NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference office announced the 2017 Softball All-Conference Teams and major award winners on Monday and Wilmington Softball's Rosa'Lynn Burton highlights four Wildcats voted as All-CACC.
Following a record breaking freshman season, Burton (Dover, Del./Caesar Rodney) was voted as the CACC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-CACC. Sophomore pitcher Caitlyn Whiteside joined Burton on the All-CACC First Team. Senior Kaitlyn Slater and sophomore Jazmeen Llamas were named Second Team All-CACC as well.
The league's 14 head coaches in the sport conducted voting for the major awards and all-conference teams.
Burton was the catalyst for the Wildcats atop the batting lineup all season long, leading the team and finishing second in the CACC with a .474 batting average. She led the CACC in scoring 52 runs while also leading the league with 82 hits and a single-season program record 39 stolen bases. She also finished second in the CACC with six triples and 108 total bases. Her 82 hits this season are one away from tying the program's single-season record held by Book Ash in 2013.
Whiteside (Bermuda Dunes, Calif./Shadow Hills) aced the pitching staff all season long, finishing 17-7 with one save. In 154.1 innings pitched, Whiteside led the CACC with a 1.13 earned run average, setting a new single season program record with 14 complete game shutouts. She ended the regular season in throwing 28 consecutive scoreless innings in four complete game shutouts. Whiteside compiled 78 strikeouts and only issued 17 walks on the season.
Slater (Harrington, Del./Woodbridge) was named the Second Team All-CACC third baseman after turning it on late in the season. Since the April 10 doubleheader at Bloomfield, Slater is hitting .448 with six homers and seven doubled while bringing in 30 RBI. She set a new single season program record with nine homers this season, tied atop the CACC leaderboard. She also finished the record season second in the CACC with 44 RBI while hitting a career best .312 on the season. Her 95 assists from the hot corner are sixth most in the CACC.
Llamas Bakersfield, Calif./Liberty) is the only repeat All-CACC performer for the Wildcats, as she was also the Second Team All-CACC second baseman a season ago. Llamas also caught fire in the second half of the season, hitting .431 with 15 runs scored in the since an April 8 doubleheader at Post. She finished ninth in the CACC with a .376 batting average on the year, scoring 25 runs while knocking in 19 more. She was also 10th in the league with a.430 on-base percentage. She also recorded 43 assists and a .969 fielding percentage from the second base position.
Caldwell's Marisa Monasseri was voted as the CACC Player of the Year for the second year in a row after leading the league with a .518 batting average, 57 RBI, and nine home runs. Her teammate Sydney Ponto was named the CACC Pitcher of the Year after going 25-4 with a league leading 231 strikeouts, and a third best 1.47 ERA. Monasseri and Ponto's coach, Dean Johnson was voted as the CACC/BSN Coach of the Year in a vote of the league's sports information directors.
Nyack College rounds out the major award winners by earning the 2017 CACC Team Sportsmanship Award.
The Wildcats finished 34-17 on the season and 17-9 in the CACC. They earned the fourth seed in the upcoming CACC Tournament and will play crosstown rival and fifth seeded Goldey-Beacom in the first round on Thursday. The tournament is being held at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J. The Wildcats and Lightning's first pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Field 2.
AGATE:
2017 CACC SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM:
C – Marisa Monasseri (Caldwell University)
1B – Kiahna Silva (Caldwell University)
2B – Lauren Frye (Caldwell University)
3B – Kayla Kresley (Post University)
SS – Taylor Favinger (Holy Family University)
OF – Rosa'Lynn Burton (Wilmington University)
OF – Brianna Scotto (Holy Family University)
OF – Carly Testa (Caldwell University)
P – Jennifer Paride (Dominican College)
P – Sydney Ponto (Caldwell University)
P – Caitlyn Whiteside (Wilmington University)
DP – Nicole Spiegelberg (Felician University)
UTIL (Non Pitcher) – Brittany Granahan (University of the Sciences)
UTIL (Pitcher) – Naomi Stas (Philadelphia University)
2017 CACC SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM:
C – Samantha Reilly (Georgian Court University)
1B – Mia Montoya (Felician University)
2B – Jazmeen Llamas (Wilmington University)
3B – Kaitlyn Slater (Wilmington University)
SS – Melissa Rini (Caldwell University)
OF – Delanie Cruz (Bloomfield College)
OF – Steph Donah (Felician University)
OF – Alina Ponce De Leon (Holy Family University)
P – Briannen Holloway (Chestnut Hill College)
P – Stephanie Pepper (Philadelphia University)
P – Bailey Walters (Holy Family University)
DP – Erica Ragazzone (Post University)
UTIL (Non Pitcher) – Kayla Henry-Caltabellotta (Philadelphia University)
UTIL (Pitcher) – Koreen Orozco (Holy Family University)
2017 CACC SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Marisa Monasseri (Caldwell University)
2017 CACC SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE YEAR:
Sydney Ponto (Caldwell University)
2017 CACC SOFTBALL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:
Rosa'Lynn Burton (Wilmington University)
2017 BSN SPORTS CACC SOFTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR:
Dean Johnson (Caldwell)
2017 CACC SOFTBALL TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD:
Nyack College