2012 All-MAAC Softball Teams Announced
MAAC Sports
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - Alyssa Maiese from Iona College and Shannon Jones from Siena College have been named the 2012 MAAC Softball Co-Players of the Year and highlight the 2012 All-MAAC Softball Teams chosen by the league's nine head coaches.
Maiese, a red-shirt senior utility player, is ranked second on her team with her .316 batting average, and owned a .581 slugging percentage and a .401 on-base percentage during the regular season. She tallied 49 hits, 24 runs scored and 39 RBI over 54 games for the Gaels this season. Maiese also aided Iona's efforts from the pitcher's circle, recording a record of 15-10 and a 1.38 ERA. In 172.1 innings of work, she struck out 190 batters, including a league-best 78 batters struck out looking.
Jones, a junior shortstop, led the MAAC in several categories during the 2012 campaign, including batting (.434), slugging percentage (.836), runs scored (46), hits (66), runs batted in (43), doubles (15), home runs (14) and total bases (127). In 50 games played this year for the Saints, she also fielded 152 putouts and assisted on 52 more for a .979 fielding percentage.
Iona's Sarah Jackson was named the 2012 MAAC Pitcher of the Year. Jackson has posted a league-best 1.32 ERA and a 15-11 record on the mound. The senior right-hander has tallied 211 strikeouts in 175 innings pitched for the Gaels this season and held her opponents to a conference-best .200 batting average.
Allysen Breeden, a freshman infielder from Rider University, was chosen as the 2012 MAAC Rookie of the Year. She finished her rookie campaign with a .277 batting average, and registered 46 hits, 14 runs scored and 27 RBI this season for the Broncs.
Maiese, Jones and Jackson were each named to the All-MAAC First Team. The rest of the team includes Lauren Liseth from Fairfield University at catcher, as well as Fairfield's Kristen Filicia and Alli Wigand, Marist College's Alyssa Zahka and Jones in the infield. The outfield is comprised of Lauren Falzone and Liz Gatto from Canisius College, Eileen McCann from Iona and Ashley Corriss from Marist. Siena's Jessika-Jo Sandrini is the designated player, while Maiese is the utility player. Jackson and Rachael Matreale from Rider were selected as the pitchers of the All-MAAC First Team.
The All-MAAC Second Team includes Megan Lamoureux of Marist and Nastasha Powlowsky from Siena at catcher, while Allyssa James and Chelsea Sheehan from Iona, Kate Bowen from Manhattan College, and Nicole DiVirgilio and Danielle Koltz from Marist each earned a spot in the infield. The outfield Fairfield's Sammy Ruffolo, Iona's Jodi Petersen and Rider's Kehli Washington. Breeden is the designated player, while Rae Ball from Fairfield is the utility player. Sandrini and Becca Trott from Fairfield round out the All-MAAC Second Team as the pitchers.
Fairfield head coach Julie Brzezinski was named as the 2012 Anaconda Sports MAAC Coach of the Year. Brzezinski, in her 14th year at the helm of the Stags, guided Fairfield to an overall record of 29-25 record during the regular season, including an 11-5 mark in the MAAC, and the second seed in this year's championship.
2012 MAAC Softball Awards
First Team
|
Name
|
School
|
Position
|
|
Lauren Liseth
|
Fairfield
|
Catcher
|
|
Kristen Filicia
|
Fairfield
|
Infield
|
|
Alli Wigand
|
Fairfield
|
Infield
|
|
Alyssa Zahka
|
Marist
|
Infield
|
|
Shannon Jones
|
Siena
|
Infield
|
|
Lauren Falzone
|
Canisius
|
Outfield
|
|
Liz Gatto
|
Canisius
|
Outfield
|
|
Eileen McCann
|
Iona
|
Outfield
|
|
Ashley Corriss
|
Marist
|
Outfield
|
|
Jessika-Jo Sandrini
|
Siena
|
Designated Player
|
|
Alyssa Maiese
|
Iona
|
Utility
|
|
Sarah Jackson
|
Iona
|
Pitcher
|
|
Rachael Matreale
|
Rider
|
Pitcher
|
Second Team
|
Name
|
School
|
Position
|
|
Megan Lamoureux
|
Marist
|
Catcher
|
|
Nastasha Powlowsky
|
Siena
|
Infield
|
|
Allyssa James
|
Iona
|
Infield
|
|
Chelsea Sheehan
|
Iona
|
Infield
|
|
Kate Bowen
|
Manhattan
|
Infield
|
|
Nicole DiVirgilio
|
Marist
|
Infield
|
|
Danielle Koltz
|
Marist
|
Infield
|
|
Sammy Ruffolo
|
Fairfield
|
Outfield
|
|
Jodi Petersen
|
Iona
|
Outfield
|
|
Kehli Washington
|
Rider
|
Outfield
|
|
Allysen Breeden
|
Rider
|
Designated Player
|
|
Rae Ball
|
Fairfield
|
Utility
|
|
Becca Trott
|
Fairfield
|
Pitcher
|
|
Jessika-Jo Sandrini
|
Siena
|
Pitcher
|
Co-Players of the Year
Alyssa Maiese, Iona
Shannon Jones, Siena
Pitcher of the Year
Sarah Jackson, Iona
Rookie of the Year
Allysen Breeden, Rider
Anaconda Sports Coach of the Year
Julie Brzezinski, Fairfield