FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WINTHROP, Mass. - Emmanuel College junior outfielder Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda and Simmons University junior outfielder Lauren Del Vacchio have been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-New England Region Softball Third Team, it was announced by the NFCA.
Ramirez-Tejeda earns All-Region honors for the second time this year, also earning NEWBA and D3Hoops.com All-Region honors in Women's Basketball. She becomes Emmanuel's first athlete to earn All-Region accolades in two different sports in the same academic year.
Del Vacchio earns All-Region honors for the second straight season after being tabbed to the Second Team in 2018. She becomes the first Shark to earn All-Region accolades in back-to-back years since Mikaela Caracciolo (2012-15) was selected following the 2014 and 2015 campaigns. Del Vacchio was chosen as an outfielder this season after being tapped at second base last year.
After earning Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year and First Team All-GNAC honors, Ramirez-Tejeda enjoyed one of the most productive offensive campaigns in Emmanuel College history, leading the GNAC and finishing the year with single-season records at Emmanuel in home runs (10) and slugging percentage (.814). The junior batted a team-best .381 on the year to rank 14th in the GNAC, driving in 33 runs to rank second while also scoring 33 runs to rank tied for fifth. She finished the season with 79 total bases, 52 of which came in GNAC play to lead the conference.
Over two seasons with the Saints, Ramirez-Tejeda has already established herself as one of the premiere power hitters in program history, ranking second all-time with 17 home runs to go along with a .376 batting average. She also has accumulated 58 RBI to rank 11th all-time and scored 57 runs to rank 12th.
The Saints capped the 2019 season with an overall record of 25-14, marking the second-most wins in a season by a softball team at Emmanuel. EC posted a 15-1 record in GNAC play, setting the record for most wins in conference action en route to winning the GNAC North Division regular-season crown. They hosted one day of GNAC tournament action, defeating #3N Saint Joseph's College (ME) before falling in the GNAC Semifinal round to #1S Simmons University and #2S University of Saint Joseph (CT), the eventual GNAC Champion.
Del Vacchio is named just a week after being tabbed a First Team All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference selection for the third straight year. The center fielder led the GNAC with a school-record 22 walks while ranking second with 56 hits, 40 runs scored, 44 games played, 11th with nine doubles and 19th with a pair of home runs. Despite batting leadoff for most of the season, the five-foot, two-inch Del Vacchio still knocked in 28 runs to place sixth among league leaders and her .400 (56-140) batting mark in all games was the 11th-best mark among GNAC hitters. The outfielder was even better in conference-only games, hitting .472 (25-53) to place seventh in the league. A graduate of Vista Murrieta High School, Del Vacchio led the team with 17 multiple-hit efforts and nine multi-RBI outings. She strung together the longest hitting streak on the team, batting safely in 11 straight games from April 13-28 and hit safely in 33 of 44 games, while going hitless in consecutive games just three times all season and for no longer than two games in a row.
For her career, the Web Design and Development major has started 123 of 124 games she's appeared in while owning a .393 (147-374) batting mark to go with 64 runs batted in, 104 runs scored, 58 walks, 17 stolen bases, eight home runs, 31 doubles and three triples.
Simmons completed the season with a 22-23 mark, including 13-3 in GNAC play to earn the top seed in the South Division, before bowing out in the championship game vs. Saint Joseph, 3-0.
All-Region players are nominated and selected by NFCA member coaches in each of the eight Division III regions. First team All-Region choices are eligible for selection to the NFCA All-America team, which will be announced the evening of May 22 online at NFCA.org and in person at the NCAA Division III Championship banquet in Tyler, Texas.
Info Provided by Emmanuel & Simmons Athletics Communications.