Softball Grabs Tops NECC Honors
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Mitchell College took home four major awards and had four players earn all-conference status from the New England Collegiate Conference on Thursday as the league announced its annual softball honors.
Freshman Gemma Landry was named NECC Co-Player of the Year as well as NECC Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Mitchell player to earn both awards in the same season. Sophomore Katelyn Lipsky was tabbed NECC Co-Pitcher of the Year while Erin Miller was selected as NECC Coach of the Year.
Landry and Lipsky were joined on the all-conference team by senior Alex Lopez and sophomore Jenna Bennett. Both Lipsky and Lopez were repeat selections. All awards were determined by a vote of the conference's head coaches.
Landry has turned in an impressive first season with the Mariners, batting a team-high .465 with 13 doubles, two triples, three homers, 20 RBI and 41 runs scored in 38 games. She leads the NECC in runs and total hits (60) and also ranks second in batting average and on-base percentage (.504). As Mitchell's starting shortstop, Landry has made only nine errors in 150 total chances, with just three miscues coming in league action.
Lipsky led the NECC with 125 strikeouts over 115.0 innings, an average of 7.61 per game. She ranks among the top five in the league in numerous categories, including ERA (3.71), innings, wins (8) and complete games (17). She was also the toughest pitcher to hit in conference action, limiting opposing lineups to a .209 batting average in seven appearances.
Having earned All-NECC third-team status as a rookie in 2019, Lopez bookended her career with conference honors at the designated player position in her final season. Playing in just 23 games due to injury, she ended the year strong and is batting .338 with 19 RBI and six runs scored. In league action she raised her average to .429 and hit safely in seven of eight games.
Bennett, a starter in center fielder, has played in all 38 games and is batting a career-best .290 with four doubles, 24 RBI and 17 runs scored. She has also been solid in the field, committing just one error in 52 total chances while leading all Mitchell outfielders with 50 putouts.
In her third season at the helm, Miller led the Mariners to a 19-19 overall record—the program's most wins since 2014—and a 6-6 mark in league play. Mitchell, which was picked to finish last in the preseason poll, also nabbed the second seed for the upcoming NECC Championship on May 6-8. Miller is the second Mitchell coach to earn the conference's top honor and the first since 2014.
Junior Samantha Kasheta rounded out Mitchell's award recipients by being named to the Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team. She has seen action in 10 games this season, mostly as a pinch runner and right fielder.
Mitchell will face third-seeded Lesley University in the opening round of the 2022 NECC Championship on Friday, May 6 at noon. Friday's games will be played at Mitchell/McCoy Field in Quincy, Mass., while the remainder of the tournament will be played at St. Mary's Field in Revere, Mass.
