HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 2, 2019)  – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team swept the Empire 8 Conference major awards and placed seven players on All-Conference teams, as announced by the league office Thursday.

Junior Samantha Schattin was named the conference Player of the Year, senior Marissa Cappello was tabbed Pitcher of the Year, freshman Meg Halloran earned Rookie of the Year and head coach Emily Kaczmarek and staff were selected as the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year. This marks the first time that a single team swept the softball year end awards in the Empire 8.

Schattin was joined on the All-Conference First Team by Cappello and junior Melissa Alfonso. Halloran earned Second Team All-E8 alongside seniors Katie Tirabassi and Christine LaRochelle. Junior Gina DeOliveira received an Honorable Mention. 

In addition, junior Abigail Circelli was selected a Stevens' Sportswoman of the Year, an award given to one member of each conference institution that best exemplifies the ideals of competing with honor and integrity.

"I'm proud of each of these student-athletes for their contributions to the team this season," expressed Kaczmarek. "When you're able to understand what your specific job or role is for the bigger picture, and you work toward that for every pitch of every inning, it gets recognized and these student-athletes along with our team this year have done exactly that." 

Schattin earned the conference's top individual honor after leading the conference with 50 hits while leading Stevens in batting average (.391), runs scored (19), stolen bases (12), triples (2) and tying with three of her teammates with seven doubles. The Princeton Junction, New Jersey native registered her 100th career hit on April 18 at Stockton and now totals 118 to rank eighth in program history. The captain has started in all 38 games for the Ducks as their leadoff hitter. 

Cappello leads Stevens with 128 strikeouts and is tied for first in the conference, while leading the E8 with 45 batters struck out looking. The Chemical Engineering major boasts a .213 batting average against to finish first in the E8. Cappello posts a 1.97 ERA over her 117.1 innings pitched. She holds a record of 12-4 and one save over her 23 appearances in the circle. 

Halloran was selected as the league's top rookie following an impressive freshman campaign. The Oakland, New Jersey native leads the conference with 12 sac-bunts and falls just behind Schattin in hits (43), stolen bases (10) and runs scored (18). The freshman enters postseason play with a batting average of .364.

Kaczmarek, better known as Coach K, earns Coach of the Year in just her second season at the helm of the program. In her two years, Kaczmarek has collected a record of 42-30 for a .583 winning percentage. Coach K has led the 2019 squad to earning the top seed of the conference tournament for the first time in program history.

Alfonso has started in 34 of 36 games, primarily doing the catching for Stevens. The Point Pleasant, New Jersey native has tallied 152 putouts behind the plate while finishing second in the E8 with eight caught stealing by. Alfonso currently posts a batting average of .372 with 35 hits and 16 RBI and is one of the four Ducks to record seven doubles so far this season.

Tirabassi leads Stevens with 155 putouts in the field, as she has been the go-to first baseman. The Business & Technology major holds a team-best 28 RBI, falling just six runs behind the conference leader. Tirabassi also leads with her four homers while adding 37 hits, seven of them being doubles. 
 
LaRochelle has started in 17 of her 19 appearances in the circle and has collected six wins and a save. The three-year captain has struck out 61 batters in her final season with the Ducks while posting an ERA of 2.93.

DeOliveira is one of the more versatile players for Stevens, adapting to any position she plays in the infield. The Oakland, New Jersey native boasts a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, collecting 66 putouts and 48 assists. On offense, DeOliveira is one of the four Ducks to record seven doubles on the year and adds 23 hits, 12 runs scored and 11 RBI. 

Circelli earned Sportswoman of the Year as she can be heard by everyone on the field cheering, supporting and motivating her teammates. In addition to her leadership, the captain from Central Valley, New York has added to the success of her team with 13 hits, eight RBI and one home run.

Up Next: The Ducks take on fourth-seeded Nazareth tomorrow, May 3 at 3:30 P.M. in their first game of the Empire 8 Tournament at Weehawken Waterfront Park.

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