Georgian Court's Samantha Reilly Crowned CACC Softball Player of the Year; 2018 All-Conference Teams Announced
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (May 1, 2018) -- Georgian Court University catcher Samantha Reilly on Tuesday was named the 2018 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Player of the Year, as announced by Commissioner Dan Mara. Reilly's honor highlighted the list of all-conference and major award winners in the sport of softball throughout the CACC during the 2018 regular season. Voting for the awards was conducted by the league's 14 head coaches in the sport.
In addition to Reilly, teammate Caitlin Hughes was named the 2018 CACC Rookie of the Year, while Wilmington University's Makayla McCarthy was named the 2018 Pitcher of the Year. All three student-athletes were named to the All-CACC First Team at their respective positions -- Reilly (C), Hughes (OF) and McCarthy (Utility Player-Pitcher). Georgian Court's Nicole Degenhardt was named the CACC Coach of the Year.
Reilly, who last week was named one of 25 finalists for the NFCA Division II National Player-of-the-Year Award, has had a fantastic 2018 campaign. She leads the CACC in several offensive categories, including batting average (.512), on-base percentage (.635), slugging percentage (1.165), home runs (23), runs batted in (62), total bases (148) and walks (42). Reilly also ranks second in runs (46) and hits (65), and third in doubles (14).
Hughes has had a strong debut season at the collegiate level, as she leads the CACC with 10 triples, while also ranking among the top 10 in runs (2nd, 46), hits (3rd, 57), home runs (6th, 7), total bases (3rd, 107), sacrifice flies (2nd, 3), stolen bases (3rd, 21) and slugging percentage (7th, .660).
McCarthy was named the league's top pitcher after ranking first in starts (26), first in strikeouts (191) and second in wins (16). She also leads the conference with 21 complete games tossed. McCarthy's five shutouts are the second most in the CACC. In addition to being dominant in the pitching circle, McCarthy -- a freshman -- also played a strong role in the Wildcats lineup, as she batted .355 with four homers and 27 RBI.
Degenhardt was named the Coach of the Year after taking GCU from failing to qualify for the playoffs last season to earning a spot in the postseason this year. Georgian Court went 18-8 in CACC play, which is a seven-game improvement from a year ago.
The other major award handed out on Tuesday was the 2018 CACC Softball Team Sportsmanship Award, which was given to Goldey-Beacom College for demonstrating outstanding character and sportsmanship throughout the year.
2018 CACC SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Samantha Reilly (Georgian Court University)
2018 CACC SOFTBALL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Caitlin Hughes (Georgian Court University)
2018 CACC SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Makayla McCarthy (Wilmington University)
2018 CACC SOFTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR
Nicole Degenhardt (Georgian Court University)
2018 CACC SOFTBALL TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Goldey-Beacom College
2018 CACC SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
1B Emily Schaffer (Post University)
2B Taylor Daniels (Dominican College)
3B Christina Misiur (Caldwell University)
SS Taylor Favinger (Holy Family University)
C Samantha Reilly (Georgian Court University)
OF Rosa’Lynn Burton (Wilmington University)
OF Samantha Fitzgerald (Dominican College)
OF Caitlin Hughes (Georgian Court University)
P Sara Bearden (Caldwell University)
P Stephanie Pepper (Jefferson)
P Caitlyn Whiteside (Wilmington University)
DP Kaileen Cain (Caldwell University)
UT-P Makayla McCarthy (Wilmington University)
UT-NP Annie Davila (Wilmington University)
2018 CACC SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
1B Maya Rodriguez (Caldwell University)
2B Samantha Salomon (Georgian Court University)
3B Lauren Lopez (Wilmington University)
SS Jillian Regan (Dominican College)
C Marisa Monasseri (Caldwell University)
OF Malaya Black (Georgian Court University)
OF Kelsey Marigliano (Holy Family University)
OF Jeannette Roldan (Felician University)
P Jessica O’Neill (Georgian Court University)
P Ashley Owens (Felician University)
P Jennifer Paride (Dominican College)
UT-P Koreen Orozco (Holy Family University)
UT-NP Paige Sandoval (Caldwell University)
ABOUT THE CACC
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference composed of 14 institutions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The member institutions are Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Concordia (N.Y.) College, Dominican (N.Y.) College, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University), Nyack College, Post University of Waterbury, University of the Sciences, and Wilmington University.