WINTHROP, Mass. – Forty-eight hours after being named GNAC Tournament MVP, senior right-hander Maddie Castigliego was selected as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Pitcher of the Year for the second straight year, announced Tuesday morning.
Headlining eight members from the 2023 GNAC Champions, Castigliego also was named to the All-Conference first team for the second time in her career. Over the course of the season, the Rhode Island native hit multiple milestones, including becoming the 18th player in program history to record 100 hits, while also striking out 400 opposing hitters.
Fellow senior Shannon McMahon joined her battery mate on the All-GNAC first team. Posting. .310 batting average, she became just the fourth player in program history to drive in over 100 baserunners and also was one 17 players in Simmons softball history to record 100 hits.
Junior Jordyn Rubin highlighted three Sharks on the All-GNAC second team. Rubin was a fierce offensive threat in the middle of the Shark line up and midway through the season went a full three weeks without a strikeout.
Senior Emma Thacher joined Rubin on the All-GNAC second team at the utility position after splitting time, equally, between catcher and first base. After registering a career-year with a .365 batting average from the top of the Sharks lineup, sophomore Raya Anderson earned All-GNAC second team honors for the first time in her career.
First-year Leah Connor rounded out the Sharks' second team representatives. Connor played an unbelievable defense at the hot-corner, registering just one error at the position since the end of March, while also leading the Sharks with a .405 batting average.
Finishing second amongst conference leaders with a 1.58 ERA, first-year right-hander Piper Kinney was selected to the All-GNAC third team. Classmate and first-year outfielder Teagan Buckley joined Kinney as a member of the all-conference third team. In the conference title game, Buckley registered her first career homerun, an opposite field solo shot.
Additionally, Buckley, Kinney, Connor and fellow first-year A.J. Swett were named to the GNAC All-Rookie Team, while sophomore Chelsie Trask was selected to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.