Sage softball program taps 2011 season award winners
The Sage Colleges athletic department gathered last month at Carmela’s Banquet House to bestow the program’s top awards for the 2010-2011 academic year. Sage, which now boasts 12 varsity athletic teams that compete as an NCAA Division III member and a full-member of the Skyline Athletic Conference, handed out a Gator of the Year award as the team’s Most Valuable Player Award in each sport as well as other honors at the banquet as athletic department staff, the college’s dignitaries, families and friends gathered to salute the excellence that occurred in 2010-2011 at Sage.
2010-2011 Sage Athletic Honor Society:
(The Sage College’s Intercollegiate Athletic Honor Society recognizes junior, senior, or graduate level student-athletes, who have maintained a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.2 or better and have participated as a member of a varsity team for at least two seasons.)
*Allison Bishop (Sr., Troy, NY/Lansingburgh), Softball
Ashley Eberle (Jr., Delmar, NY/Bethlehem), Softball
*Indicates Previous Inductee
Gator of the Year: Kelsey Newberg (So., New Britain, CT/New Britain)
Sophomore pitcher and utility player, Kelsey Newberg had her run at Sage’s single-season strikeout record cut short with the cancelations. She finishes her first season as a Gator with the No. 2 spot having fanned 68 batters in 2011. She fell just five shy of surpassing the record held by Maria DeNovio (72, 2004). Newberg is also in the No. 8 spot on the career strikeout list after just one season, which is 147. Overall on the 2011 season, she went 4-8 with a 3.99 ERA in 14 appearances with eight complete games and 86.0 IP. She also ranked among the pitching leaders in the Skyline Conference in 2011 as she was seventh in strikeouts, eighth in innings pitched and ninth in ERA.
Rookie of the Year: Hillary Faas (Fr., East Greenbush, NY/Columbia)
Taking over as the team’s short stop Hillary Faas started all 27 games for Sage and finished as one of three players with 16 RBI’s on the season. She added a .358 batting average with six doubles, a triple and three homeruns. She was named the Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week as the Gators had a banner 8-0 week and she batted .500 during the stretch.
Coaches’ Award: Rachel Smith (Jr., Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane)
A junior pitcher and utility performer, Rachel Smith came to Sage this season was the player that said “whatever you need coach.” She went 3-4 on the mound with a 4.32 ERA and 32 K’s, while adding a .343 average at the plate. She had her first home run as the Gators had a win over MCLA. She added 14 RBIs this past year with 24 hits.
