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Six Fordham Softball Players Earn All-Atlantic 10 Accoldes
May 5, 2009
Philadelphia, Pa. - The Atlantic 10 Conference announced the 2009 Softball All-Conference teams and award winners this afternoon, with Fordham having six players earn accolades. Senior designated player Mary Beth Puccio (Brightwaters, N.Y./Bay Shore) led all the award winners, as she was selected as the 2009 Atlantic 10 Softball Student-Athlete of the Year, in a vote of the conference's sports information directors. In the coaches' voting, sophomore Samantha Pellechio (Lebanon, N.J./North Hunterdon) was named First Team All-Conference at shortstop, while senior outfielder Melissa Andrews (Vista, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista), sophomore third baseman Jocelyn Dearborn (New Milford, Pa./Blue Ridge), and freshman pitcher Jen Mineau (Schaghticoke, N.Y./Hoosic Valley Central) were named Second Team All-Conference. Puccio and freshman outfielder Lindsey Kay Bright (Federal Way, Wash./Decatur) were both named All-Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention, with Bright and Mineau also being selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. Puccio earns Student-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-Atlantic 10 honors after posting a 3.67 grade point average as an accounting major. The designated player was a 2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-American, and earned honorable mention All-Conference honors in each of the last two seasons. She is batting .303 this season, and ranks second on the team in doubles (11), and third in home runs (five) and RBI (35). She currently sits in sixth place on the Fordham career home run list with 14 and fourth in career RBI (108).
Pellechio, a 2008 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection, had an outstanding sophomore campaign, more than tripling her offensive production from a year ago. A two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, she was selected as the team's MVP at last week's Block F Dinner, leading the team with a .365 batting average, 10 home runs, and 44 RBI. Her 44 RBI tied for the Atlantic 10 lead, while her 105 total bases marked only the seventh time that a Ram has topped the century mark. Andrews becomes a three-time All-Atlantic 10 selection with this year's award. A two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, the Rams' lead-off hitter had another stellar season, hitting .327 and leading the team in runs scored (48), hits (64), triples (5), and multi-hit games (19), while placing second in stolen bases with 25. She became the first Ram with at least 20 stolen bases three straight seasons, and currently ranks second all-time at Fordham with 67 steals and third in career hits (201) and runs scored (139). Dearborn, a 2008 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team selection, turned on the offense during conference play, hitting .339 in 20 games with six doubles, three home runs, and 14 RBI. Overall, the Rams' third baseman hit .275 with a team-best 15 doubles to go with 35 runs scored, eight home runs and 37 RBI. Her 15 doubles are just three shy of the Rams' single season record of 18, set by Marie Mitchell in 2000. Mineau had a superb first season at Rose Hill, earning All-Conference and All-Rookie honors. She was twice named Atlantic 10 Pitcher and Rookie of the Week, and earned National Player of the Week once, after throwing a pair of no-hitters in mid-March. She led Fordham with a 1.70 ERA to go with a 17-11 record and 162 strikeouts in 169 innings pitched. In conference play, she lowered her ERA to 1.53, winning seven games with 73 strikeouts compared to 13 walks. Bright was just as impressive in her inaugural season at Rose Hill as the Rams' starting leftfielder. The freshman stole a Fordham single season record 27 bases this season, which already puts her sixth on the all-time list. A two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, she hit .347, good for second on the team, with 38 runs scored, 10 RBI, and a team-high 11 sacrifices. |
