TOWSON, Md. - The Landmark Conference announced its 2024 Softball All-Conference Teams and award winners, as nominated and voted on by the league's nine head coaches.
Player of the Year: Molly O'Brien (Drew University)
Pitcher of the Year: Lauren DeMarco (Wilkes University)
Rookie of the Year: Miz Szap (Catholic University)
Coaching Staff of the Year: Juniata College & Moravian University
O'Brien joins the ranks of Jess LaValley of USMMA (2009-10) and Jenn Dalickas of Moravian University (2014-15) as the third player in league history to clinch consecutive Player of the Year titles. The graduate student earned her second All-Conference First Team honor as an outfielder. Throughout the season, she started all 37 games for the Rangers, boasting an impressive .417 batting average, a feat shared by only seven players in the conference. With 21 RBI, nine doubles, four triples, four home runs, and a league-leading 35 stolen bases.
2024 proved to be a season of milestones for O'Brien. In early March, she notched her 100th career hit, followed by breaking both school and conference records for stolen bases on March 14, and then set the school's career home run record with 15 homers on March 26. Wrapping up the season on a high note, she became just the third player in team history to achieve the century run mark, crossing the plate 100 times on April 9.
DeMarco not only earned First Team All-Conference honors but also clinched the Pitcher of the Year title. With a stellar 10-3 record for the season, DeMarco boasted a league-leading 1.00 earned run average, coupled with an impressive tally of 85 strikeouts.
Against conference rivals, DeMarco maintained went 6-3 in the circle, racking up 44 strikeouts while maintaining an ERA of 1.19.
Szap became the first player since Megan Rizzi in 2009 to be named Rookie of the Year. In her debut season, the first-year player established herself, boasting a stellar .358 batting average, ranking second on the team. Szap's contributions include 20 RBI and seven doubles.
Garnering their second Coaching Staff of the Year honors, Garlock and her staff steered the Eagles to an 18-17 overall record and a 10-6 conference mark. Their efforts propelled Juniata to qualify for the upcoming 2024 Landmark Conference Softball Championships, marking its first appearance since 2017.
Baltz and the Moravian staff earned their first Coaching Staff of the Year since taking over in 2023. The Greyhounds won 27 games this spring, the 32nd time in program history of winning 20 or more games. Moravian is the top seed in the conference championship after a 13-3 performance in conference play.
$ 2023 First Team
% 2022 First Team
& 2021 First Team