LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Simmons College softball player Mikaela Caracciolo (North Attleboro, Mass.) was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Northeast Region Third Team it was announced today by the NFCA.
All-Region players are nominated and selected by NFCA member coaches in each of the eight Division III regions.
Caracciolo's selection marks the second straight year that she has earned All-Region Third Team honors. The junior also earned Great Northeast Athletic Conference Second Team accolades two weeks ago. She was perhaps the best combination of offense and defense in the league. The second baseman was among the GNAC's top 15 in batting (.382 (39-102)|12th), slugging (.618|4th), on-base percentage (.484|8th), runs scored (24|15th), runs batted in (29|10th), hits (39|14th), home runs (5|6th), triples (2|11th), bases on balls (21|3rd) and stolen bases (7|12th) and was the only player to finish the season without a committing an error with as many chances (154) as she had. The middle infielder has not been charged with a miscue since April 11, 2014 – a span of 47 straight games and 208 consecutive chances. Caracciolo was also a part of 14 of the team's 20 doubles plays that were turned during the season and has helped Simmons rank third in the nation in the latest NCAA rankings with .61 twinkillings per game. She was also one of the reasons why the team scored so many runs with two outs this season, hitting a remarkable .520 (13-25) with two outs. The North Attleboro High School graduate owned a team-best 11-game hitting streak during the season from April 3-15, where she batted .400 (14-35) during the stretch, while knocking in 12 runs and slugging .771 with two doubles, a triple and three home runs. The Captain also led the team with 11 multi-hit outings, while tying for the team lead with seven multiple-RBI efforts.
Caracciolo has batted .392 (98-250) in 90 career games, while driving in 59 runs, scoring 69 times, cracking 18 doubles, three triples and seven home runs to go with 53 walks, a .495 on-base percentage and a .572 slugging percentage.
The Sharks finished the season with an 18-15 overall record, including a 15-7 mark that earned it a number four seed in the GNAC Tournament.