NESCAC Softball All-Conference Teams Announced
Trinity's Dougherty Garners Top Honors as Both Player and Pitcher of the Year
HADLEY, Mass. - Trinity senior pitcher/first baseman Sara Dougherty (Long Valley, N.J.) has been named both the 2007 NESCAC Player of the Year and the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year, as determined by the conference coaches. Dougherty is the first player from the Bantams to earn the league's top award and the first player in the past decade to claim both Player and Pitcher of the Year honors. Dougherty helped her team reach the championship game for the first time in tournament history during the 2007 NESCAC Softball Championship this year.
Dougherty once again split her time between the circle and first base this season, seeing action in 32 of Trinity's 33 games this year. At the plate this spring, Dougherty ranked among the leaders in the NESCAC in multiple statistical categories, including batting average (4th), on-base percentage (2nd), runs batted in (5th), home runs (tied 5th), and walks (1st). Offensively, Dougherty batted .429 with 42 hits, five home runs, 30 RBI, an on-base percentage of .529, and 19 walks. From the rubber, Dougherty posted a 9-7 record for the Bantams with an ERA of 2.70 while limiting opposing batters to an average of .257 and recording 82 strikeouts to place fourth among conference pitchers. Dougherty also earned a spot on the 2007 NESCAC All-Conference First Team, the fourth year in a row that she has been honored as All-NESCAC after receiving Second Team honors in 2004 and 2005 and First Team in 2006.
Joining Dougherty from the Bantams on the All-Conference First Team were a pair of outfielders, junior Beth Gostanian (Windham, N.H.) and first year Jessica Tait (North Salem, N.Y.). Gostanian, a Second Team selection a year ago, averaged .367 in the batters box through 32 games this season, belting a team-leading seven home runs while failing to commit an error in 37 opportunities in the outfield. In her first season with Trinity, Tait led the team offensively, batting .440 with 51 hits and 10 doubles to rank among the top five players in those categories in the league.
Tufts had four players earn All-NESCAC First Team honors this year, as the 2007 NESCAC Softball Champion Jumbos had the most members from any one squad on the First Team. Junior Erica Bailey (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was joined by sophomores Samantha Kuhles (Somerville, N.J.) and Lauren Gelmetti (Westfield, N.J.) along with first year Casey Sullivan (Berlin, Conn.) on the First Team. A Second Team honoree last year, Bailey has played a variety of roles for Tufts this season, batting .400 with 36 hits and 21 RBI while posting a 6-4 record in the circle and a 3.73 ERA with 48 strikeouts. Kuhles returned to the First Team for the second-straight year this spring, as the third baseman leads the NESCAC in both hits (61) and doubles (14) while averaging .427 at the plate. Gelmetti is 8-2 with an ERA that ranks fourth in the conference at 2.16 through 12 appearances for the Jumbos. The sophomore hurler has recorded a team-high 62 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .237 average at the plate. Sullivan has had an immediate impact for Tufts this season, as she currently leads the league in hits (61), runs scored (42) and runs batted in (43). Rotating between second base and shortstop, Sullivan leads the Jumbos with a .429 batting average, a .462 on-base percentage, an a .714 slugging percentage, and a NESCAC-best nine home runs. Sullivan, one of four first year players to make the First Team, was also honored as the conference's Rookie of the Year.
Williams sophomore shortstop Joey Lye (Scarborough, Ont.) earned First Team accolades this year after being selected to the Second Team a year ago. Starting all 36 games this season, Lye paced her team offensively this season, batting .404 with 46 hits, six doubles, an on-base percentage of .460 and 16 steals. Joining Lye from the Ephs was senior catcher Katelyn Knox (Great Falls, Va.). Knox batted .374, second only to Lye in average among the Ephs, with seven home runs while only allowing one passed ball behind the plate this season.
Rounding out the 2007 NESCAC All-Conference First Team were a pair of first year players, Amherst's Jacqueline Tyler (Ridgewood, N.J.) and Wesleyan's Meaghan Dendy (Swansea, Mass.). Tyler led the NESCAC in multiple offensive categories this year with a .513 batting average, a .562 on-base percentage, a .744 slugging percentage, and 19 steals through 25 games for the Jeffs. Dendy pulled double-duty in her first season with the Cardinals, finishing second on the team in batting with a .385 average, 45 hits, six doubles and 14 walks while leading her team from the rubber with a 3.30 ERA, earning a 7-5 record through 16 appearances.
Tufts head coach Cheryl Milligan was the choice among the coaches, coming away with NESCAC Coach of the Year honors for the second time in the last three years. In her fourth season at the helm of the Jumbos, Milligan has guided her team to a 28-11 record entering this week's NCAA Tournament action, just three wins shy of a program-best 31 set in 1995. Tufts claimed the 2007 NESCAC Softball Championship last weekend, the first title for the Jumbos since 2003 and the fourth in program history.
2007 NESCAC Softball All-Conference Team
| |
First Team |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| P/1B/DP |
Erica Bailey |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Scottsdale, Ariz. |
| P/OF |
Meaghan Dendy |
Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Swansea, Mass. |
| P/1B |
Sara Dougherty |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Long Valley, N.J. |
| P |
Lauren Gelmetti |
Tufts |
So. |
Westfield, N.J. |
| OF |
Beth Gostanian |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Windham, N.H. |
| OF/C |
Katelyn Knox |
Williams |
Sr. |
Great Falls, Va. |
| 3B |
Samantha Kuhles |
Tufts |
So. |
Somerville, N.J. |
| SS |
Joey Lye |
Williams |
So. |
Scarborough, Ont. |
| 2B/SS |
Casey Sullivan |
Tufts |
Fy. |
Berlin, Conn. |
| OF |
Jessica Tait |
Trinity |
Fy. |
North Salem, N.Y. |
| OF |
Jacqueline Tyler |
Amherst |
Fy. |
Ridgewood, N.J. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Second Team |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| OF |
Katelyn Cannella |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Pleasantville, N.Y. |
| C |
Megan Cusick |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Albany, N.Y. |
| OF |
Katie Franklin |
Bates |
Sr. |
New Preston, Conn. |
| SS |
Stacy Hills |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Menlo Park, Calif. |
| P |
Julia Jacobs |
Bowdoin |
Fy. |
Ridgewood, N.J. |
| C |
Ariana Mullin |
Trinity |
So. |
Woodbridge, Conn. |
| C |
Katie Powers |
Williams |
Jr. |
North Reading, Mass. |
| 1B |
Ellen Sargent |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
St. Albans, Vt. |
| C |
Stacia Saniuk |
Bates |
So. |
Sharon, Mass. |
| 3B |
Marcia Whitehead |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Cambridge, Mass. |
| 1B |
Jayme Woogerd |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Seattle, Wash. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Player of the Year |
|
|
|
| P/1B |
Sara Dougherty |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Long Valley, N.J. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Pitcher of the Year |
|
|
|
| P |
Sara Dougherty |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Long Valley, N.J. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Rookie of the Year |
|
|
|
| 2B/SS |
Casey Sullivan |
Tufts |
Fy. |
Berlin, Conn. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Coach of the Year |
|
|
|
| |
Cheryl Milligan |
Tufts |
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