SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) announced their annual All-CCC First, Second, and Honorable Mention Teams as well as the five major award winners and Endicott junior Nell O'Connor (Harwich, Mass.) was named this year's Pitcher of the Year, headlining a talented crop of eight Gulls who were also recognized.
The All-CCC teams, based off this spring's overall statistics, are nominated and voted upon by the league's head coaches and were announced today by league commissioner Gregg M. Kaye. Endicott led the conference with eight student-athletes recognized on the All-CCC list.
In 13 starts and 18 overall appearances this year, O'Connor went 10-3 with a 2.07 ERA, recorded eight complete games including four shutouts, held opposing batters to a .249 averaging while striking out 60 and walking just 13 in 77 2/3 innings pitched. O'Connor was particularly efficient against CCC opponents, defeating all nine teams without suffering a loss while sporting a 0.79 ERA. She was also named to the All-CCC First Team.
Joining O'Connor on the All-CCC First Team were four other standout players in senior outfielder Byrne Katz (Trumbull, Conn.), senior first baseman Colleen Martin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), junior shortstop Kelley Michael (Ipswich, Mass.), and freshman third baseman Sam DiBella (Danvers, Mass.). Michael collects her second straight First Team award while Katz, a Second Team honoree in 2012, and Martin, Honorable Mention in 2012, earn their first-ever First Team nod.
Katz is batting .348 this spring with 18 RBI and 11 runs scored. She has seven extra-base hits including two homeruns and five doubles and is getting on-base at a .467 clip. Katz ranks second on the team in hits (32) and second in walks (8). Martin and DiBella are tied for the team lead in homeruns with six long balls. Martin is hitting .351 with 26 hits including 10 for extra bases. She leads the team in slugging percentage (.681) while her 19 RBI are tied for second on the team and she ranks second in runs scored with 24. Martin has also been a presence on the base paths with four stolen bases in four attempts. DiBella has a team-high 21 RBI with 18 runs scored as the freshman is hitting .338 with a .622 slugging percentage in 2013. Michael is a .351 hitter this spring, ranked third on the team, who has knocked in 17 runs while scoring 13 herself. She has hit two homeruns and four doubles while swiping two bags.
Senior catcher Krista Fales (Melrose, Mass.), senior designated player Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.), and junior second baseman Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.) were all named to the All-CCC Second Team for their efforts during the regular season this spring. Fales, a former CCC Rookie of the Year, collects her third Second Team award, while both Russo and Bilafer earn All-CCC accolades for the third time in their careers.
Fales led Endicott with a .380 batting average with a team-high 38 hits during the regular season. She drove in 19 runs, scored 21 times, had seven extra-base hits, and played stellar defense with a .989 fielding percentage and only two errors. Russo cracked nine doubles to lead the Gulls and is hitting .341 with 13 RBI and 15 runs. She has two stolen bases on the year. Bilafer crossed home plate 25 times this spring to lead all Endicott players while her 10 sacrifice bunts were integral in creating run-scoring opportunities. Bilafer also totaled 13 RBI with 10 extra-base hits including eight doubles.
The top-seed Endicott looks ahead to the CCC Tournament, beginning on Monday, April 29th, when they will await the winner of the #4 University of New England vs #8 Gordon/#5 Salve Regina. Gordon and Salve Regina compete in a play-in game on Saturday afternoon. All games on Monday will be played at Endicott's Softball Complex starting at 2:30 pm.
