WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its 2024 Softball All-Conference Teams and major award winners on Tuesday afternoon. Johnson & Wales and Lasell each had six selections, which tied for the most selections this year.
Voting was conducted by the league’s 15 softball head coaches following the regular season and did not take postseason play into account.
One of the Lasers selected was Katie Hopkins who also brought home the honor as the 2024 GNAC Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Simmons’ Piper Kinney was voted this year’s Pitcher of the Year. Norwich first-year Madison DeCota was voted the GNAC Rookie of the Year.
Saint Joseph’s (Maine) head coach Jamie Smyth was voted Coach of the Year by his peers and Elms won the Institutional Sportsmanship award.
The full list of All-Conference honorees, the All-Rookie Team, and the representatives on the All-Sportsmanship Team can be viewed below.
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR Katie Hopkins, Lasell Hopkins was a dangerous bat in the middle of the lineup for Lasell. She was a top-five performer in total hits (49), RBI (33), and slugging percentage (.664). She was especially impressive in conference play as she led the league with a .907 slugging percentage. She was also third in conference play in batting average (.481) and on-base percentage (.548). She had five home runs on the season, all in GNAC competition and also scored 28 times. Hopkins also produced five triples during the regular season. She had 17 multi-hit games and was named GNAC Player of the Week during the week ending April 14. |
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PITCHER OF THE YEAR Piper Kinney, Simmons Kinney was an intimidating presence in the circle of Simmons this year going, earning 10 regular-season wins in the circle. Seven of those victories came in GNAC play where Kinney held a 7-3 record, including three shutouts. She had four shutouts in total and posted a 2.30 ERA, which ranked her in the league’s top-five. She was also great at keeping runners off the bases with a league-best 1.09 WHIP, thanks in part to her GNAC-leading 165 strikeouts. She averaged over nine strikeouts per game, getting into the double-digits on seven occasions. Kinney earned Pitcher of the Week honors in the week ending March 3. |
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ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Madison DeCota, Norwich DeCota was a two-way player for Norwich this year, producing at the plate and contributing in the circle. She had a league-best .463 batting average, recording 37 hits on the season. She was especially strong in GNAC play where she produced a slashline of .532/.558/.702. She scored 18 runs on the year and drove in 12. In the circle, she earned four victories. She won one Rookie of the Week award in the week ending March 17. |
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COACH OF THE YEAR Jamie Smyth, Saint Joseph's (Maine) Smyth was voted the GNAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career (2010, 2012, 2014, 2023) after leading Saint Joseph’s (Maine) to a 13-4 GNAC record including going 11-2 in North Division play. The Monks went 17-16 overall and were the No. 1 North seed in the GNAC Championship Tournament. They were powered by a strong offense that ranked near the top of the league in batting average (.314), home runs (13), and slugging percentage (.418). In conference play, the Monks also finished fourth in ERA 2.29. |
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.)
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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