ERIE, Pa. – Senior AJ Nichols (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) was named the 2019 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Softball Pitcher of the Year and head coach Ashley Gruber was named the 2019 AMCC Co-Coach of the Year, headlining the All-AMCC team announced on Wednesday.
Nichols was also chosen to the All-Conference first team for pitcher and designated player along with Alayna Derzak (Seven Fields, PA/Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic), Katie Gozzard (Pittsburgh, PA/Deer Lakes), and Carson Hauser (Westfield, NY/Westfield Academy). Mackenzie McIntire (Stoneboro, PA/Lakeview), Kristen Kargol (Saegertown, PA/Cambridge Springs) and Marissa Torretti (DuBois, PA/DuBois) were named to the second team.
Nichols, was voted AMCC Pitcher of the Year along with All-Conference first team for pitcher and designated player. Nichols was named to the All-Conference first team for the third year in a row, and her second time being named the AMCC Pitcher of the Year. The starting pitcher led the AMCC with 17 wins. Nichols was second in the conference in strikeouts with 120 and strikeouts per game with 6.83. She pitched 13 complete games, pitching three shutouts in 123 innings pitched. Nichols finished the season with 2.45 ERA. In the designated player position, Nichols ranked second in the AMCC in RBIs with 37 and fourth in home runs with three. She ended the season with 37 RBIs, 50 hits, and 36 runs in 133 at-bats, registering a batting average of .376.
Derzak was selected to her first All-Conference team this year. Derzak appeared in 31 games this season for the Lions. She registered 35 hits, 28 RBIs, 22 runs, five doubles, one triple, and one home run this season in 51 at-bats. Derzak finished the season with a .380 batting average along with a .473 OBP and .489 slugging percentage. On the field, Derzak had a .923 fielding percentage along with 26 putouts and 58 assists. She had her best game this season against Franciscan where she had three hits, two runs, and five RBIs to lead the Lions to a 10-2 victory. Derzak had eight multiple-hit games along with six multiple-RBI games. She had a 13-game streak this season of reaching base. She is ranked fifth in the conference in RBIs and sixth in OBP.
Gozzard tallied her first All-Conference recognition this season. In 117 at-bats, she tallied 46 hits, 31 runs, nine doubles, three triples, two home runs, 17 base on balls, and 34 RBIs. Gozzard only struck out five times this season. She is ranked fourth in the conference in RBIs. She had a .888 fielding percentage with 58 putouts and 92 assists from shortstop. She had 13 multiple hit games and led the team with nine multiple RBI games, including three games with four or more RBIs. Gozzard finished the season with a .393 batting average, .475 OBP and .573 slugging percentage. She hit two home runs in a single game against Hilbert, finishing the game with five RBIs and leading the team.
Hauser is receiving her first All-Conference first team, having been named second team in 2017 and 2018. Hauser played in all 38 games for the Lions this season. Carson tallied 60 hits, 42 runs, 22 RBIs, four doubles, three triples, and two home runs in 144 at-bats. She finished the season with a .417 batting average, .444 OBP, and .528 slugging percentage. Carson had a .938 fielding percentage with 55 put-outs from center field. Carson had her best game against Hilbert where she went 4-for-5 tallying two RBIs and one run off along with two doubles. She stole base 27 times this season, breaking the school record for most career stolen bases. Carson is the only player in Behrend history to have 150 hits and 50 stolen bases in a career. She finished the season with a team-high 15 multiple-hit games and five multiple-RBI games. Hauser is ranked first in plate appearances and at-bats, second in runs, and first in hits in the AMCC conference games. She is also ranked fifth in total bases, second in stolen bases, and third in batting average.
McIntire was selected to the All-Conference second team following a first team selection in 2018. This season, she appeared in 37 games for the Lions. In 82 at-bats, she tallied 38 hits, 23 runs, 15 doubles, and 23 RBIs. She has a .463 batting average, .483 OBP and .646 slugging percentage. On the field, she has a .908 percentage along with 38 putouts and 21 assists. She leads the AMCC in doubles with 15.
Kargol played in 24 games for Behrend this season. Kargol had 34 hits, 19 RBIs, and six runs in 70 at-bats. Of the 34 hits, seven were multiple-base hits, including three home runs. She finished the season with a .343 batting average along with a .370 OBP and .543 slugging percentage. Kargol had a fielding percentage of .976, having 160 putouts from first base. She had back-to-back home runs against Pitt-Greensburg and Hilbert. Kargol is ranked fourth in home runs in the AMCC and fourth in double plays with six.
Torretti appeared in all 37 games for the Lions this season. In 91 at-bats, she tallied 28 hits, 20 runs, and six RBIs. She finished the season with a .308 batting average. Torretti has a .949 fielding percentage, registering 36 putouts and only two errors. She had seven multiple-hit games and stole five bases. Torretti had her best game this season against Pitt-Bradford where she had three hits and three runs. Torretti is tied for first in the AMCC with a perfect 1.00 fielding percentage in AMCC play.