Jackie Zilnicki named 2012 ECAC Division III New England Softball All-Stars

from the desk of Mackenzie Larsen, ECAC Championships Summer Intern

CENTERVILLE, MA (June 27) - The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) on Tuesday announced its 2012 Division III New England Softball All-Star Team. Receiving individual awards: Diana Pepin of Eastern Connecticut State University is the ECAC Coach of the Year, Williams College outfielder Allison Hart is the Player of the Year, Molly Rathbun from Eastern Connecticut is the ECAC Pitcher of the Year and Tufts University’s Allyson Fournier is the ECAC Rookie of the Year.

The New England Small College Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Hart became the first Williams softball player to be selected as a first-team All-American.  Hart finished the season hitting .540 and set several Williams single-season records in the process including at-bats (137), runs scored (49), hits (74), doubles (14), total bases (109) and stolen bases (22).  The senior made her comeback from injury all the more memorable when she hit a walk-off home run in the final at-bat of her Williams career.

Rathbun, the 2012 Little East Conference Player of the Year and a three-time LEC Pitcher of the Year, set a program record by winning 33 games this season. This spring, she compiled 339 strikeouts against only 39 walks and had a 0.73 earned-run average over 212 1/3 innings. She helped Eastern Connecticut (44-3) to the No. 1 winning percentage (.936) in Division III. She ranked among the top four nationally in six individual categories, including first in victories, second in ERA, strikeouts, and shutouts (15), third in hits allowed per seven innings (1.29), and strikeouts per seven innings (11.2). She won 29 straight starts heading into NCAA regional play.

The NESCAC Rookie and Pitcher of the Year, Fournier also brought home recognition as a Division III first-team All-American. She posted a 0.71 ERA while striking out 307 batters over 177 innings of work.  Fournier pitched three perfect games on the year and had a 28-inning streak where she did not allow a runner to score during the regional portion of the NCAA Tournament. In a season in which the Jumbos were as high as fourth in the national top 25 rankings, she did not suffer her first loss until the final weekend of the regular season.

A four-time Little East Coach of the Year, Pepin ended her 11th year by coaching the program to its third consecutive 40-win regular season.  This year’s squad was the first team to go undefeated in the LEC regular season.  Eastern Connecticut finished the season 44-3 overall and ranked eighth in the nation.

2012 ECAC Division III New England Softball All-Stars

Player of the Year
Allison Hart, OF, Sr., Williams (New England Small College Athletic Conference)

Pitcher of the Year
Molly Rathbun, Sr., Eastern Connecticut (Little East Conference)

Rookie of the Year
Allyson Fournier, P, Fr., Tufts (New England Small College Athletic Conference)

Coach of the Year
Diana Pepin, Eastern Connecticut (Little East Conference)

First Team

Catcher: Jo Clair, So., Tufts (New England Small College Athletic Conference)
First Base: Lena Cantone, Sr., Tufts (New England Small College Athletic Conference)
Second Base: Emily Beinecke, Jr., Tufts (New England Small College Athletic Conference)
Shortstop: Bekah Jackson, So., Plymouth State (Little East Conference) 
* Third Base: Arielle Cooper, Jr., Eastern Connecticut (Little East Conference)
* Third Base: Holli Bastinck, Jr., Coast Guard (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference)
Outfield: Allison Hart, Sr., Williams (New England Small College Athletic Conference)
Outfield: Jackie Zilnicki, Sr., Western Connecticut (Little East Conference)
Outfield: Donna Leet, Fr., Amherst (New England Small College Athletic Conference)
Designated Player: Courtney Begin, Jr., Westfield State (Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference)
Utility: Theresa Hendrix, So., St. Joseph's [Maine] (Great Northeast Athletic Conference) 
Pitcher: Allyson Fournier, Fr., Tufts (New England Small College Athletic Conference)
Pitcher: Molly Rathbun, Sr., Eastern Connecticut (Little East Conference)

* Denotes a tie in the voting to create an extra All-Star spot for the position

Second Team

Catcher: Jesse Richardson, Fr., Coast Guard (New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conf.)
First Base: Emily Cunningham, So., Simmons (Great Northeast Athletic Conference)
Second Base: Catherine Roy, So., Rivier (Great Northeast Athletic Conference)
Shortstop: Catie Funk, Jr., Babson (New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference)
Third Base: Jennifer Shaw, Jr., Bridgewater State (Massachusetts State College Athletic Conf.)
Outfield: Ally Ensor, So., Williams (New England Small College Athletic Conference)
Outfield: Lauren Porcaro, Sr., Brandeis (University Athletic Association)
Outfield: Brittany Rochford, So., Emerson (Great Northeast Athletic Conference)
Designated Player: Jen Bove, Jr., Plymouth State (Little East Conference)
Utility: Erica Taylor, So., Maine Maritime (North Atlantic Conference)
Pitcher: Hayley Feindel, Sr., Coast Guard (New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference)
Pitcher: Ashley Marino, So., Springfield (New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference)