May 6, 2008

2008 Softball All-Patriot League Team

Center Valley, Pa. - Bucknell and Lafayette each placed a League-high six student-athletes on the 2008 Softball All-Patriot League Team. Army, Colgate and Lehigh each had four All-Patriot League selections, while Holy Cross had two. The All-Patriot League teams are voted on by the head coaches of the League's six softball teams.

Bucknell placed four of its six All-League selections on the first team, including senior pitcher Christie Wiest, freshman catcher Elyse Colmenero, junior first baseman Cassie Lloyd and freshman outfielder Lauren Fry. Wiest was second in the Patriot League in ERA in both overall (2.32) and Patriot League game (1.96). Wiest tied for second in overall wins with 12, four of which were shutouts. She recorded 96 strikeouts on the year in 165.2 innings pitched. In Patriot League games, Colmenero was first with a .468 batting average, coming up with a League-high 29 hits. On the year she recorded 20 RBI, scored 16 runs and had 10 doubles, one triple and two home runs. Lloyd also posted 20 RBI and 16 runs, while contributing six doubles, a triple and five home runs. She boasted a .989 fielding percentage with only three errors over 42 games. Fry batted .380 in Patriot League contests with 27 hits and 18 RBI. In all games, she was second on the Bucknell roster with 30 runs batted in and crossed the plate a team-high 32 times.

Both sophomore third baseman Mary Pavlovich and senior designated player Erin Curatola represented Bucknell on the Second-Team All-Patriot League list. Pavlovich owned a .368 average in League games with 14 runs scored and 11 RBI. For the year, she only committed three errors at third base for a .964 fielding percentage. Curatola was the only Bison to play in all 49 of Bucknell's games this season. She ranked fourth in the Patriot League in both RBI (32) and hits (47).

Lafayette evenly distributed its six All-Patriot League performers with three on both the first team and second team. Senior second baseman Kristen Ruckno, sophomore short stop Christina Giambrone and sophomore Kasey Karr were designated as first-team honorees. Karr earned a spot on the first team as a designated player and on the second team as a pitcher. Also on the second team for the Leopards were freshman pitcher Ali Henry and freshman catcher Stacey Kushner. Ruckno ranked second in the League in RBI this year with 37 and accumulated 45 hits, including 10 doubles and five home runs. Ruckno currently ranks fourth on the Patriot League's all-time home runs list with 26. She batted .317 for the Leopards as she started all 46 games this season. Giambrone owned a .381 batting average during Patriot League play and was first with 22 runs scored. In overall games, she ranked first in both runs scored (43) and doubles (13). She also tied for the team lead with eight home runs. Karr was the other Leopard to blast eight home runs this year and added 12 doubles as part of her team-high 46 hits. She hit .315 with 33 RBI and 26 runs in 46 games.

Lafayette's Kristen Ruckno

Karr was honored on the second team for her pitching ability, going 10-8 with a 3.23 earned run average on the season. She notched 88 strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .292 batting average. Henry joined Karr as a second-team pitcher for Lafayette. Henry posted a 10-9 mark with a 3.37 ERA and fanned 84 batters. Kushner led the Leopards with a .336 batting average. She came up with 45 hits, including seven doubles and two home runs, while scoring 31.

Army senior utility player Veronica Barth was a First-Team All-Patriot League honoree, while senior catcher Mary Ann Kearney, freshman first baseman Laura Baranek and senior second baseman Melissa Garza were all second-team members. Barth was named All-Patriot League for the fourth time in her career and third time as a first-team designee. Barth won a team-high 10 games in the circle and struck out 97 batters, while owning a 3.54 ERA. At the plate, she contributed an Army-best 11 doubles and added two home runs as she collected 24 hits. Kearney played in 48 games this season and batted .238 with 25 hits and 12 RBI. Baranek paced the Black Knights with a .313 batting average and a team-high 45 hits, including six doubles, three triples and two home runs. She was first in the Patriot League in stolen bases with 12 and started all 50 of Army's games this year. Garza hit .236 on the year with eight doubles, one triple and a team-high six home runs.

Colgate senior third baseman Whitney Scott was named First-Team All-Patriot League and senior short stop LaPorscha Albert and junior outfielders Ashley Rowe and Tiana Tyeskey each earned Second-Team All-Patriot League status. Scott batted .338 in all games this year with 18 RBI and 14 runs scored. She owned a .964 fielding percentage in 28 games. Albert posted a .323 batting average over 25 games as she earned her third-career All-Patriot League mention. She crossed the plate 12 times and batted in nine runs. Rowe was second in the Patriot League with a .392 batting average in all games, coming up with 12 RBI and eight runs, while Tyeskey hit .381 with 18 runs and 14 RBI.

Colgate's LaPorscha Albert

Three different Lehigh student-athletes comprised the Mountain Hawks' four All-Patriot League selections. Junior Lisa Sweeney was a First-Team All-Patriot League pitcher and a Second-Team All-Patriot League outfielder. Sweeney is leading the Patriot League in both the batting and pitching triple crown categories. She is first in overall batting average (.407), RBI (45) and home runs (13), as well as ERA (1.44), wins (22) and strikeouts (260). She became the Patriot League's single-season leader this year in both strikeouts, and in walks drawn as a batter with 35. Senior outfielder Kate Marvel is the sixth player in Patriot League history to be named First-Team All-Patriot League all four years. Marvel hit .377 in Patriot League games and .338 overall. She scored 32 runs and batted in 17, while coming up with 52 hits for second in the Patriot League. Junior outfielder Alisha Gonzales was Lehigh's other First-Team All-Patriot League selection. Gonzales was third in the Patriot League in batting average in both League games (.404) and all games (.352). She collected 44 hits with seven doubles, one triple and four home runs, while recording 28 RBI and 15 runs.

Holy Cross placed senior first baseman Kelly O'Neil on the First-Team All-Patriot League list and freshman utility player Erin Fleming on the second team. O'Neil posted a .989 field percentage for the year with just three errors in 41 games. She batted .276 with 35 hits, including six doubles and five home runs. She had a team-high 25 RBI and scored 13 runs. Fleming was first amongst all Patriot League freshmen and first for the Crusaders with a .346 batting average. Fleming collected 46 hits, with 13 going for extra bases (nine doubles, two triples and two home runs). She played in 41 of the Crusaders games this year and started all but one of those contests.

The 2008 Patriot League major awards (Player, Pitcher, Rookie and Coach of the Year) will be announced on Wednesday, May 7. This year's Patriot League Tournament will be contested May 8-10 at Lehigh University. The top-seeded Mountain Hawks are hosting No. 2 Lafayette, No. 3 Bucknell and No. 4 Army.

2008 All-Patriot League Team

First Team

* - Due to ties in voting there are 13 members of the First Team and 13 members of the Second Team.
# - Four-time All-Patriot League selection
^ - Three-time All-Patriot League selection