Softball Major Award Winners Revealed

5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM

TOWSON, Md. – Another highly competitive season of Landmark softball has earned 25 student-athletes spots on the 2018 Landmark Conference Softball Team as voted by the conference's seven head coaches. The All-Landmark Team includes a first and second team, with the voting done by position. The voting took place prior to the start of the Landmark softball postseason.

Championship Homepage

Seven-time conference champions Moravian College led the way with eight selections, including four on the first team. The Greyhounds shared Landmark Co-Player of the Year honors as Kat Spilman and Elizabethtown’s Kristin Blass were recognized with the award. Moravian’s Josie Novak picked up her third Pitcher of the Year award while Scranton’s Jennifer Sweeney was named as the top-rookie. Greyhound Head Coach John Byrne and his staff were named Staff of the Year for the fifth time.

In 34 games, Spilman hit an impressive .427 with 32 RBI, seven doubles, four triples, and six homeruns. She played in all 12 conference games where she hit .486 with 13 RBI. The junior was also named the 2016 Landmark Rookie of the Year.

Having injured her knee in November 2016 and missing her senior year, Blass worked her way back into the starting lineup this past spring. Blass hit .433 during the season with 20 RBI, nine doubles and four homeruns in 31 games. In the field, she committed only two errors and percentage of .985.

Novak is the only 2018 First-Team selection to be honored all four years and becomes the first conference pitcher to win Pitcher of the Year accolades in three consecutive seasons. The senior continued her dominance in the circle, posting a 15-2 overall record and a 1.50 earned run average. She fanned 115 hitters in 112.0 innings pitched.

Sweeney made her presence known throughout the conference this season in her collegiate debut. She led the conference with 16 wins, was second with a 1.84 ERA and third in strikeouts with 89. Sweeney was also an offensive threat for the Royals, hitting .410 with a league-leading 34 RBI and 10 homeruns. She is also the first Royals to garner Rookie of the Year accolades since Scranton joined the conference in 2007-08.

Byrne has a career slate of 808-234, has posted a 29-5 overall record this spring, the 25th consecutive season that Moravian has won at least 23 games, and an 11-1 mark in Landmark Conference action.

The foursome were also among the 13 individuals who achieved First Team All-Landmark status.

Two additional players from Moravian made the cut, with third baseman Madison Shaneberger and outfielder Brooke Wehr landing on the First Team. Shaneberger is hitting .354 through 34 games for the Greyhounds with 22 RBI and two homeruns. Wehr, playing in all 34 games for Moravian, enters the championship with a .377 average, 33 RBI, 44 runs scored, nine homeruns, and five stolen bases.

Joining Blass from Elizabethtown on the First Team are second baseman Emma Varrato and Christina Dark. Varrato leads the conference with a batting average of .453 and has batted in 22 runners this spring. Dark hit .395 for the Jays.

Susquehanna landed two players on the First Team in catcher Kelly Miller and third baseman Emilie Boman. Boman will come into the weekend with a .400 average and 30 RBI. Against conference opponents, she is hitting .343 with seven RBI and one homerun. Miller has been a force behind the dish for the River Hawks as she has thrown out eight of the 10 runners attempting to steal. Offensively, the senior is hitting .356.

Catholic freshman Makayla Czan had an impressive year for the Cardinals. The freshman outfielder leads the team with a .442 batting average while adding 26 RBI, six homeruns, and six stolen bases.

Rounded out the First Team selection is Drew first baseman Adriana Rodriguez. The freshman is the third First Team selection for the Rangers and first since the 2013 season. Rodriguez hit .353 this spring and started in all 34 games for Drew. She add 11 doubles and 22 RBI.

Thirteen additional players received second-team recognition. The full list of honorees is available below.


Co-Player of the Year	Co-Player of the Year	Pitcher of the Year	Rookie of the Year	Coach of the Year
Kirstin Blass Elizabethtown	Kat Spilman Moravain	Josie Novak Moravian	Jennifer Sweeney Scranton	John Byrne Moravian

The 2018 Landmark Softball All-Conference Teams:

First Team						Second Team
P	Josie Novak ^*!	Moravian	Sr.	Neshanic Station, N.J.	P	Kelly Lynch	Catholic	Jr.	Eldersburg, Md.
P	Jennifer Sweeney	Scranton	Fr.	Dumont, N.J.	P	Amanda Carisone	Moravian	Sr.	Neshanic Station, N.J.
C	Kelly Miller	Susquehanna	Sr.	Kendall Park, N.J	C	Alyssa Keane	Catholic	Sr.	Hamilton, N.J.
1B	Adriana Rodriguez	Drew	Fr.	Turnersville, N.J.	1B	Jean Markovic	Moravian	Sr.	Fountain Hill, Pa.
2B	Emma Varrato	Elizabethtown	Jr.	Allentown, Pa.	2B	Shannon Brogan	Moravian	Fr.	Clark, N.J.
SS	Kristin Blass	Elizabethtown	Gr.	Catawissa, Pa.	2B	Heather Pearson	Susquehanna	Sr.	Alexandria, Va.
3B	Madison Shaneberger	Moravian	Jr.	Saylorsburg, Pa.	SS	Kerigan Ammerman ^	Juniata	Sr.	Alexandria, Pa.
3B	Emilie Boman	Susquehanna	Sr.	Tinton Falls, N.J.	3B	Abby Ebright	Juniata	Jr.	Harrisburg, Pa.
OF	Makayla Czan	Catholic	Fr.	Hyattsville, Pa.	OF	Megan Zinn ^	Scranton	So	Bridgewater, N.J.
OF	Brooke Wehr	Moravian	Fr.	Orefield, Pa.	OF	Kasey Bost	Susquehanna	So.	Eldersburg, Md.
OF	Kat Spilman	Moravian	Jr.	Long Valley, N.J.	OF	Leigh Ann Greenwald	Susquehanna	Sr.	Piscataway, N.J.
DP	Christina Dark	Elizabethtown	Jr.	Severn, Md.	DP	Megan Colline	Catholic	Sr.	Bridgewater, N.J.
UT	Lauren Goetz ^	Moravian	So.	Hawley, Pa.	UT	Sabrina Scott	Catholic	So.	Medford, N.J

^ 2017 First-Team All-Landmark
* 2016 First Team All-Landmark
! 2015 First Team All-Landmark