Softball Places Nine on All-BIG EAST Conference teams
May 08, 2013 | Softball
May 8, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Louisville placed nine players on the BIG EAST All-Conference teams, which were announced at the BIG EAST Softball Championship banquet Wednesday evening. Katie Keller, Katelyn Mann, Jordan Trimble and Alicja Wolny earned first team honors, while Whitney Arion, Caralisa Connell, Hannah Kiyohara and Rachel LeCoq were named to the second team and Maggie Ruckenbrod was a third team selection.
Keller (Livermore, Calif.) is a three-time All-BIG EAST selection. The junior second baseman batted .377 with five home runs and 26 RBIs in league play.
Mann (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) posted a .410 batting average with three doubles, 18 runs and 10 RBIs. The senior third baseman registered a .692 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage.
Trimble (Louisville, Ky.) was a unanimous first team selection after leading the Cardinals with a .478 batting average against BIG EAST teams. The senior outfielder recorded a team-best eight doubles, 25 runs, while hitting four home runs and producing 20 RBIs in conference play. Last season, she was selected to the all-conference third team and was the 2012 Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament.
Wolny (El Dorado Hills, Calif.)earned her fourth-straight league honor after belting out four home runs and a team-best 29 RBIs in BIG EAST play. The senior first baseman was a unanimous first team selection.
Arion, a sophomore shortstop from Delphi, Ind., earns All-BIG EAST honors for the second year in a row after batting .338 with four home runs, seven doubles, 20 RBIs and 16 runs against BIG EAST opponents.
Connell (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) makes her third-straight all-conference appearance. The junior posted an 8-1 record and a 2.92 ERA while striking out 66 in 64.2 innings of BIG EAST play.
Kiyohara (Auburn, Wash.) posted a .397 batting average with four doubles, a home run, 14 runs and 11 RBIs. The junior outfielder is a two-time All-BIG EAST selection.
In her first season at Louisville, LeCoq, (Gonzales, La.), earns All-BIG EAST honors after posting a 1.56 ERA and a 10-3 mark. The junior registered six complete game shutouts and struck out 47 in 72.0 innings.
Ruckenbrod (St. Louis, Mo.) batted .333 with three home runs, six doubles, 17 runs and 13 RBIs. The junior catcher has two pickoffs and has caught five runners stealing in league play.
The No. 11/12 University of Louisville softball team will travel to Tampa, Fla. for the 2013 BIG EAST Championship May 9-11. The Cardinals earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament and will face sixth-seeded Syracuse in the quarterfinals Thursday at 4 p.m. The winner of that game will move on to play the winner of second-seeded USF and the No. 7 seed Providence Friday at 6:30 p.m. The final of the championship will take place Saturday at 4 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2.
2013 All-BIG EAST Teams
First Team
P Laura Winter, Notre Dame
P Sara Nevins, USF *
C Shikara Lowe, Georgetown
1B Alicja Wolny, Louisville *
2B Katie Keller, Louisville
3B Katelyn Mann, Louisville
SS Kourtney Salvarola, USF *
OF Samantha Dodd, DePaul
OF Jordan Trimble, Louisville *
OF Emilee Koerner, Notre Dame
U/P Kirsten Verdun, DePaul *
DP/U Mary Connolly, DePaul
Second Team
P Caralisa Connell, Louisville
P Rachel LeCoq, Louisville
C Amy Buntin, Notre Dame
1B Jasmine Watson, Syracuse
2B Maria DeLuca, Seton Hall
3B Kenshyra Jackson, USF
SS Whitney Arion, Louisville
OF Kim Silva, Connecticut
OF Hannah Kiyohara, Louisville
OF Jessie Bryant, Providence
OF Shirley Daniels, Syracuse
U/P Danielle DeStaso, Seton Hall
DP/U Marissa Guches, Connecticut
Third Team
P Tori Free, St. John's
P Lindsey Richardson, USF
C Maggie Ruckenbrod, Louisville
1B Micaela Arizmendi, Notre Dame
2B Jenna Simon, Notre Dame
3B Jackie Reed, St. John's
3B Corinne Ozanne, Syracuse
SS Brittany Hammer, Seton Hall
OF Alexandria Anttila, Georgetown
OF Kelsey Thornton, Notre Dame
OF Tori Nirschl, Pittsburgh
U/P Megan Hyson, Georgetown
DP/U Cassidy Whidden, Notre Dame
Big East Player of the Year
Laura Winter, Notre Dame
Big East Pitcher of the Year
Sara Nevins, USF
Big East Rookie of the Year
Tori Nirschl, Pittsburgh
Big East Coaching Staff of the Year
Notre Dame
*unanimous selection
