NEWARK, Del. - - Wilmington University softball standout Chelsea Botsch has been named a 2015 Daktronics/Division II CCA All-American Honorable Mention, becoming the second WilmU softball student-athlete to earn such an honor.
Botsch (Smyrna, Del.), a First Team selection of both the Daktronics/Division II CCA and NFCA All-East Region teams, is one of the student-athletes from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference to be named a Daktronics Honorable Mention All-American. Caldwell’s Alyssa Calderon and Georgian Court’s Dara Schroeder join her on the 2015 list.
The senior pitcher is the second All-American in the NCAA era for the Wilmington University softball team, dating back to the 2004-05 season. Former standout pitcher Katie Warrington was named a 2013 Daktronics Honorable Mention All-American as well. Botsch and Warrington share another similar quality; they happen to be related.
The younger of the cousins, Botsch led the pitching staff with a 1.61 earned run average in 35 appearances, including 15 innings in the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament against Adelphi in the first round. She tossed 174.1 innings, going 19-7 overall with 10 shutouts, including eight straight during the regular season spanning 52.1 consecutive scoreless innings. She struck out 179 batters on the year, averaging 9.29 per seven innings against members in the CACC. Botsch threw her first no-hitter of her career in a five-inning shutout against USciences on April 14 and spun another no-hitter in a seven-inning shutout against Felician on April 30 in the first round of the CACC Tournament.
Botsch’s career year as a senior moved her up several lists in the WilmU Softball record books, as she finished her career with a 40-28 overall record. It’s the third most wins in Wilmington’s career while her 2.37 career ERA is ranked fifth. She hold the all-time record of allowing only 1.01 walks per seven innings, giving up 63 walks in 438 career innings. He 10 shutouts in 2015 giver her 12 for her career, third most in program history. She is also third in program history with 361 career strikeouts.
This season also produced a few season records for Botsch, as she tied the all-time mark with 19 wins in a single year. She also set program records with 35 appearances, 30 starts, 174.1 innings pitched, and 10 shutouts.
West Texas A&M’s Renee Erwin became the first student-athlete to win back-to-back Ron Lenz Player of the Year awards while North Georgia’s Courtney Poole became the third pitcher from the school to earn the Ron Lenz Pitcher of the Year award, headlining the 2015 Daktronics/Division II CCA All-American Softball Teams.