Boston University sophomore shortstop Jamie Haas was chosen America East Player of the Year for the second-straight season. University at Albany won the other three major awards announced at the America East Softball Banquet Wednesday night at Stony Brook University. Junior Andrea Lindgren was named Pitcher of the Year. Shortstop Maegan Larsen was chosen Rookie of the Year. Chris Cannata was selected Coach of the Year. All voting was conducted by the conference's head coaches.
All-Conference Teams
Haas became the second player in the 12-year history of the conference to win the top award in consecutive seasons, joining Michelle Puls, the former University of Maine shortstop who was honored in 1997 and 1998. Haas is eighth in America East in batting at .321 and ranks fourth in the conference with 54 hits. She has also stolen 22 of 27 bases to rank second in America East.
Lindgren is 18-4 with a 1.02 earned run average. She has 154 strikeouts and 36 walks while surrendering 96 hits in 150.2 innings. She leads America East in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.
Larsen is batting .314 with nine doubles, three triples, a home run and 23 RBI, tied for second in America East.
Cannata has led the Great Danes to a 32-8 overall record and a 17-4 mark in the conference as the No. 2 seed in the America East Championship. Now in her eighth season at Albany, she is 235-124.
Lindgren is joined on the all-conference first team by sophomore pitcher Julie Henneke, a repeat selection from Boston University. Henneke is 10-6 with a 1.58 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 115 innings. Senior Stacy Kowal of Albany is the catcher. Kowal is batting .279 and has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Joining Larsen on the first-team infield are sophomore Kristen Brust of Stony Brook, a repeat choice at first base; senior Kristin Knesek of Boston University at second base, and sophomore Liz Borawski of University of Hartford at third base. Brust is batting .353 with 13 home runs and 37 RBI, both of which lead America East. She is tied for the conference lead in doubles (13), and is second in hits (60), runs (38), and total bases (126). Knesek is batting .271. Borawski is second in America East with a .390 average.
The first-team outfield includes junior Jen Nolette of Albany, sophomore Jess Brady of Maine, and sophomore Stephanie DiBiase of Stony Brook. Nolette is batting .295 and is tied for third in America East with 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts. Brady, a repeat selection, is batting a team-best .359 and leads America East with 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts. DiBiase, also a repeat choice, leads America East in most offensive categories including batting (.407), hits (81), doubles (13), runs (47), and total bases (126). She is second with 10 home runs and tied for third with 17 stolen bases in 22 attempts.
Sophomore DeKenya Williams of Boston University was chosen the first-team designated player. Williams is batting .245 with 16 RBI. Senior teammate Tiffany Finateri, who is 7-6 with a 2.11 ERA as a pitcher, and is batting .269 as an outfielder, was selected as the utility player. Haas was a first-team at-large choice along with sophomore pitcher Michelle Weeks and sophomore catcher Jessica Chellis, both of Binghamton University. Weeks was 10-6 with a 1.34 ERA. Chellis batted .246.
The second team includes sophomores Jenna Merchant of Maine, a first-team choice in 2002, and senior Angie Totaro of University of Vermont as pitchers. Sophomore Samantha Chase of Vermont is the second-team catcher.
The second-team infield consists of sophomore Jennifer Shields of Boston University at first base, rookie Katrina Dunning of Albany at second base, rookie Josey Mendez of Boston University at third base, and rookie Brittany Cheney of Maine at shortstop.
Rookie Erin McDonald and junior Abbey Pauley of Boston University, and rookie Samantha Morrison of Hartford are the second-team outfielders. Rookie Ashley Rios of Albany is the second-team designated player. Sophomore Maria DeStasio of Binghamton is the second-team utility player.
Larsen, Rios, McDonald, Mendez, Cheney, and Morrison lead the all-rookie team. They are joined by pitcher Sarah Bennis and designated player Amy Kuhl of Maine, and utility player Hayley Durham and pitcher Angela Andrews of Stony Brook.
Twelve of the 15 first-team all-conference choices and eight of the second-team selections are in action this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the America East Softball Championship. The double-elimination event begins with No. 2. Albany vs. No. 3 Maine at 12 noon Thursday, followed by No. 1 Boston University vs. No. 4 Stony Brook. Friday's schedule includes three games with the first to begin at 11 a.m. The championship game is slated for Saturday at 12 noon with a game to follow, if necessary. All games will be played at University Field on the Stony Brook campus.