MAAC Announces 2016 Softball Major Awards
MAAC Sports
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has announced its 2016 Softball All-MAAC teams and major award winners as chosen by the leagues 11 head coaches at the annual awards show.
Marist headlined the major award winners, claiming four of the five major honors. The lone non-Marist award winner, Lindsey Silfer of Canisius College, was named the MAAC Player of the Year. Marist award winners included Kyrsten Van Natta claiming the Defensive Player of the Year honor, and Jayne Oberdorf was selected as the Pitcher of the Year, while her younger sister, Claire Oberdorf, was announced as the Rookie of the Year. Marist head coach Joe Ausanio was voted amongst his peers as the Lids Team Sports MAAC Coach of the Year to round out the major awards.
Silfer, a junior outfielder from Cicero, New York, led the MAAC with a .425 overall batting average during the regular season, and a .544 batting average in MAAC contest, including leading the conference in on base percentage (.581) in league games. She ranked first in hits, with 37 in league play and second in overall hits with 68. Silfers 40 RBIs was third best in the conference and her 105 total bases ranked second in the league. She was named MAAC Player of the Week on March 1.
Van Natta, a senior infielder, tied for second in the MAAC with 120 defensive assists, a registered a .965 fielding percentage. She ranked seventh in the conference fielding double plays with 10. The Maplewood, New Jersey native posted a .384 batting average during the regular, good for sixth in the MAAC and led the conference with her 46 runs batted in and 106 total bases. She also scored the second most runs in the league, crossing home plate 49 times during the 2016 campaign.
Jayne Oberdorf, a right handed pitcher from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, posted a 13-3 overall record during the regular season with a 1.90 ERA, Her 13 wins were second most in the MAAC and she also added two saves. Oberdorf ranked sixth in the MAAC with 95 strikeouts, which included 25 of them by way of catching the batter looking, also good for sixth in the conference. The junior recorded three complete game shutouts and held her opponents to a .219 batting average. Oberdorf was named MAAC Pitcher of the Week twice this season.
Claire Oberdorf, was a unanimous selection to the All-Rookie Team in route to being named the Rookie of the Year. The infielder from Greensburg, Pennsylvania posted a .391 batting average, fourth best in the MAAC. She ranked third in slugging percentage (.656), fifth in runs scored (36) and RBIs (38), and seventh in on base percentage (.455). Oberdorf stole 15 bases on the year, good for sixth in the conference and earned a league best, three Rookie of the Week honors.
Marist College head coach Joe Ausanio was named as the 2016 Lids Team Sports MAAC Coach of the Year. In his eighth season at the helm, Ausanio, led the Red Foxes to its second regular season title in three years with a 16-4 league mark. His Red Foxes posted an overall record of 42-11 including a 17 game winning streak which lasted from April 10 to May 5.
Silfer (outfield), Van Natta (infield), J. Oberdorf (pitcher), and C. Oberdorf (infield) were all named to the All-MAAC First Team. Joining the quartet on the First Team at catcher was Elena Bowman, which was a unanimous choice. In the infield with C. Oberdorf and Van Natta were Kristen Turner of Iona and Marist teammate Maureen Duddy. Joining Silfer in the outfield were Lauren Filicia from Fairfield and Manhattan’s Shannon Puthe. The Manhattan duo of Briana Matazinsky (designated player) and Jennifer Vazquez (utility player) made the team, while Monmouth’s Sydney Underhill joined J. Oberdorf as first team pitchers.
Claiming spots on the All-MAAC Second Team were, catcher Jill Freese, and infielders Justene Reyes and Nicole Wieczorek of Monmouth, Chanelle Ward from Niagara, and Siena’s Paige Hess. The outfielders were Canisius’ Jessica Berzins, the Marist duo of Janna Korak
Colleen McWilliams, and Emma Hill of Monmouth. The second team designated player was Gabrielle Keliher of Marist and the second team utility player was Lauren Castro from Canisius. The trio of pitchers were Lauren Falkanger from Fairfield, Jessica Van Alphen of Marist, and Amanda Riley from Monmouth.
The All-Rookie team consists of unanimous selections in Lauren Castro of Canisius, Courtney Hankins from Fairfield, C. Oberdorf, and Wieczorek. Also making the team were Marisa Gergel from Iona, Alexa Dawid of Manhattan, a Marist trio of Megan Beirmeister, Brandi Coon, and Casey Page, Sierra Bertrand of Niagara, and Siena’s trio of Mady Cossack, Loryn DeFalco, and Jess Vollmer.
All-MAAC First Team
|
Catcher
|
|
Elena Bowman*
|
Manhattan College
|
|
Infield
|
|
Kristen Turner
|
Iona College
|
|
Maureen Duddy
|
Marist College
|
|
Claire Oberdorf
|
Marist College
|
|
Kyrsten Van Natta
|
Marist College
|
|
Outfield
|
|
Lindsey Silfer
|
Canisius College
|
|
Lauren Filicia
|
Fairfield University
|
|
Shannon Puthe
|
Manhattan College
|
|
Designated Player
|
|
Briana Matazinsky
|
Manhattan College
|
|
Utility
|
|
Jennifer Vazquez
|
Manhattan College
|
|
Pitcher
|
|
Jayne Oberdorf
|
Marist College
|
|
Sydney Underhill
|
Monmouth University
|
All-MAAC Second Team
|
Catcher
|
|
Jill Freese
|
Monmouth University
|
|
Infield
|
|
Justene Reyes
|
Monmouth University
|
|
Nicole Wieczorek
|
Monmouth University
|
|
Chanelle Ward
|
Niagara University
|
|
Paige Hess
|
Siena College
|
|
Outfield
|
|
Jessica Berzins
|
Canisius College
|
|
Janna Korak
|
Marist College
|
|
Colleen McWilliams
|
Marist College
|
|
Emma Hill
|
Monmouth University
|
|
Designated Player
|
|
Gabrielle Keliher
|
Marist College
|
|
Utility
|
|
Lauren Castro
|
Canisius College
|
|
Pitcher
|
|
Lauren Falkanger
|
Fairfield University
|
|
Jessica Van Alphen
|
Marist College
|
|
Amanda Riley
|
Monmouth University
|
All-Rookie Team
|
Lauren Castro*
|
Canisius College
|
|
Courtney Hankins*
|
Fairfield University
|
|
Marisa Gergel
|
Iona College
|
|
Alexa Dawid
|
Manhattan College
|
|
Megan Beirmeister
|
Marist College
|
|
Brandi Coon
|
Marist College
|
|
Claire Oberdorf*
|
Marist College
|
|
Casey Page
|
Marist College
|
|
Nicole Wieczorek*
|
Monmouth University
|
|
Sierra Bertrand
|
Niagara University
|
|
Mady Cossack
|
Siena College
|
|
Loryn DeFalco
|
Siena College
|
|
Jess Vollmer
|
Siena College
|
Player of the Year
Lindsey Silfer, Canisius College
Defensive Players of the Year
Kyrsten Van Natta, Marist College
Pitcher of the Year
Jayne Oberdorf, Marist College
Rookie of the Year
Claire Oberdorf, Marist College
Lids Team Sports Coach of the Year
Joe Ausanio, Marist College
*Denotes unanimous selection