DePaul University Athletics
Softball Earns All-BIG EAST Accolades
5/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | SOFTBALL
Official Release
NEW YORK - DePaul softball earned several All-BIG EAST accolades in an announcement made by league officials on Wednesday afternoon.
Jessica Cothern was named Freshman of the Year and a first team all-conference selection. Micah Fitzgerald, Nicole Pihl and Missy Zoch join Cothern on the first team.
Cothern, the Blue Demons first BIG EAST Freshman of the Year since Dylan Christensen in 2014, has played and started in all 19 conference games. The catcher ranks second on the team and in the league with a .452 batting average in BIG EAST games. She has accounted for 14 runs against her conference opponents and is second on the squad in home runs with four against BIG EAST teams.
Behind the plate, Cothern holds a .966 fielding percentage and is tied for sixth in BIG EAST play with 100 putouts. The Plainfield, Ill. native was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll once this season.
Cothern, along with Fitzgerald, lead the BIG EAST with 28 hits in conference action.
Fitzgerald capped her final regular as a Blue Demon with a team and BIG EAST best .467 batting average. Along with 28 hits, Fitzgerald has notched 16 runs, three doubles, a triple and nine RBI in 60 plate appearances against conference opponents.
The Forney, Texas native boasts a .542 on base percentage in the conference play, ranking her third in the BIG EAST. She has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll once this season.
Used primarily as the Blue Demons designated player throughout the BIG EAST season, Pihl made her presence known at the plate. The senior slugger etched a league and team-best eight home runs in BIG EAST play. Pihl leads DePaul with 19 runs and RBI in conference action and ranks third with 20 hits.
The Marseilles, Ill. native is fifth in the BIG EAST for runs scored, tied for first in total bases with 48 and second in slugging percentage with a .787 mark. Pihl was a member of the 2016 All-BIG EAST Team as the designated player.
Zoch was a force to be reckoned with in the circle among her BIG EAST counterparts. The rookie struck out 60 BIG EAST batters in 54 innings pitched, putting her third in the conference for strikeouts. She holds a 2.59 ERA for a team-best on the Blue Demons pitching staff and second place mark in the conference.
The Winchester, Texas native has notched six BIG EAST wins in the circle, five of which have been complete games. Zoch has been named the BIG EAST Softball Pitcher of the Week twice this season.
The honorees and the rest of the DePaul softball team enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Softball Championship presented by Jeep May 12-13. The Blue Demons take on No. 3 Villanova at 3 p.m. CT on Friday at the Ballpark at Rosemont. All games at the tournament will be broadcast on FS2.
BIG EAST Player of the Year
Alexis Walkden, Seton Hall
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year
Brette Lawrence, Villanova
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Jessica Cothern, DePaul
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
St. John's
All-BIG EAST First Team
P- Brette Lawrence, Villanova
P- Missy Zoch, DePaul
C- Jessica Cothern, DePaul
1B- Nikki Alden, Villanova*
2B- Lexi Robles, St. John's
3B- Alexis Walkedn, Seton Hall*
SS- Monique Landini, St. John's *
OF- Lauren Zick, St. John's*
OF- Micah Fitzgerald, DePaul
OF- Sam Dellinger, Creighton
UT- Gretchen Bowie, St. John's
DP- Nicole Pihl, DePaul
All-BIG EAST Second Team
P- Madison Morris, St. John's
P- Tori Free, St. John's
C- Nicole Lundstrom, Providence
1B- Julianne Rurka, Providence
2B- Aujanae McCoy, Creighton
3B- Lauren Herschberg, Villanova
SS- Brittany Husk, Villanova
OF- Jenna Foreman, Butler
OF- Emma Lee, Providence
OF- Ashley Cantu, Creighton
UT- Kaitlin Doud, Butler
DP- Savannah Warren, St. John's
*unanimous selection
