Softball Places Four Players on GNAC All-Conference Teams
WINTHROP, Mass. – Four members of the Mitchell College softball team received All-Conference honors from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) on Tuesday afternoon.
Voting was conducted by the league's 15 softball head coaches following the regular season and did not take postseason play into account.
Freshman Madison Cole (Westbrook, ME) earned All-Conference Second Team honors in the designated player (PD) slot, and also landed on the All-Rookie Team. Senior Katelyn Lipsky (Planstville, Conn.) was one of two pitchers to land on the All-Conference Third Team, and she was joined by junior catcher Brooke Whitmarsh (Portsmouth, R.I.) and sophomore second baseman Olivia DeCicco (Haverhill, Mass.).
Junior Emily Reynolds (Somers, Conn.) represented Mitchell on the All-Sportsmanship Team.
A one-time GNAC Rookie of the Week selection (week ending April 7), Madison Cole delivered a breakout season during her first spring in New London, slashing .280/.333/.373 in 28 games to land on the All-Conference Second Team. The first year player collected 21 hits, including two doubles, one triple, and a home run, to go along with 12 runs scored and 11 RBI. Her performance only elevated in 14 conference games, as Cole batted .421 with two doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 runs scored, and seven RBI against GNAC opponents.
Katelyn Lipsky capped a historic career at Mitchell, finishing with a 9-6 record and a 3.63 ERA in 18 appearances, including 15 starts to earn a place on the All-Conference Third Team. A two-time Pitcher of the Year in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), the senior was fifth in the GNAC with 84 strikeouts and third with an average of 6.63 strikeouts per seven innings. During conference play, Lipsky finished second with 57 strikeouts, and posted a 7-2 record with a 3.08 ERA, earning GNAC Pitcher of the Week once (week ending April 7). She was especially effective in the home stretch of the regular season tossing a complete game two-hitter against Rivier University and a complete game one-hitter at Lasell University in her final two starts before the tournament, helping the Mariners earn the #2 seed in the GNAC South Division.
Junior catcher Brooke Whitmarsh earned a spot on the All-Conference Third Team after leading Mitchell in batting with a .340 average. An All-Conference First Team selection last spring in the NECC, she also led the Mariners with seven doubles and 18 RBI, while finishing second on the team with 34 hits. In 19 conference games, Whitmarsh slashed .386/.455/.579, while collecting 22 hits, including four doubles, two triples, and home run, to go along with 13 RBI, and 11 runs scored. She had seven multi-hit games, and drove in two or more runs on four separate occasions.
Olivia DeCicco slashed .286/.387/.319 to lock up the second base selection on the All-Conference Third Team, adding 26 hits, including three doubles, with 15 runs scored, 14 walks, and 12 RBI. DeCicco hit safely in 19 games, recording two or more hits in seven of them. In 19 conference games, the sophomore batted .321, with three doubles, 12 runs, and seven RBI.
The Mariners finished their season with a 16-20 overall record, including a 12-7 mark in conference play, before falling to Johnson & Wales University and New England College in the GNAC Tournament.
2024 Softball All-GNAC Teams
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
P - Piper Kinney, So., Simmons
P - Katie Scheid, Jr., Johnson & Wales
C - Chantelle Bouchard, So., Saint Joseph's (Maine)
1B - Hailey Erickson, Sr., Johnson & Wales
2B - Katie Cosmos, Jr., Elms
3B - Katie Hopkins, Sr., Lasell
SS - Charlotte Cloutier, So., Saint Joseph's (Maine)
OF - Raya Anderson, Jr., Simmons
OF - Taylor Chelak, Jr., Emmanuel
OF - Caroline Amorelli, Jr., Johnson & Wales
DP - Skylar Arent, Jr., Albertus Magnus
UTIL - Leah Berdeen, Jr., Simmons
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
P - Abigail Fortin, So., Lasell
P - Madison Marks, Jr., Emmanuel
C - Mady Lyons, So., Johnson & Wales
1B - Emma Crisafulli, Sr., Emmanuel
2B - Alexis Volinsky, So., University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
3B - Sylvia Foley, Jr., Saint Joseph's (Maine)
SS - Julia Huzi, Sr., Johnson & Wales
OF - Teagan Buckley, So., Simmons
OF - Mackenzie Clee, Jr., Johnson & Wales
OF - Paige Scheid, So., Albertus Magnus
DP - Madison Cole, Fr., Mitchell
UTIL - Eryn Sheeley, Sr., Lasell
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
P - Katelyn Lipsky, Sr., Mitchell
P - Eryn Sheeley, Sr., Lasell
C - Brooke Whitmarsh, Jr., Mitchell
1B - Abigail Grimes, Fr., New England College
1B - Shyanne Raccio, Fr., Lasell
2B - Olivia DeCicco, So., Mitchell
3B - Emma Carpenter, So., University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
SS - Olivia Conti, Sr., Emmanuel
OF - Olivia Couto, So., Rivier
OF - Ally Kirck, Sr., Lasell
OF - Shay Savoie, Gr., Anna Maria
DP - Leah Chamberlain, So., Dean
UTIL - Lydia Goodnough, Sr., Saint Joseph's (Maine)
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Hailey Berube, Rivier
Kyleigh Burtsell, Rivier
Emma Carpenter, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Madison Cole, Mitchell
Madison DeCota, Norwich
Abigail Grimes, New England College
Jessica Forneiro, Johnson & Wales
Alexis Martineau, Emmanuel
Mel Rees, Regis
Hayleigh Silva, Rivier
Kryslin Stearns, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year - Katie Hopkins, Lasell
Pitcher of the Year - Piper Kinney, Simmons
Rookie of the Year - Madison DeCota, Norwich
Coach of the Year - Jamie Smyth, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Institutional Sportsmanship - Elms
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Erin Molkenthin, Albertus Magnus
Kiara Edmonds, Anna Maria
Mackenzie Mayo, Dean
Josie Cammarata, Elms
Emma Crisafulli, Emmanuel
Rachel Gosselin, Johnson & Wales
Grace LeClair, Lasell
Emily Reynolds, Mitchell
Surena Montero, New England College
Liliana Rolfe, Norwich
Abby Erickson, Regis
Amanda Atkinson, Rivier
Lucy Randa, Simmons
Sylvia Foley, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Devan Fox, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
