USJ's Patti Sciglimpaglia Named GNAC Softball Player and Pitcher of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Johnson & Wales freshman infielder
Brenna DuPerry named Rookie of the Year

WINTHROP, Mass. – University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) senior Patti Sciglimpaglia has been named the 2016 GNAC Player and Pitcher of the Year, as voted upon by the league's 12 head coaches, the conference office announced on Monday.

Hailing from Norwalk, Conn., Sciglimpaglia helped lead the Blue Jays to a second-place finish in the GNAC standings, contributing both at the plate and in the circle. Offensively, the Second Team outfielder hit .463 and ranked second among GNAC leaders in both RBI (49) and slugging (.799). On the mound, the right-hander was second in the league in ERA (1.25), second in wins (18), third in strikeouts (177) and first in complete games (22).

In 2016, Sciglimpaglia set USJ single-season record in hits (62), total bases (107), slugging (.799), doubles (18), home runs (7), shutouts (6), ERA (1.25), strikeouts (177) and batting average against (.206). She is also tops in Blue Jays career record books in 13 different categories – both hitting and pitching – ending her four-year run with 205 hits and 118 runs at the plate and 51 wins and 476 strikeouts in 477.2 innings on the mound.

Johnson & Wales University freshman infielder Brenna DuPerry was named the GNAC Rookie of the Year, as the first-year hit .413 in 41 games for the NCAA Tournament-bound Wildcats. The Second Team selection is the league-leader with 55 runs scored, and also ranks sixth in the GNAC in home runs (6), seventh in RBI (36), fifth in stolen bases (17) and seventh in slugging (.678).

Suffolk University head coach Jaclyn Davis was voted the 2016 GNAC Coach of the Year, as the Rams won their second consecutive GNAC regular-season title. Suffolk went 33-9 overall and 18-4 in league play en route to hosting the GNAC Tournament this past weekend.

Johnson & Wales, which captured its second straight GNAC Championship on Sunday morning, placed three on the All-GNAC First Team in senior catcher Kristen Solari, junior infielder Emily Gorecki and sophomore outfielder Alex Fantasia.

As it stands today, Gorecki has won the GNAC Triple Crown, as she leads the conference in hitting (.508), home runs (10) and RBI (57). Her .864 slugging percentage is .065 points higher than the second-highest mark (Sciglimpaglia's .799).

Meanwhile, Solari ranks third in the conference with a .468 average and fourth in both RBI (46) and runs scored (40). Fantasia is hitting .411 and is tied with Gorecki for fifth in the GNAC in runs (38).

Also garnering First Team accolades as infielder were Albertus Magnus College sophomore Gillian Fortier, Emmanuel College senior Catherine Davis and Simmons senior Mikaela Caracciolo.

Fortier, who last year was named the GNAC Player and Rookie of the Year as a freshman, hit .387 with 17 RBI and 24 runs scored. Davis hit .350 with 17 extra-base hits and 36 runs for the Saints, who advanced to the GNAC Championship against JWU over the weekend, while Caracciolo also hit .350 for the year with 25 runs scored.

Anna Maria College sophomore outfielder Jacqueline Lapierre ranked sixth in the GNAC in hitting at .459 to garner First Team honors, while Norwich University senior outfielder Taylor Morris also earned a First Team nod with a .391 average.

Suffolk freshman Jill Pulek received First Team recognition at designated player, as the rookie is currently fourth in the GNAC with a .465 batting average, tied for second with eight homers and third with a .798 slugging percentage.

Mount Ida College sophomore Hayley Microulis was a First Team choice as well, as she hit .397 for the Mustangs.

Last year's GNAC Pitcher of the Year Jill Kilcoyne rounded out the First Team selections, as the Emmanuel right-hander went 18-8 with a 2.56 ERA and 203 strikeouts in 156.0 innings pitched.

