HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata College had five players – a pair of first team selections, and three second team honorees – on the All-Landmark Conference softball team, which was unveiled on Monday.
Eckard currently leads the Landmark in batting with a .434 average, and led the conference with a school record 52 hits. She also ranked third in the league in on-base percentage (.480) and ninth in slugging percentage (.540).
Carl is fourth in the league in hitting with a .405 average, and is second in the league with 50 hits. She paced the Eagles with 38 runs scored, and was ranked second in the league in that category.
Earning a nod on the conference Second team were sophomore second baseman Caley McCool (Spring Mills, Pa./Penns Valley), junior outfielder Rachel Nagy (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth), and junior pitcher Alyssa Erb (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg).
Nagy finished the regular season with a .436 batting average, but missed the final eight games of the regular season and all three of Juniata's Landmark Conference Tournament contests due to injury. She is second on the team in runs batted in with 30, and is tied for the team lead with seven doubles.
McCool has hit .350 for the Eagles while starting every game but one at second base, where she has committed just one error in 124 chances. She had 35 hits with 14 runs batted in this season, and has drawn a team high 13 walks.
Erb posted a 2.23 earned run average this season over 135.0 innings pitched, on her way to a 14-8 record. She has recorded 158 strikeouts thus far in 2009, second most in school history, trailing only her 164-strikeout campaign from last season. Erb ranks seventh in the league in earned run average, and is tied for second in the conference with 158 strikeouts.
Juniata completed regular season and Landmark Conference Tournament play with a 24-13 record, and has been picked as the number one seed and host for the ECAC Division III South Region Tournament. The ECAC tournament will take place on Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10, at Huntingdon's Weis Field.
The complete 2009 All-Landmark Conference softball team is listed below:
First Team Class Hometown (High School)
C-Kelli Holota, Susquehanna Jr. Spring Lake, N.J. (Livingston)
1B-Jesselyn LaValley, USMMA Jr. Havelock, N.C. (Havelock)
2B-Kelly Lukacs, Catholic Sr. Chesterfield, N.J. (Northern Burlington Regional)
SS-Stephanie Falzarano, Moravian So. South Plainfield, N.J. (North Hunterdon)
3B-Tara Carl, Juniata Sr. Duke Center, Pa. (Otto-Eldred)
OF-Sarah Eckard, Juniata Jr. Hollidaysburg, Pa. (Hollidaysburg)
OF-Erica Klepeisz, Moravian Sr. Nazareth, Pa. (Nazareth)
OF-Amanda Paulus, Moravian So. Easton, Pa. (Easton)
SP/DP-Maria DeBonis, Moravian Sr. Nazareth, Pa. (Notre Dame)
SP-Jenna Carmon, Moravian Fr. Flemington, N.J. (Hunterdon Central)
SP-Cara Swerdlow, Susquehanna So. Bloomfield, N.J. (Bloomfield)
UT-Stacie Goddard, Catholic Jr. Nashua, N.H. (Bishop Guertin)
Second Team Class Hometown(High School)
C-Deanna Mangieri, Moravian Sr. Pleasantville, N.Y. (Byram Hills)
C-Nicole Spiotta, Drew So. Morris Plains, N.J. (Morristown)
1B-Sheri Bieniek, Moravian Sr. Lumberton, N.J. (Rancocas Valley)
2B-Callandra McCool, Juniata So. Spring Mills, Pa. (Penns Valley)
2B-Cailin McGrorry, Drew Sr. Avon, N.J. (Red Bank Catholic)
SS-Megan Rizzi, Catholic Fr. Mont Vernon, N.H. (Souhegan)
SS-Annie Zeleniak, Scranton So. Taylor, Pa. (Scranton Preparatory)
3B-Maura Agnew, Moravian Sr. Doylestown, Pa. (Lansdale Catholic)
3B-Shelly Landis, Susquehanna So. Souderton, Pa. (Christopher Dock Mennonite)
OF-Rachel Nagy, Juniata Jr. Nazareth, Pa. (Nazareth)
OF-Lisa Finizio, Susquehanna Fr. Oakland, N.J. (Indian Hills)
DP-Jenna Carmon, Moravian Fr. Flemington, N.J. (Hunterdon Central)
DP-Ashley Vosilla, Scranton Fr. Dix Hills, N.Y. (Half Hollow Hills West)
SP-Alyssa Erb, Juniata Jr. Hollidaysburg, Pa. (Hollidaysburg)
Player of the Year: Jesselyn LaValley, USMMA
Pitcher of the Year: Jenna Carmon, Moravian
Rookie of the Year: Megan Rizzi, Catholic
Coaching Staff of the Year: Susquehanna University (Head Coach Kathy Kroupa)
-30-
