NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - The top-seeded Wilmington University softball team placed eight student-athletes on the 2024 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference All-Conference Teams, including Kylee Gunkel and Mike Shehorn earning Major Awards, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
Kylee Gunkel (Highland, Md.) is now a two-time CACC Pitcher of the Year, earning the award in back-to-back seasons. Head coach Mike Shehorn has also been voted the CACC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row, as voted on by the league's sports information directors.
Joining Gunkel on the All-CACC First Team is second baseman Sam Freeland (Bear, Del.), outfielders Taylor Gillis (Hockessin, Del.) and Tristyn Stewart (Centreville, Md.), designated player Gabriella Saucedo (Orange, Calif.), utility player Sara Miller (Clayton, Del.), and utility pitcher Delani Sheehan (New Castle, Del.). Shortstop Lexi Moore (Dover, Del.) was voted to the All-CACC Second Team.
Kylee Gunkel dominated in the circle again this year for the Wildcats, leading the CACC with 19 wins and a 1.54 earned run average. She has recorded five complete game shutouts and ranks second in the conference with batters only hitting .213 against the junior righty. She recorded 88 strikeouts this year, with a season high 11 against Holy Family and then 10 more against the Tigers in the CACC Tournament First Round.
Sam Freeland came to the Wildcats from Marist and has stepped into the second base position seamlessly. She is second on the team with a .411 batting average, going 44-for-107 with three doubles, a homer, 20 RBI, and 21 runs scored. She also has 14 stolen bases on the season. She has also been on the turn for seven double plays this season.
Tristyn Stewart has been a consistent force atop the Wildcat lineup this season, sitting third in the CACC with a .454 batting average while leading the league and ranking fourth in all of NCAA DII with 46 stolen bases. She has 69 hits this year with three doubles, a home run, 15 RBI and a league second best 52 runs scored. She is 46-for-47 in stolen base opportunities this season, ranking fourth in the CACC with a .484 on-base percentage.
Taylor Gillis is a repeat member of the First Team All-CACC, patrolling centerfield for the Wildcats. She is third on the team and seventh in the CACC with a .395 batting average, ranking fifth in the CACC with a .482 on-base percentage, and 16th with a .521 slugging percentage. Her 11 doubles are ranked eighth in the CACC while her 35 RBI are eighth overall as well. She also has 18 stolen bases on the year.
Gabriella Saucedo was a Second Team All-CACC performer in 2022, making the jump to First Team in 2024 as the designated player. She is seventh on the team with a .348 batting average, collected 24 hits. She has six doubles, a triple, and two homers, knocking in 22 RBI while scoring 17 more. She is second on the team with a .551 slugging percentage.
Sara Miller is another repeat First Team All-CACC performer for the Wildcats, being the power behind the speed atop the Wildcats lineup. She is sixth on the team in batting .366, ranking fourth in the CACC with a .687 slugging percentage. She is second overall with nine homers and currently leads the CACC with 53 RBI. She had 11 RBI in a doubleheader at St. Thomas Aquinas and a season high two homers in a game at both St. Thomas Aquinas and at West Chester.
Delanie Sheehan was a Second Team All-CACC pitcher last year, moving up to First Team Utility-Pitcher this year for the Wildcats. She is 14-7 in the circle with 83 strikeouts and a 2.47 ERA while hitting .323 at the plate. She has two doubles and a triple, knocking in seven RBI while slugging .452 on the year. She had a season high eight strikeouts in her final start at Dominican on April 25.
Lexi Moore is a repeat All-CACC performer as well, picking up Second Team honors this year. She is fifth in the CACC with 60 hits this year, hitting .377 with a .393 on-base percentage. She is second in the CACC and 17th in NCAA DII with 37 stolen bases while ranking fourth in the league with 44 runs scored. She has hit four doubles while knocking in 13 batters as well for the Wildcats. She has turned 11 double plays at shortstop for the Wildcats, all with a .926 fielding percentage.
It is the second year in a row that Mike Shehorn has earned CACC Coach of the Year, improving upon his regular season wins from a season ago. This year, the Wildcats went 36-13 in the regular season, two more wins than the 2023 squad that also won the CACC Regular Season.
Georgian Court's Kaitlyn Stufft was voted the CACC Player of the Year while Caldwell's freshman catcher Taylor Quinn was named the CACC Rookie of the Year. Chestnut Hill was voted with the Team Sportsmanship Award.
The Wildcats host the 2024 CACC Tournament at Asbury Field and play in game one on Thursday. They host No. 4 Bloomfield starting at 11:00 a.m.
2024 CACC SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
First Team:
1B Kaitlyn Stufft (Georgian Court University)
2B Sam Freeland (Wilmington University)
3B Angela Oros (University of Bridgeport)
SS Ashley Tavaska (Caldwell University)
C Taylor Quinn (Caldwell University)
OF Taylor Gillis (Wilmington University)
OF Meg McFarland (University of Bridgeport)
OF Tristyn Stewart (Wilmington University)
P Kaite Burawski (University of Bridgeport)
P Kylee Gunkel (Wilmington University)
P Abigail O'Shields (Goldey-Beacom College)
DP Gabriella Saucedo (Wilmington University)
UT-PLAYER Sara Miller (Wilmington University)
UT-PITCHER Delani Sheehan (Wilmington University)
Second Team:
1B Bryn Bohmann (Goldey-Beacom College)
2B Grace Vondracek (Caldwell University)
3B Haylee Ridge (Dominican University)
SS Lexi Moore (Wilmington University)
C Adriana Mungo (Georgian Court University)
OF Sierra Albritton (Bloomfield College)
OF Hannah Davis (Goldey-Beacom College)
OF Jessica Klein (Caldwell University)
P Gianna DeLorenzo (Thomas Jefferson University)
P Kinsley Hall (Holy Family University)
P Riley Williams (Felician University)
DP Mya Jones (University of Bridgeport)
UT-PLAYER Alexis Letizia (Holy Family University)
UT-PLAYER Alex Lowry (Goldey-Beacom College)
UT-PITCHER Danielle Walters (Bloomfield College)
2024 CACC Softball Player of the Year: Kaitlyn Stufft (Georgian Court University)
2024 CACC Softball Rookie of the Year: Taylor Quinn (Caldwell University)
2024 CACC Softball Pitcher of the Year: Kylee Gunkel (Wilmington University)
2024 CACC Softball Coach of the Year: Mike Shehorn (Wilmington University)
2024 CACC Softball Team Sportsmanship Award: Chestnut Hill College