ERIE, Pa. – Coming off a very successful season, the Penn State Behrend softball team announced their 2012 team awards.

The team's Most Valuable Player award went to Ashley Gruber (Burton, OH / Berkshire).  The senior infielder led the team in hits (55), doubles (16), home runs (9), RBIs (50), and batting average (.430).  Gruber was also honored by earning First-Team All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) accolades and was named the AMCC Co-Player of the Year.  Her walk-off home run in the AMCC championship game sent the Lions to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009.

Leah Griffin (Springboro, PA / Conneaut Valley) was named the team's Most Improved Player.  Griffin hit .330 with five doubles.  Over the team's final 26 games, Griffin recorded 29 hits and drove in 14 runs.  Griffin also earned Third-Team All-AMCC honors.

Callie Markovich (Edinboro, PA / Northwestern) was tabbed as the program's Rookie of the Year.  Markovich made an immediate impact for Behrend in her first season.  The freshman hit .366 with 27 runs scored and 25 RBIs.  In the AMCC Tournament, Markovich hit 6-for-8 with five RBIs to help the Lions win all three games.

The Scholarship and Leadership award went to seniors Kayla Miller (Springboro, PA / Conneaut Valley) and Morgan Griffin (Springboro, PA / Conneaut Valley) for their off-field contributions to the team, school and community while representing the university in a proud positive manner.

Behrend won their fifth AMCC Championship and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a mark of 26-15.