STANDISH, Maine – The 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball postseason awards have been announced and five Saint Joseph's College players have earned accolades.
Sophomore shortstop Meghan Elliott (Blackstone, Mass.) and senior outfielder Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) are First Team All-GNAC honorees while sophomore Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) is listed on the Second Team and senior third baseman Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) and senior pitcher Kylie McFadden (Dover, N.H.) have collected Third Team acclaim.
Elliott claims her first All-Conference nod after hitting .349 (38-109) with 24 runs, seven doubles, three triples, and 21 RBI as a sophomore. Also an excellent defensive shortstop, the second-year starter posted the highest fielding percentage (.964) at the position in the conference after committing just six errors in 167 total chances.
Tripp, a two-time Third Team All-GNAC honoree, collects First Team All-Conference honors after hitting .414 (46-111) with 36 runs, four doubles, four RBI, and seven stolen bases during her senior season. The four-year starter ranked second in the GNAC in walks (20), third in OBP (.504), and seventh in both runs and hits.
For her career, Tripp hit .395 (140-354) with 109 runs, 14 doubles, 23 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in 136 contests over four seasons. She is the Monks' all-time hit by pitch leader (24) and ranks third in program history in OBP (.509) and seventh in both batting average and walks (58).
Smith picks up her first All-Conference award as a utility player after posting a 3.02 ERA with 75 K's in 88 innings in the circle and a .298 (17-57) batting average with five runs, six doubles, and 10 RBI in the batter's box. She finished her sophomore season ranked fifth in the GNAC in K/7 (5.97), eighth in strikeouts (75), and 10th in ERA.
Harrison earns Third Team All-GNAC honors after hitting .250 (29-116) with 15 runs, eight doubles, a triple, 18 RBI, and four stolen bases during her senior season. For her career, she posted a .289 (101-350) batting average with 57 runs, 30 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 66 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 130 contests.
McFadden also claims her first postseason award after posting a 1.94 ERA with an 11-7 record over 19 appearances this spring. The senior hurler fanned 42 batters and held opponents to a collective .247 (106-429) batting average over 112 innings and tossed 12 complete games in her final collegiate campaign.
Over four seasons, McFadden posted a 2.31 ERA with a 29-12 record and 128 strikeouts over 260 innings. She leaves the program ranked 10th in pitching appearances (47).
Under the watch of 20th-year Head Coach Jamie Smyth '92, the Monks posted a 22-17 overall record with a 17-5 mark in conference play en route to claiming the #2 seed in the 2017 GNAC Tournament. On Friday, May 5th, Saint Joseph's hosted a second-round pod and fell into the losers' bracket after suffering a 5-2 loss at the hands of #3 Suffolk University. The Monks rebounded with a 6-3 win over #8 Simmons College in an elimination game the following day, but bowed out of the tournament with an 8-0 loss to fourth-seeded Albertus Magnus College.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
