RAMIREZ-TEJEDA & KIESELBACK EARN MAJOR GNAC HONORS; SEVEN TABBED TO ALL-GNAC TEAM
BOSTON, Mass. – Seven members from the Emmanuel College softball program have been named to the 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Softball All-Conference squad, as announced by the conference office earlier today. Junior outfielder Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda (Cambridge, Mass.) has been named the GNAC Player of the Year while senior pitcher Megan Kieselback (Wethersfield, Conn.) has been named the GNAC Pitcher of the Year. Both players also earned First Team All-Conference honors.
BOSTON, Mass. – Seven members from the Emmanuel College softball program have been named to the 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Softball All-Conference squad, as announced by the conference office earlier today. Junior outfielder Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda (Cambridge, Mass.) has been named the GNAC Player of the Year while senior pitcher Megan Kieselback (Wethersfield, Conn.) has been named the GNAC Pitcher of the Year. Both players also earned First Team All-Conference honors.
Joining them on the All-Conference squad were seniors Olivia Burgos (Newington, Conn.) and Audrey Esakoff (Ventura, Calif.), junior Sarah Hoisl (West Hartford, Conn.) and freshmen Grace Orcutt (Lexington, Mass.) and Renae Lacroix (Cumberland, R.I.). Senior Briana Ong (Coventry, R.I.) was tabbed as the Emmanuel representative on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship squad.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2019 GNAC SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Ramirez-Tejeda enjoyed one of the most productive offensive campaigns in Emmanuel College history, leading the GNAC and finishing the year with single-season records at Emmanuel in home runs (10) and slugging percentage (.814). The junior batted a team-best .381 on the year to rank 14th in the GNAC, driving in 33 runs to rank second while also scoring 33 runs to rank tied for fifth. She finished the season with 79 total bases, 52 of which came in GNAC play to lead the conference.
Over two seasons with the Saints, Ramirez-Tejeda has already established herself as one of the premiere power hitters in program history, ranking second all-time with 17 home runs to go along with a .376 batting average. She also has accumulated 58 RBI to rank 11th all-time and scored 57 runs to rank 12th.
Kieselback earns Pitcher of the Year honors after a stellar campaign that included 12 wins and a league-best 117 strikeouts. The Connecticut native got off to a slow start, opening the year with just one win over her first seven starts but proceeded to compile an 11-0 record in the circle from March 30 through May 2 that included three complete-game shutouts. She struck out a career-high 14 in a 7-4 win over Rivier University on April 7 and added a save to her resume on April 6 vs. Lasell.
The four-year veteran will graduate ranked second all-time at Emmanuel in wins (30), strikeouts (304), and appearances (80) while holding the EC record in saves with five.
Burgos makes her second straight appearance on the GNAC All-Conference Second Team after another strong season at the plate and in the field. The outfielder posted a .367 average out of the leadoff spot to rank third on the squad. She connected on 23 extra base hits to lead the team, ranking second in the GNAC while also ranking second in the conference in stolen bases (20). Burgos led the league with 41 runs scored and bested the conference in triples with five, one shy of the single-season record at Emmanuel.
The Connecticut native graduates among the career leaders in many offensive categories including Games Played (1st – 160), Doubles (2nd – 43), Slugging % (2nd - .569), Runs (2nd – 116), Total Bases (2nd - 273), Hits (3rd – 162), Triples (3rd – 10), Home Runs (3rd – 16), At bats (3rd – 480), RBI (4th – 88), Stolen Bases (6th – 35), Walks (7th – 36), Batting Avg. (8th - .338) and OBP (10th - .387). She also graduates ranked third all-time in pitching wins (21) and seventh all-time in strikeouts (142).
Orcutt also earned Second Team honors following a monster freshman season. The designated player let the GNAC with 34 RBI while ranking second in home runs (7) sixth in slugging percentage (.614). Her 17 extra base hits ranked fourth among GNAC players and the Lexington native added 22 runs scored. Her 47 hits on the year led the team and was the sixth highest single-season total in EC program history.
Orcutt additionally posted a 1-0 record as a pitcher and registered a 1.000 fielding percentage on 94 total chances.
Esakoff earns Third Team honors following the most consistent season of her collegiate career in which she batted .323, slugged .448, had a .411 OBP and scored 24 runs. The shortstop drove in 16 runs, drew 15 walks, stole six bases and most importantly, played incredible defense in GNAC action. The California native enjoyed a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in league play.
Over her two years with the Saints, Esakoff collected 75 hits, batting .325 while scoring 50 runs to go along with 30 RBI. With her two previous seasons at Peidmont, she finished her collegiate career with 125 hits.
Hoisl makes her first appearance on the GNAC All-Conference squad with Third Team honors after a breakout campaign that saw many new career-highs. The centerfielder batted a career-best .324 at the plate, collecting a career-high 34 hits while driving in a career-high 25 RBI. She collected 16 stolen bases and scored 18 runs while also posting a .448 slugging percentage.
Over three years, Hoisl has posted a .268 career average, collecting 81 hits while scoring 61 runs to go along with 49 RBI.
Lacroix put together an impressive rookie campaign at the hot corner to earn Third Team accolades, batting .352 with 44 hits. She enjoyed a 10-game hitting streak from March 31 through April 9 and has 12 multi-hit games on the year. The Rhode Island native finished the season with 24 runs scored, 16 RBI and 14 stolen bases.
The Saints capped the 2019 season with an overall record of 25-14, marking the second-most wins in a season by a softball team at Emmanuel. EC posted a 15-1 record in GNAC play, setting the record for most wins in conference action en route to winning the GNAC North Division regular-season crown. They hosted one day of GNAC tournament action, defeating #3N Saint Joseph's College (ME) before falling in the GNAC Semifinal round to #1S Simmons University and #2S University of Saint Joseph (CT), the eventual GNAC Champion.