CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Boston University Terriers softball team claimed three of the Patriot League’s five major awards while Bucknell earned two when the League office announced All-League honors on Tuesday.
Terriers’ senior catcher Alex Heinen was named the 2019 Patriot League Softball Player and Defensive Player of the year, while teammate sophomore Ali DuBois received pitcher of the year honors. Both Heinen and DuBois were selected as the 2019 preseason player and pitcher of the year, respectively.
Bucknell outfielder Allyse Volpe earned Patriot League Rookie of the Year accolades under the helm of the 2019 Patriot League Softball Coach of the Year Joey Lye.
The Major Awards and All-League teams were voted on by the seven Patriot League head coaches who could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2019 Patriot League Softball Player & Defensive Player of the Year
Alex Heinen, Boston University, Sr., C, San Clemente, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic
* Heinen hit a Patriot League-leading eight home runs and led the Terriers with a .314 batting average (50-for-159) and .516 slugging percentage in 2019.
* Her 34 RBIs were second in the League while her 25 runs placed her among the League’s top-10.
* On the defensive side, Heinen recorded 378 putouts, 27 assists and a .995 fielding percentage.
* The two-time All-Patriot League First-Team member was also the 2018 Patriot League Player of the Year.
2019 Patriot League Softball Pitcher of the Year
Ali DuBois, Boston University, So., P, Torrington, Conn./Torrington
* DuBois went 21-9 with a 1.38 ERA and held opponents to a .210 batting average during the 2019 regular season.
* The sophomore has pitched 188.0 innings, including 17 complete games, and struck out 183 batters.
* DuBois was the 2018 Patriot League Pitcher and Rookie of the Year, in addition to earning 2019 preseason pitcher of the year honors.
2019 Patriot League Softball Rookie of the Year
Allyse Volpe, Bucknell, Fr., OF, Scarborough, Ontario/Northview Heights
* Volpe led the Patriot League with a .412 batting average (54-for-131) and a .455 on base percentage. She finished fourth in the League with a .542 slugging percentage.
* She finished third in the League with 54 hits, and tied for fifth with 27 runs. The freshman also drove in 19 runs, hit two home runs and stole 16 bases this season.
* Volpe was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week three times during the 2019 season.
2019 Patriot League Softball Coach of the Year
Joey Lye, Bucknell
* For the second consecutive year, Lye helped the Bison earn the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Softball Tournament.
* In her second year as the Bucknell head coach, she guided the team to a 27-22 overall and 14-3 mark in conference play.
* Lye led the team to its most League wins in program history in 2019 with 14.
Six of seven League teams were represented on the 24-member All-League teams. Boston University, the top seed and host for the upcoming Patriot League Softball Championship, earned seven first-team selections. Second-seed Bucknell followed with six honorees, two on the first team and four on the second team, while fourth-seed Colgate had three named to the All-League teams. No. 3 Lehigh was represented by two student-athletes. In total, the four teams that qualified for the Patriot League Softball Championship garnered 21 of the 24 spots on the All-League teams. Army West Point placed two student-athletes on the teams, while Holy Cross rounded out the teams with one honoree.
The 2019 Patriot League Championship begins on Thursday, May 9 at Boston University’s softball field with the No. 1 seed Terriers taking on fourth-seed Colgate at 12 p.m. and second-seeded Bucknell facing No. 3 Lehigh at 2:30 p.m. All games can be seen on the Patriot League Network – patriotleague.tv.
2019 Softball All-Patriot League and Major Awards
Player of the Year: Alex Heinen, Boston University, Sr., C
Pitcher of the Year: Ali DuBois, Boston University, So., P
Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Heinen, Boston University, Sr., C
Rookie of the Year: Allyse Volpe, Bucknell, Fr., OF
Coach of the Year: Joey Lye, Bucknell
First team
1B – Nicole Amodio, Boston University, Fr.
2B – Mary-Hannah Smith, Lehigh, Jr.
3B – Alexa Ponce, Boston University, Sr.
SS – Anna Gimmestad, Bucknell, Sr.
C – Alex Heinen, Boston University, Sr.
DP – Marina Sylvestri, Boston University, So.
OF – Taylor Drayton, Army West Point, So.
OF – Allyse Volpe, Bucknell, Fr.
OF – Jaelynn Chesson, Lehigh, Fr.
P – Ali DuBois, Boston University, So.
P – Emily Gant, Boston University, Fr.
At-large – Emily Morrow, Boston University, Sr., 2B
At-large – Meghan Romero, Colgate, Sr., 2B
Second team*
1B – Nicole Rounsavill, Colgate, Jr.
2B – Lauren Hadley, Bucknell, Sr.
3B – Emily Ballesteros, Army West Point, Jr.
SS – Madison Killebrew, Boston University, Sr.
C – Virginia Irby, Colgate, Jr.
DP – Sarah Baluch, Bucknell, Fr.
OF – Aliyah Huerta-Leipner, Boston University, Fr.
OF – Jen Horita, Boston University, So.
OF – Jess Hom, Bucknell, So.
P – Raeanne Geffert, Bucknell, Jr.
P – Kelly Nelson, Holy Cross, Fr.
*Due to a tie for at-large on the first team, there is no selection for the second team.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.