Nichols, Hauser Named All-ECAC

ERIE, Pa. – Penn State Behrend softball senior's AJ Nichols (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) and Carson Hauser (Westfield, NY/Westfield Academy) were named to the 2019 All-Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Softball Team, announced on Thursday.

Nichols was selected to the first team and Hauser is an honorable-mention selection. Nichols, who was recently named Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Pitcher of the Year along with AMCC First-Team All-Conference in both the pitching and designated player positions, adds ECAC accolades to her resume. Nichols finished the season with an 18-4 record. She pitched 133 innings, registering 127 strikeouts and finishing the season with an ERA of 2.42. Nichols pitched both games in the ECAC Tournament. She shutout Albright, giving up just two hits and striking out six before the Lions fell to Pfeiffer in the ECAC Championship.

Hauser was also an All-AMCC First-Team choice, in addition to being named NFCA All-Region Third-Team. Hauser played in all 40 games for the Lions this season. She finished the season with 61 hits, 43 runs, 22 RBIs, and a .407 batting average. Hauser broke the record for most stolen bases in a career, tallying 27 this season to finish with 67. She is the first ever player to have over 50 stolen bases and 150 hits in Behrend history. Hauser played center field for Behrend, finishing the season with a .938 fielding percentage and 55 put-outs.

The Lions ended the season with a 28-12 overall record and finished runners up in the ECAC Division III Tournament for the second consecutive season.