ERIE, Pa. – Six members of the Penn State Behrend softball squad were selected to the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Team, while head coach Ashley Gruber was named Coach of the Year and freshman Maddie Mulig (Shaler, PA/Shaler) was chosen Newcomer of the Year, announced on Tuesday.
Gruber became the first AMCC coach to earn Coach of the Year and Player of the Year honors. Gruber was named Co-Player of the Year in 2012. This season she guided the Lions to the regular-season title and the top seed in the conference tournament.
Seniors Kelsey Fuller (Albion, PA/Northwestern) and Sydney Sherrieb (Washington, PA/Trinity), along with sophomore Kelly Hedderick (Waterford, PA/Mercyhurst) and freshman Amanda Krolczyk (Union City, PA/Fort LeBeouf) were named to the All-AMCC first team.
Mulig and Rachel Miller (North East, PA/North East) were chosen to the third team for their first All-Conference honors.
Fuller repeats on the All-Conference squad, completing her career with a spot on the first team at the shortstop position. The senior had a stellar year, batting .416 and leading the team in hits (52) and runs (39) while ranking second in doubles (10) and third in RBIs (29). Fuller had 14 multiple-hit games and ended her season on a 13-game hitting streak. She also made 16 appearances in the circle, completing 13 games for a 6-5 record. Fuller fanned 40 and threw 87.1 innings for a 3.77 earned-run average.
Sherrieb, the center fielder, is earning her first All-AMCC accolade on the first team. The senior had 20 extra-base hits, including a team-leading 13 doubles and five triples. She also smacked two home runs in her 39 hits this season, while driving in 21.
Hedderick was a power hitter this season, cranking out a conference-leading nine home runs and 45 RBIs. Her .387 batting average ranked her fourth on the team. Hedderick tallied 46 hits, 31 runs and recorded 10 games with multiple RBIs. Against Pitt-Bradford this season, she hit three home runs including two in game two with a grand slam to record 11 RBIs on the day.
Krolczyk was named to the first team at first base after leading the league with a .439 batting average. She struck for 50 hits in 114 at bats. Krolczyk scored 27 runs while driving in 20 while batting in the third spot all season. She also led the team with 16 multiple-hit games, including two contests with four hits. The newcomer also spent time in the circle, pitching 34 innings and striking out 23 for a 3-2 record.
In addition to being named Newcomer of the Year, Mulig made an appearance on the third team as the third baseman. She ranked third on the team in batting average (.396), RBIs (30), and doubles (7). Mulig went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two doubles in a 13-1 win over Medaille this season.
Miller was the top hurler for Behrend this season, posting a 9-5 record and pitching eight complete games with two shut-out victories. In her 77.1 innings, she struck out 59 batters in 18 appearances.
