BOSTON – America East has just its second three-time Pitcher of the Year in league history as Courtney Coppersmith earned the honor for the third-straight season to highlight the 2022 #AESB award winners, which were announced on Tuesday afternoon.
UAlbany’s Morgan Petty claimed Player of the Year accolades as she and Coppersmith headlined four major award winners, three of which were UMBC Retrievers. Teammate Kya Matter was named Rookie of the Year and UMBC head coach Chris Kuhlmeyer earned Coach of the Year accolades after leading his squad to its second-straight #AESB regular-season title.
The award winners were determined in a vote by the league's head coaches who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Full Awards Listing
2022 #AESB Major Award Winners
Pitcher of the Year
Courtney Coppersmith, Sr., UMBC
- Just the second pitcher in league history to earn three Pitcher of the Year honors joining Boston University’s Audrey West.
- Has allowed just four earned runs in 90 innings of work this season, good for a league-best 0.31 ERA, which ranks second in the country.
- Went 8-3 with six saves during the regular season.
- Leads the nation in strikeouts per seven innings (13.7) with 176 and has walked just 19.
- Was a five time #AESB Pitcher of the Week this season.
- She was also selected to the All-Conference First Team as a pitcher and second team as an outfielder. Was also an All-Academic Team honoree.
Player of the Year
Morgan Petty, Jr., Outfielder, UAlbany
- Fifth Great Dane to earn Player of the Year honors and first since Liz Snow in 2017.
- Leads the league in OPS (1.103), hits (46) and RBIs (46).
- Second in home runs (9) and runs scored (33) and fourth in stolen bases (14).
- She was a first-team All-Conference outfield selection as well as an All-Academic choice.
Rookie of the Year
Kya Matter, Fr., Pitcher, UMBC
- Second Retriever to earn Rookie of the Year honors in four seasons (Courtney Coppersmith).
- Went 15-3 with a 1.03 ERA during the regular season.
- Ranks second in the conference in wins, ERA and batting average against (.153).
- Ranks third in strikeouts (166).
- Also a second-team All-Conference pitcher and an All-Rookie selection.
Coach of the Year
Chris Kuhlmeyer, UMBC
- Led UMBC to its second-straight #AESB regular-season title.
- First coach to repeat as Coach of the Year since 2011.
- Went 12-6 to in conference play to earn the No. 1 seed for the #AESB championship.
- UMBC’s 28 regular-season wins are its most since 2009.
In addition to the major awards, the All-Conference teams were also named.
Matter headlined the All-Rookie team along with three others who also earned All-Conference recognition.
The All-Academic squad features 10 impressive student-athletes, seven of which were also All-Conference honorees. Collectively, the group averages a 3.85 GPA.
Most of the award winners will be in action at this week's #AESB Softball Championship.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for streaming and live stats links. After the game, visit for box scores, highlights and recaps following the semifinals in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
Follow @AmericaEast and @AEGameday on Twitter to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AESB hashtags to join the conversation.
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