Martini, Ponto, Fortin, Johnson Claim DII Softball Major Awards to Lead All-ECAC Selections
DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced its Division II Softball Awards and All-ECAC selections for the 2017 season.
Brenna Martini of Adelphi University was named the ECAC Player of the Year, while Caldwell University senior Sydney Ponto collected the award for Pitcher of the Year. Abbey Fortin from LIU Post received the ECAC Rookie of the Year award, and Caldwell’s Dean Johnson was voted the Coach of the Year to complete the major awards.
Martini led Adelphi in nearly every offensive category in 2017 en route to earning her second NE-10 Player of the Year award in a row. The junior batted .484 with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs during the regular season, leading the league in all three categories, and added to those totals in the NE-10 tournament as the Panthers captured the conference title and qualified for the NCAA tournament. In addition to her ECAC honors, Martini was recently named the Division II Conference Commissioner Association (CCA) East Region Player of the Year.
Ponto takes home Pitcher of the Year after leading Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) pitchers in most statistical categories in 2017. The senior set a new school record with 29 wins during the regular season and conference tournament, posting a 1.60 ERA and 255 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a paltry .192 batting average in the process. Ponto was recognized as the ECAC Pitcher of the Week on three occasions during the 2017 campaign, and was also recently named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) East Region First Team.
Fortin showed her offensive power in her debut season for LIU Post. The freshman led the East Coast Conference (ECC) in home runs with 13 and finished second in runs scored with 38. The outfielder also ranked in the league’s top-10 in hits (44), RBIs (29), total bases (89) and slugging percentage (.520). Fortin is the second-straight LIU Post freshman to win ECAC Rookie of the Year, following Julia Seader in 2016.
Johnson led his Caldwell team to the CACC regular-season and tournament titles in 2017, as the Cougars made their 10th-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Under his guidance, two Caldwell players earned major awards from the conference at the end of the season, with a total of six student-athletes earning all-conference honors.
Player of the Year
Brenna Martini – Adelphi University, Jr.
Pitcher of the Year
Sydney Ponto – Caldwell University, Sr.
Rookie of the Year
Abbey Fortin – LIU Post, Fr.
Coach of the Year
Dean Johnson – Caldwell University
All-ECAC First Team
Rachael Sterner – Mansfield University, Jr.
Lauren Frye – Caldwell University, Sr.
Brenna Martini – Adelphi University, Jr.
Marisa Monasseri – Caldwell University, Jr.
Haley Simonds – Newberry College, Fr.
Courtney Case – Le Moyne College, Sr.
Morgan Lloyd – Mercy College, Jr.
Carly Testa – Caldwell University, So.
Bri Garber – West Chester University, Fr.
Nicoletta Cuccio – Adelphi University, So.
Amanda Houck – West Chester University, Jr.
Sydney Ponto – Caldwell University, Sr.
Laura McLaughlin – New York Institute of Technology, Sr.
All-ECAC Honorable Mention
Kendall Meeks – Mercy College, Fr.
Sara Ercolani – West Chester University, Jr.
Skania Lemus – Mercy College, Jr.
Abbey Fortin – LIU Post, Fr.
Jackie Martinez – Gannon University, Jr.
Morgan Atkinson – Salem International University, Fr.
Alli McGovern – Mansfield University, Fr.
Koryn Wickwire – Mansfield University, Jr.
Lindsay Mapes – Adelphi University, Sr.
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