NEWARK, Del. - - The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced its Division II All-Region Teams, and the Wilmington University softball team was honored with six student-athletes being named All-East Region.
The Wildcats placed three student-athletes on the All-Region First Team while adding three more on the All-East Region Second Team.
The outstanding outfield duo of Tristyn Stewart and Taylor Gillis are on the First Team, as is Sara Miller as the Utility Non-Pitcher. Kylee Gunkel (P), Lexi Moore (SS), and Delani Sheehan (Utility-Pitcher) were all voted to the All-Region Second Team.
Tristyn Stewart (Centerville, Md.) was also a First Team All-CACC member and is second on the team with a .444 batting average. She has a CACC-high 75 hits, hitting three doubles and a homer, knocking in 17 runs while scoring 54 more runs. She leads the CACC and is fourth in all of NCAA DII with 49 stolen bases. Stewart is also fifth in the league with a .472 on-base percentage.
Taylor Gillis (Hockessin, Del.) is a repeat First Team All-Region performer, ranking sixth in the CACC with a .414 batting average, third in the CACC with a .494 on-base percentage, and ninth in the CACC with a .579 slugging percentage, going for a 1.073 OPS for the season. Of her 55 hits this year, she has 15 doubles and two triples, hitting a home run in the first Regional Tournament game. She is also fifth in the CACC with 41 RBI and nine while scoring 38 runs.
Sara Miller (Clayton, Del.) jumps up to the First Team after being an NFCA Second Team member last season. She leads the Wildcats and the CACC with 59 RBI on the year, hitting .375 while ranking fourth in the CACC with a .701 slugging percentage. She has a 1.129 OPS on the season, hitting 11 doubles, and three triples, and tying a WilmU single-season program record with 10 homers.
Kylee Gunkel (Highland, Md.) was named the CACC Pitcher of the Year and a repeat selection on the Second Team All-Region for NFCA. She leads the CACC with 20 wins on the season, going 20-5 with 18 complete games and six shutouts. She has collected 98 strikeouts in 157.1 innings pitched, ranking second in the CACC with a 1.06 WHIP. She leads the CACC with a .212 opponents' batting average against and a 1.56 earned run average. She's tossed complete game shutouts against Adelphi, Pace, Georgian Court, Bloomfield, Holy Family, and Bridgeport. She had a season-high 11 strikeouts against Bridgeport in the regular season.
Lexi Moore (Dover, Del.) is a repeat All-Region performer as well, being the D2CCA East Region Player of the Year a season ago. She played every game this season for the Wildcats, collected 67 hits with four doubles, ranking second in the CACC and 15th in all of NCAA DII with 38 stolen bases. Her .385 batting average is ninth in the CACC and has over 200 career hits as a Wildcat.
Delani Sheehan (New Castle, Del.) earns All-Region honors for the first time in her career, being a First Team All-CACC utility-pitcher as well. In the circle, she has a 17-7 record with a 2.39 ERA, pitching 15 complete games with five shutouts. She is ninth in the CACC with a 1.34 WHIP, ranking seventh in the league with 137.2 innings. She shut out St. Thomas Aquinas to start Regional play this week. At the plate, Sheehan is batting .323 with a .432 on-base percentage. She has a pair of doubles and has knocked in seven so far this season.
The Wildcats continue East Region 1 Tournament play this weekend at Asbury Field. The Wildcats will play Assumption in the Winner's Bracket game whenever the weather breaks.
2024 NFCA DII All-East Region
First Team:
P – Gisselle Garcia – Pace
P – Lindsey Hibbs – Adelphi
P – Jessica Perucki – Southern Connecticut State
C – Angela Lignelli – Adelphi
1B – Kaitlyn Stufft – Georgian Court
2B – Grace Vondracek – Caldwell
3B – Brianna Shea – Pace
SS – Ashleigh Tavaska - Caldwell
OF – Tristyn Stewart – Wilmington
OF – Taylor Gillis – Wilmington
OF – Peyton Feldman – Southern New Hampshire
UT-P – Allison Winters – Caldwell
DP or UT-NP – Sara Miller – Wilmington
Second Team:
P – Kylee Gunkel – Wilmington
P – Kaite Burawski – Bridgeport
P – Sara Clancy – St. Thomas Aquinas
C – Taylor Quinn – Caldwell
1B – Riley Jenkins – Pace
2B – Jenna Devens – Saint Michael's
3B – Angelo Oros - Bridgeport
3B – Haley Bigwood – Franklin Pierce
SS – Lexi Moore – Wilmington
OF – Kelsey Higgins – Saint Rose
OF – Raelle Gorman – Pace
OF – Jordan Dwyer – Assumption
UT-P – Delani Sheehan – Wilmington
UT-P – Eliana Raposo – St. Thomas Aquinas
DO or UT-NP – Gracie O'Hara – Saint Anselm