Softball Pulls In Multiple Postseason GNAC Awards

The Suffolk University Softball team pulled in multiple postseason awards by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) for the 2013 season. Headlining the list was junior Erin McAndrews (Marblehead, Mass.) who was named the conference Player of the Year, while also earning first-team All-Conference honors and was named to the playoff All-Tournament team. Joining McAndrews are sophomores Sarah Chasse (Salem, Mass.) who was named a second-team selection at the utility position, Nicole Rosa (Wallingford, Conn.) who was a third-team selection, and Alicia Gonnella (Bridgewater, N.J.) who earned a spot on both the All-Sportsmanship team and All-Tournament team.

McAndrews finished the season as the Rams' leader in almost all offensive categories, while also setting the pace among GNAC players in batting average, triples and runs batted in. In 37 games this season she batted .479 (56-for-117), had 26 extra base hits including five home runs and 15 doubles. She drove in 42 runs while also hitting six triples and slugged at a .838 percentage. She held an 18-game hitting streak from March 30 through April 17 of this season. In that span she drove in 31 base runners and hit .552 (37-for-67) with 15 multi-hit games and 16 extra base hits.

Entering the final week of the season, McAndrews was ranked nationally among all NCAA Division-III players in the top 30 of the following categories: Triples (7th), batting average (13th), slugging percentage (15th), runs batted in (25th), and on-base percentage (28th).

Suffolk finished the season with a 16-25 record but advanced to the GNAC's Tournament Championship game despite being the number eight seed entering the eight-team field. McAndrews was 7-for-17 in the six playoff games for Suffolk as she also earned All-Tournament team honors for the Rams. She accounted for all four of Suffolk's runs in the opener going 3-for-4 driving in a pair of runs with two doubles while also scoring twice as the Rams knocked off number one seed Norwich University, 4-1.

Chasse was the Rams' top arm on the mound and also the team's leadoff hitter offensively. She started a team-high 23 games on the mound. She made the second most appearances of any pitcher in the GNAC while logging 123 1/3 innings, completing seven games with a 10-12 mark. Chasse struck out 98 hitters on the year. She pitched her best game of the season, perhaps on the biggest stage in the opener of the GNAC Tournament. Chasse and the number eight seeded Rams went to Vermont and upset the top-seeded Norwich University Cadets as the sophomore hurler pitched a complete game one-hitter in a 4-1 victory. The lone Cadets' hit was an infield single that bounced out of the web of Chasse's glove as she recorded five strikeouts in the win to eliminate Norwich and send the Rams on to the weekend championship tournament. She also hit .403 on the year in 139 at-bats as she recorded 56 hits and had team-highs in runs scored (39) and stolen bases (14).

Rosa was a third-team selection as an infielder. She led the team with 58 hits on the year batting .423 (58-for-137). She also had 11 doubles and scored 34 runs for Suffolk hitting out of the two hole mostly this season. She had a season-high 23 game hitting streak in 2013 and hit safely in 24 of the Rams' final 25 games of the season.

Gonnella earned All-Tournament team honors as part of Suffolk's thrilling playoff run. She recorded a save in the Rams' 5-3 victory over the host University of St. Joseph Blue Jays in Saturday's elimination game. Gonnella made the second most appearances on the mound this season for Suffolk with 29 as she logged 71 2/3 innings pitched striking out 61 hitters and recording a team-high three saves.

Suffolk finished the 2013 season with a 16-25 record and were 11-13 in-conference play as they entered the playoff tournament as the number eight seed. Under first year Head Coach Jaclyn Davis, the Rams were able to advance to the GNAC Tournament finals for the first time since the 2006 season. They fell to St. Joseph's College of Maine, 8-0 in Sunday's championship game as the Monks claimed their third consecutive GNAC title.