For the complete list of All-Conference honorees and All-Sportsmanship Team choices, please see below.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

First Team
C – Kristen Solari, Johnson & Wales (Sr., Pompton Lakes, N.J.)
INF – Gillian Fortier, Albertus Magnus (So., Naugatuck, Conn.)
INF – Catherine Davis, Emmanuel (Sr., Wethersfield, Conn.)
INF – Emily Gorecki, Johnson & Wales (Jr., Bremerton, Wash.)
INF – Mikaela Caracciolo, Simmons (Sr., North Attleboro, Mass.)
OF – Jacqueline Lapierre, Anna Maria (So., Worcester, Mass.)
OF – Alex Fantasia, Johnson & Wales (So., Framingham, Mass.)
OF – Taylor Morris, Norwich (Sr., Haverhill, N.H.)
DP – Jill Pulek, Suffolk (Fr., Cheshire, Conn.)
UTIL – Hayley Microulis, Mount Ida (So., Pawtucket, R.I.)
P – Jill Kilcoyne, Emmanuel (Jr., Worcester, Mass.)
P – Patti Sciglimpaglia, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Norwalk, Conn.)

Second Team
C – Delaney Sylvester, Suffolk (So., Worcester, Mass.) )
INF – Brenna DuPerry, Johnson & Wales (Fr., Cranston, R.I.)
INF – Meghan Gavin, Johnson & Wales (Fr., Wallingford, Conn.)
INF – Sarah Ercoli, St. Joseph (Conn.) (So., Plainville, Conn.)
INF – Lindsay Pagano, Suffolk (Jr., Wyckoff, N.J.)
OF – Michele Macdonald, Mount Ida (Jr., North Dighton, Mass.)
OF – Patti Sciglimpaglia, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Norwalk, Conn.)
OF – Devlin Frost, Suffolk (So., Tewksbury, Mass.)
DP – Emily Schaper, Johnson & Wales (Jr., Pompton Lakes, N.J.)
UTIL – Nicole LeBlanc, Lasell (Sr., Easton, Mass.)
P – Jennifer Corona, Johnson & Wales (So., Middle Island, N.Y.)
P – Nicole Handzel, Mount Ida (Jr., Palmer, Mass.)

Third Team
C – Mary Sciglimpaglia, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Norwalk, Conn.)
INF – Brianna Whitfield, Albertus Magnus (So., West Islip, N.Y.)
INF – Kelsey Weston, Mount Ida (Fr., Hampstead, N.H.)
INF – Kara Klimaszewski, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Fr., Naugatuck, Conn.)
INF – Mariah Harrison, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Jr., Buxton, Maine)
OF – Alyssa Puccilli, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Milford, Conn.)
OF – Carla Tripp, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Jr., Lovell, Maine)
OF – Heather White, Simmons (Sr., Westfield, Mass.)
DP – Ashley Skey, Emmanuel (Fr., Brookline, N.H.)
UTIL – Emily Oliver, Norwich (Fr., Sagamore Hills, Ohio)
P – Rachel Johnson, Norwich (Fr., Stockbridge, Vt.)
P – Ali Yamakaitis, Suffolk (So., Avenel, N.J.)

Player of the Year – Patti Sciglimpaglia, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Pitcher of the Year – Patti Sciglimpaglia, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Rookie of the Year – Brenna DuPerry, Johnson & Wales (RI)
Coach of the Year – Jaclyn Davis, Suffolk
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Saint Joseph's College of Maine

All-Sportsmanship Team
Rachel Cataudella, Albertus Magnus (Jr., Shelton, Conn.)
Elizabeth Haggerty, Anna Maria (Fr., Charlton, Mass.)
Casey Sheehan, Emmanuel (Fr., Medway, Mass.)
Angelica Reyes, Johnson & Wales (Jr., Arleta, Calif.)
Erin Larghi, Lasell (Sr., Wakefield, R.I.)
Michele MacDonald, Mount Ida (Jr., North Dighton, Mass.)
Angie Hershberger, Norwich (Sr., Felton, Calif.)
Sam Verney, Rivier (Sr., Goffstown, N.H.)
Jenai Davis, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Fr., Hartford, Conn.)
Katie Chadbourne, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Fr., Jaffrey, N.H.)
Heather White, Simmons (Sr., Westfield, Mass.)
Nicole Isakson, Suffolk (Sr., Avon, Conn.)

– #TheGNAC –