ANNVILLE, Pa. (May 13, 2021) – After leading the Stevens Institute of Technology softball program to a 20-7 overall record and the #2 seed in the MAC Freedom tournament, senior Jessie Masur has been named the MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Year and graduate student Samantha Schattin was tabbed as the Player of the Year for the second time in her illustrious career to lead the Ducks All-Conference selections, the league announced Thursday.

Masur and Schattin both earned First Team All-Conference honors and were joined on the first team by junior Meg Halloran while fifth-year Gina DeOliveira landed on the second team.

The three first team selections were tied with Misericordia University for the most in the league and the Ducks have now swept the Player/Pitcher of the Year awards in back-to-back opportunities after Schattin and Marissa Cappello accomplished the feat in 2019 as a member of the Empire 8 Conference.

After an incredible season in the circle, Masur becomes the third student-athlete in program history (Cappello & Kayla Berardi) to earn Pitcher of the Year accolades and the first to do so in the MAC Freedom. This season, Masur is 14-2 overall with a 1.17 ERA and leads the conference in ERA, batting average against, innings pitched and wins while sitting third in strikeouts. Additionally, Masur's 0.77 WHIP ranks 12th in all of NCAA Division III among pitchers who have appeared in at least 10 games.

"Jessie has been dominant for us in the circle this season," head coach Emily Kaczmarek said. "For a pitcher coming right out of a pandemic, she hasn't skipped a beat. Her work ethic has really been out of this world and she is more than deserving of being recognized as the MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Year"

Schattin, meanwhile, became the first student-athlete in program history to earn Player of the Year honors twice in a career. She currently leads the MAC Freedom ranks fifth in DIII with a .561 batting average as well as with her .629 on-base percentage among players who have seen action in 10 contests this season. Schattin also is tops in the conference in hits (46), while sitting second in slugging percentage (.732), runs scored (29) and doubles (12).

"This is another well-deserved accolade to add to Sam's resume," Kaczmarek said. "What most people don't know is how hard Sam has worked to earn this type of recognition. She has continued an upward trajectory every single season in her level of play whether it is higher IQ on the bases or becoming more effective at the plate with different approaches. Not only has she continued an upward trend, but she has significantly out-performed her previous seasons. In the game of softball, that is really hard to do."

Halloran rounded out the first team selections for the Ducks as she currently ranks second in the MAC Freedom with a .516 batting average and third with a .556 OBP. Halloran has been dynamite on the bases throughout the season as she leads the conference and has set a new single-season program record by going a perfect 16 for 16 in stolen bases on the year.

"Meg has been all over the line up for us this year in spots she isn't traditionally used to and yet she's been successful for us in all of them," Kaczmarek said. "Defensively, her speed allows her to cover an above average range in centerfield."

DeOliveira was the final student-athlete to earn recognition from the conference as she was selected to the second team as a utility player. A true do-it-all option for the Ducks, DeOliveira has played second base, third base, catcher and DP for Stevens and leads the team with 16 RBI while hitting .286 this season. A true team player, DeOliveira ranks first in all of NCAA Division III in sacrifice bunts per game with 15 total sacrifices in 27 games.

"Gina is the best utility I have ever coached," Kaczmarek said. "We can put her anywhere on the defense and she'll be one of the best at that position. She has natural defensive tendencies and a sharp reaction to balls hit at her."
 
The quartet of all-conference options will lead the Ducks into the MAC Freedom Championship series against Misericordia this weekend. The first two contests of the three-game set will take place in Dallas, Pa. starting at 1:00 p.m. with the third "if-necessary" game occurring Saturday in Weehawken, N.J.

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