71
DelConte was Fiederlein's battery-mate throughout the season. The first year student from Enfield, Conn., appeared in all 18 of Mitchell's NECC games hitting .483 with 28 hits including seven doubles, a pair of triples and a home run. She had a perfect fielding percentage, handling 131 chances with no errors in NECC games.
Wheelock College was voted the Team Sportsmanship Award.
2015 NECC Softball Awards
Player of the Year – Mekenzie Golden, Lesley, So., IF/OF, Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Pitcher of the Year – Brittany Fiederlein, Mitchell, So., Hampton, Conn.
Rookie of the Year – Samantha DelConte, Mitchell, Catcher, FY, Enfield, Conn.
Coach of the Year – Cheryl Condon, Elms College
Team Sportsmanship Award – Wheelock College
2015 NECCC Softball All-Conference First Team
- Catcher - Samantha DelConte, Mitchell, FY., Enfield, Conn.
- 1st Base – Shannon O'Neil, Mitchell, Jr., Chicopee, Mass.
- 2nd Base – Rivkah Berkman, Mitchell, Jr., New London, Conn.
- 3rd Base – Lindsey Clark, Newbury, So., Venice, Fla.
- Shortstop – Alyssa Donovan, Newbury, Jr., West Haven, Conn.
- Outfield – Makenzie Golden, Lesley, So., Laguna Niguel,Calif.
- Outfield – Sheri Liggiero, Newbury, Jr., Tewksbury, Mass.
- Outfield – Jaclyn Orangio, Becker, Jr., Maynard, Mass.
- Pitcher – Brittany Fiederlein, Mitchell, So., Hampton, Conn.
- Pitcher – Bethany Grimes, Elms, Sr., Terryville, Conn.
2015 NECC C Softball All-Conference Second Team
- Catcher - Brianna Herforth, Becker, FY, Peru, Mass.
- 1st Base – Alyssa McKinnon, Regis, Jr., Raynham, Mass.
- 2nd Base – Marlena Karavolis, Becker, So., McMurray, Pa.
- 3rd Base – Dylan Riccardi, Mitchell, Sr., Elmont, N.Y.
- Shortstop – Selena Quezada, Lesley, Jr., West Covina, Calif.
- Outfield – Noami Ricciotti, Newbury, So., Phoenix, Az.
- Outfield – Jessica Wheelahan, Becker, Jr., Watertown,Conn.
- Outfield – Theresa Pereira, Lesley, FY, Hopedale, Mass.
- Pitcher – Olivia Kenyon, Newbury,Sr., Canton, Mass.
- Pitcher – Kelsey Norberg, Becker, Jr., Uxbridge, Mass.
2015 NECC Softball All-Conference Honorable Mention
- Allison Caloggero, Regis, 3B, So., Medford, Mass.
- Gina Digiovanni, Elms, Sr., Shortstop, Springfield, Mass.
- Emily Fleming, Southern Vermont, 1B, Sr., Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
- Rachel Robtoy, Southern Vermont, 2B, Jr., Baltic, Conn.
- Kierstan Skinner, Elms, Jr., Catcher, South Windsor, Conn.
Source: (http://www.neccathletics.com/images/sball/-15_SBall_All-Conf)
