SOFTBALL LANDS FOUR ON 2017 GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College softball team was well represented on the 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Conference team with four players selected in total. Senior pitcher Jill Kilcoyne (Worcester, Mass.) earned Second Team and All-Sportsmanship Team honors while fellow senior Susie Kieselback (Wethersfield, Conn.) along with sophomores Casey Sheehan (Medway, Mass.) and Ashley Skey (Brookline, N.H.) earned Third Team accolades.

Kilcoyne wrapped up her illustrious career with the Saints boasting a 9-9 record in the circle, throwing 13 complete games over 122.2 innings pitched. The senior registered three complete game shutouts including her fourth career no-hitter on April 15^th against Lasell College. The Worcester native finished the season with 135 strikeouts to rank third overall in the GNAC while her 105 K's in conference play ranked first among fellow GNAC aces. Over the entire season she averaged 7.70 K's per 7 innings to rank second in the league while her 9.05 K's per 7 innings in GNAC play was first in the conference games. In league play, Kilcoyne held opponents to a dismal .179 average and was named the GNAC Pitcher of the Week twice during the 2017 campaign.

Over her career, Kilcoyne dominated GNAC batters and will graduate as the career leader at Emmanuel in every pitching category. She ends her career with 50 victories over 531.2 innings pitched while boasting a 2.23 ERA. The senior recorded 672 career strikeouts which currently ranks 2^nd all-time in GNAC history. She was a four-time GNAC All-Conference player, earning GNAC Pitcher of the Year honors as a sophomore and helped the program to last season's title game with an 18-win campaign.

Kieselback enjoys All-Conference honors for the first time of her career after a standout senior campaign that saw career-highs in home runs, RBI, average and slugging percentage. The captain batted a career-best .330 with 35 hits including 11 extra base hits on five doubles, one triple and a career-best five homers. She belted 25 RBI to go along with 10 walks as the everyday starter at first base for the Saints and recorded a .538 slugging percentage which was .125 percentage points higher than her previous season-best.

Over her four years with the Saints, Kieselback appeared in 151 games and batted .292 with 135 career hits. The Wethersfield, Conn. native finished her career with 79 RBI, 65 runs scored, 42 walks, 38 extra base hits including 12 home runs and 12 stolen bases. The four-year starter at first base was also stellar in the field committing just 12 errors over her entire career to boast a .986 fielding percentage over 879 total chances in the field.

Skey earns All-Conference honors for the second straight season in the designated player spot following another strong year at the plate. Over 34 games, the sophomore batted .320 while posting a monster .567 slugging percentage while also collecting a .455 on base percentage. Skey belted eight home runs to lead the Saints and rank fifth in the GNAC while also topping the team with 35 RBI which ranked ninth overall in the conference. She added a career-best 19 runs scored to go along with 17 walks for the fifth highest total in the GNAC.

Through two campaigns with Emmanuel, Skey has appeared in 77 games and collected 74 hits for a .339 career average. The Brookline, N.H. native has 63 career RBI and 14 homers and will make a run over the next two seasons to set new program records for home runs, RBI and career slugging percentage.

Sheehan rounded out the EC All-Stars with her first career All-Conference appearance in the catcher's position. The EC backstop played in all 35 games this season, catching every single inning for Emmanuel pitchers. At the plate she was a force batting a career-best .350 on 43 hits which included career highs in doubles (12) and home runs (7). 11 of Sheehan's doubles came in GNAC play which ranked second among all GNAC players. She added 23 RBI and a gaudy .618 slugging percentage to rank ninth overall in the GNAC. Her in-conference numbers were even better, posting a .671 slugging percentage during 22 GNAC contests. Defensively Sheehan was tough to run against, throwing out seven runners on the year, six in GNAC play to rank second in the league in the category.

After two seasons, Sheehan has appeared in 76 games and posted an impressive .349 career batting average on 89 career hits. The Medway, Mass. native has scored 47 runs, driven in 39 RBI, collected 29 extra base hits on 20 doubles and nine dingers and has also drawn 17 walks to go along with five career stolen bases.

The Saints concluded the 2017 campaign with an overall record of 15-20 including a 12-10 mark in GNAC play to earn the No. 7 seed in the GNAC tournament field. EC was eliminated in the First Round of this year's tournament by Norwich University and will return to action next season when it brings back 11 returning players to the 2018 roster.

Click here view the entire 2017 GNAC All-Conference Softball Team