STANDISH, ME - Seven members of the 2013 GNAC Champion Saint Joseph's College Softball team have claimed All-Conference honors.
Senior center fielder Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) and junior shortstop Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) have earned First Team accolades and senior catcher Heather Tripp (Lovell, Maine) is listed on the Second Team. Junior pitcher Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, Mass.), junior second baseman Connie Grovo (Limington, Maine), sophomore third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) and junior outfielder Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) have garnered Third Team honors.
Shufelt, a First Team All-GNAC selection as a sophomore and a Second Team choice as a freshman, has collected her third All-Conference nod and is in the midst of her finest collegiate campaign. She is currently batting .465 (74-159) with 50 runs, five doubles, five triples, 20 RBI and 21 stolen bases in as many attempts and leads the GNAC in at bats and runs and ranks third in the conference in steals. She recently became the second player to tally 200 career hits and is just one base knock away from tying the program's single-season hits record. For her career, Shufelt owns a .384 (227-591) batting average with 162 runs, 14 doubles, six triples, 46 RBI and 49 steals in 51 attempts.
Moore claims her third-consecutive First Team All-Conference accolade and is currently hitting .467 (63-135) with 43 runs, 19 doubles, two triples, two homers, 39 RBI and 11 steals through 41 games. She leads the conference in doubles and ranks second in hits, RBI and OBP (.520) and third in total bases (92). Also an excellent defensive player, Moore has committed just four errors in 158 chances for a .975 fielding percentage.
Tripp has earned Second Team All-GNAC mention for the second-straight season and is batting .333 (43-129) with 16 doubles, four homers and 38 RBI. The senior catcher and two-year captain has caught nearly every inning behind the plate this spring and ranks third in the conference in doubles. Tripp has enjoyed a fine college career with a .320 (132-413) batting average to go along with 75 runs, 37 doubles, 10 home runs and 99 RBI over four seasons.
Copan collects the first All-Conference honor of her career and is 12-2 with a 2.30 ERA and an astounding 80/3 K/BB ratio in 86 innings this spring. She leads the SJC pitching staff in wins, shutouts (5), strikeouts and opponent's batting average (.192, 60-312). She owns a 28-9 career record with 169 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 246.1 innings over three NCAA seasons.
Grovo claims Third Team All-GNAC accolades for the second time in her career and heads into the month of May hitting .344 (45-131) with 26 runs, 11 doubles, 25 RBI and a team-high 15 sacrifice bunts. The April 2nd ECAC DIII New England Player of the Week is also an excellent defender with just five miscues in 144 chances for a .965 fielding percentage this season.
Jordan is enjoying a breakout season and has received the first All-Conference honor of her career as a result. She is currently hitting .313 (36-115) with 28 runs, 11 doubles, five triples and 13 RBI with seven stolen bases and rounds out a very athletic infield for the Monks at the hot corner.
Hendrix, a First Team selection a year ago, claims Third Team mention this spring and is hitting .383 (49-128) with 33 runs, 16 doubles, a home run and 38 RBI through 42 games for the Monks. She has also worked 38.2 innings in the circle for the Royal Blue and has a 5-1 record with a 3.96 ERA and 27 strikeouts this spring.
Saint Joseph's, the #4 seed in the 2013 GNAC Tournament, cruised through the playoffs with four shutout victories and outscored opponents by a 16-0 margin, collectively, en route to earning the program's third-consecutive GNAC Championship. Head Coach Jamie Smyth '92, now in his 16th season, will take the Monks to the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. Saint Joseph's will learn of its NCAA Regional seeding and location on Monday, May 6th. Regional play begins on May 9th.
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 350-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.
