Press Release Written by Sports Information Graduate Intern MaryKate Rumbaugh

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – For the first time in the Wilmington University softball programs history, seven-student athletes were named to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference All-Conference Teams, including Rosa'Lynn Burton who was named CACC Player of the Year and Caitlyn Whiteside who earned CACC Pitcher of the Year.

Along with Burton and Whiteside being named to All-CACC First Team, sophomores Lauren Lopez and Makayla McCarthy earned First Team All-CACC. Senior Jazmeen Llamas, junior Alyssa Velasquez, and redshirt junior Kiana Broderson-Jones each earned Second Team All-CACC. It is the first time in program history the Wildcats were voted the CACC Player of the Year, and Whiteside becomes the fifth CACC Pitcher of the Year in program history.

Each player had a role in helping the Wildcats to their best regular season record, going 34-12 overall, while winning a new program-high 22 CACC games to earn the No. 2 seed in the CACC Tournament.

Junior Rosa'Lynn Burton (Dover Del. /Caesar Rodney) has been an offensive force for the Wildcats this season with 77 hits in 147 at bats. She became the programs all-time leader in career hits earlier this season, breaking the record of 201, and now stands with 252 hits going into the postseason. She leads the league batting .524 this year, with a .633 slugging percentage and a .551 on base percentage. Burton has also been a threat on the bases, going 53-for-53 on the year, breaking her own program record of most stolen bases in a season with 47. The left fielder recently earned a spot on the Schutt Sports/NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year Top 25 List for her performances this season. This is third straight year Burton has earned All-CACC First Team. Burton was also the 2017 CACC Rookie of the Year.

Senior Caitlyn Whiteside (Bermuda Dunes, Calif./Shadow Hills) has been consistent on the mound for the Wildcats throughout 30 appearances this season. She leads the CACC with 17 wins throughout the regular season and ranks fifth with a 2.28 ERA. In 178.1 IP, she has given up 153 hits, 74 runs, while walking only 36 batters and striking out 88. She has recorded a season-high six strikeouts six times in the regular season, while compiling 20 complete games and six shutouts. The right handed pitcher has surpassed Kim Lawrence in appearances who led the program with 103, as Whiteside now sits with 128. She has also became the all-time program leader in innings pitched throughout a career with 634.3 so far. This is also her third consecutive year of earning First Team All-CACC.

Sophomore Lauren Lopez (Burbank Calif./John Burroughs) has had a breakout season for WilmU as she leads the CACC with 57 RBI. After the regular season she is ranked seventh overall batting .386 with 59 hits, including a CACC leading 17 doubles, one triple, and two homeruns. With Lopez' 59 RBI, she surpasses Jillian Stafford who led the program with 51 RBI in a season. She is currently tied for second with 97 RBI in a career. In the Wildcats' 14-0 win over Holy Family, she recorded the single-game program record for most RBI with eight in the contest, going 4-for-4 with two doubles. She enters the postseason with a .549 slugging percentage and a .392 on base percentage. This is the second year in a row for Lopez earning All-CACC.

Makayla McCarthy (El Cajon, Calif./Steele Canyon) earned First Team All-CACC for the second consecutive year as a Utility-Pitcher. The sophomore has appeared in 24 games for the Wildcats, earning 16 wins, putting her tied for second in the CACC. Throughout 118.2 IP, she's allowed 92 hits, 39 earned runs, while walking just 38 batters. She is also fourth in the conference with 120 strikeouts, and fourth with a 1.89 ERA. She collected a regular-season high 14 strikeouts, throwing a complete game shutout in the Wildcats' 3-0 win over USciences on April 10. McCarthy also batted .337 during the regular season, with 32 hits, including five doubles, one triple, and two homeruns for 25 RBI.

Senior Jazmeen Llamas (Bakersfield, Calilf./Liberty) earned Second Team All-CACC honors for the third time in her career. The second baseman batted .333 during the regular season with 22 hits, including one double and five RBI. Against Holy Family, she went 3-for-3 with one RBI to help WilmU to a 14-0 shutout. Llamas is 4-5 on stolen bases this season and has a .348 slugging percentage with a .421 on base percentage.

Junior Alyssa Velasquez (Indio, Calif./Palm Desert) has earned Second Team All-CACC for the first time in her career. She has helped the Wildcats at the plate with 38 hits, including nine doubles, four triples, and one homerun with 26 RBI. The shortstop is batting .309 with a .472 slugging percentage and a .443 on base percentage. In the Wildcats' 17-11 win over Caldwell, she went 3-for-4 with one double and three RBI. She is 10-13 on the season in stolen bases and has scored 39 runs in all 46 games played.

Redshirt junior Kiana Broderson-Jones (Menifee, Calif./Paloma Valley) was voted to the Second Team All-CACC team for the first time for her career. The center fielder has been an offensive threat for the Wildcats on the bases and at the plate. She is batting .366 with 53 hits, including three doubles, five triples, and two homeruns with 31 RBI. Broderson-Jones is also 26-27 in stolen bases and is tied with Rosa'Lynn Burton with 55 runs scored this season. She also has a .497 slugging percentage and a .446 on base percentage for the season. She recorded a regular season-high six RBI, going 2-for-4 with a grand slam in the Wildcats' 16-0 win over Jefferson on April 2. She is currently third overall in program history with 40 stolen bases for her career.

Caldwell's Nora Conway was named CACC Rookie of the Year, while Georgian Court's Nicole Degenhardt was named CACC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. The University of the Sciences earned the Team Sportsmanship Award to round out the 2019 CACC Softball Major Award Winners.

AGATE:

2019 CACC Softball All-Conference Teams:

First Team:
1B Marissa Trezza (Georgian Court University)
2B Samantha Salomon (Georgian Court University)
3B Lauren Lopez (Wilmington University)
SS Nora Conway (Caldwell University)
C Samantha Reilly (Georgian Court University)
OF Rajene Bowe (Dominican College)
OF Rosa'Lynn Burton (Wilmington University)
OF Caitlin Hughes (Georgian Court University)
P Jessica O'Neil (Georgian Court University)
P Stephanie Pepper (Jefferson)
P Caitlyn Whiteside (Wilmington University)
UTL-PITCHER Makayla McCarthy (Wilmington University)
UTL-NON PITCHER Christian Misiur (Caldwell University)
DP Kaileen Cain (Caldwell University)

Second Team:
1B Nicole Spiegelberg (Felician University)
2B Jazmeen Llamas (Wilmington University)
3B Emily Williams (Jefferson)
SS Alyssa Velasquez (Wilmington University)
C Paige Sandoval (Caldwell University)
OF Kiana Broderson-Jones (Wilmington University)
OF Steph Donah (Felician University)
OF Kasey Jusino (Post University)
P Mariah Culver (Caldwell University)
P Alyssa Giampolo (Nyack College)
P Mikayla Gilgert (Georgian Court University)
UTL-PITCHER Naomi Stas (Jefferson)
UTL-NON PITCHER Emily Luzetsky (Dominican College)
DP Janelle Adams (Nyack College)

2019 CACC Softball Major Award Winners:

Player of the Year: Rosa'Lynn Burton (Wilmington University)
Pitcher of the Year: Caitlyn Whiteside (Wilmington University)
Rookie of the Year: Nora Conway (Caldwell University)
Coach of the Year: Nicole Degenhardt (Georgian Court University)
Sportsmanship Award: University of the Sciences
Regular Season Champion: Georgian Court University