Berry, Long & Conti Earn Major GNAC Awards; Softball Lands 10 on All-Conference Team
BOSTON, Mass. - Emmanuel College Head Coach Olivia Berry has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball Coach of the Year, senior Megan Long (Greenville, R.I.) the Pitcher of the Year, and first year Olivia Conti (Cranston, R.I.) the GNAC Rookie of the Year, it was announced by the conference office on Tuesday morning.
BOSTON, Mass. - Emmanuel College Head Coach Olivia Berry has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball Coach of the Year, senior Megan Long (Greenville, R.I.) the Pitcher of the Year, and first year Olivia Conti (Cranston, R.I.) the GNAC Rookie of the Year, it was announced by the conference office on Tuesday morning.
Along with these major accolades, the Saints landed a record-number of 10 representatives on the 2021 GNAC Softball Lacrosse All-Conference squad as Long, Conti, senior Emily Blanchard (Sturbridge, Mass.), sophomores Tianna Dawe (Lynn, Mass.), Julyanne Pacheco (Somerset, Mass.), and Jadynne Hill (Haverhill, Mass.) earned GNAC First Team honors. Junior Renae Lacroix (Cumberland, R.I.) and sophomore Maegan Amsler (Hanover< Mass.) were tabbed to the GNAC Second Team while juniors Kiana Hinson (Whittier, Calif) and Avery Webb (Hollis, N.H.) earned Third Team accolades. Hinson was also the Emmanuel representative on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship team.
Berry becomes just the second softball skipper in program history to earn GNAC Coach of the Year honors, joining Carolyn Carr who earned the accolade back in 1998. Berry has guided the Saints to a 20-4 overall record including a 9-1 mark in GNAC play for the program's second consecutive regular-season GNAC title (2019, 2021). She helped the program secure the top seed in the GNAC tournament en route to their first GNAC Championship crown, NCAA tournament berth and New England Regional Ranking (No. 6). Behind her guidance, a program and GNAC-best 10 players earned GNAC All-Conference honors including the 2021 GNAC Pitcher and Rookie of the Year. Over four seasons, Berry has posted a 74-42 record (.638) with a 39-11 (.780) mark in GNAC action.
Long earns GNAC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors following a dominant season in the circle, boasting a 10-2 record with a 1.53 ERA and 91 strikeouts to lead the GNAC in wins, K's and rank second in ERA among pitchers with at least 40 innings logged. Earlier this season, Long pitched the program's first-ever perfect game on April 17 vs. Anna Maria and also tossed a complete-game shutout in Game 1 of the GNAC Championship series to blank Johnson & Wales, 8-0. The senior becomes the third player in program history to earn GNAC Pitcher of the Year honors, joining former teammate Megan Kieselback '19 and Jill Kilcoyne '17 in the elite club.
Over her career, Long has compiled a 12-4 record with one save and a 2.49 ERA while striking out 106 batters over 107 innings pitched.
Along with her Rookie of the Year accolades, Conti joins long on the GNAC All-Conference First Team at the shortstop position following a breakout first season of collegiate softball. The Rhode Island native ranked third in the GNAC with a .436 average on 34 hits while also scoring 27 runs to rank third. Conti was tied for second in the league with 11 stolen bases and added 14 RBI. A tough out all season long, the shortstop posted a .482 on-base percentage (4th in GNAC) while slugging .667 (5th in GNAC). She hit safely in 22 of 24 games on the season and enters the NCAA tournament riding a 16-game hitting streak.
Blanchard earns First Team honors at First Base after posting a career-best .353 batting average to rank 22nd in the GNAC. After starting the year as a reserve infielder, she worked her way into the starting lineup and held on to the spot by hitting safely in 12 of 13 games from March 27 through April 24, hitting .441 over that stretch (15-for-34) including her first career home run in the Saints 8-3 win over Simmons on April 10. She closed out the season with seven runs and seven RBI, adding six walks and four stolen bases to account for a .459 OBP to rank 11th in the league.
Over her career, Blanchard has appeared in 74 games and holds a .298 batting average with 21 runs scored and 20 RBI.
Dawe makes her first career appearance on the GNAC All-Conference First Team in the Designated Player spot following an impressive year both at the plate and in the circle. The sophomore batted .383 to rank 15th in the GNAC, collecting 12 extra base hits to account for an .851 slugging percentage which ranks second in the GNAC. Dawe led the Saints and ranked third in the conference with four home runs while her 19 RBI ranked sixth in the league to go along with 13 runs scored. In the pitching circle, Dawe shared the league-lead with 10 wins with Long, posting a 10-2 record with a 2.53 ERA. She registered 62 strikeouts over 72 innings of action and has won 10 straight decisions entering the NCAA tournament.
Hill and Pacheco both landed on the GNAC All-Conference First Team in the outfield following outstanding offensive and defensive years by the sophomore duo. Hill posted a .412 batting average to rank seventh in the GNAC while Pacheco batted .369 to rank 18th for a dangerous 8-9 combo in the Saints batting order. Hill boasts a .516 OBP with 10 walks (T-3rd in GNAC) while Pacheco has scored 16 runs. Both have good power numbers as well, combining for 15 extra base hits including four homers from hill and five doubles by Pacheco.
Amsler earns Second Team honors at Third Base after leading the GNAC with 28 RBI. She batted .312 and netted a .468 slugging percentage aided by six doubles which ranked tied for sixth in the league. Amsler added 20 runs scored and stole seven bases to rank tied for eighth in the GNAC in thefts.
Lacroix makes her second career appearance on the GNAC All-Conference squad, earning Second Team honors in the outfield slot to follow up her Third Team honors at Third Base in 2019. The Saints leadoff hitter posted a .280 average with a .394 OBP, powered by a league-best 11 walks. She added 10 stolen bases (T-4th GNAC), scored 21 runs (5th GNAC) and collected 14 RBI (T-11th GNAC).
Hinson lands on the GNAC All-Conference Third Team at second base with a .342 batting average, .443 slugging percentage and .395 OBP. The California native scored 18 runs to rank 10th in the league and drove in 15 RBI to rank ninth in the GNAC.
Webb rounds out the Saints All-Conference selections with a Third Team nod at the catcher position after catching every single inning behind the dish through 24 games played. She currently leads the GNAC with a .995 fielding percentage (182 chances, 172 putouts, nine assists, one error) among players with over 100 chances. Webb is batting .274 and recently posted three two-hit games at the plate during the GNAC postseason to earn a spot on the 2021 GNAC All-Tournament team.
Emmanuel returns to action on Friday, May 21 in their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance when they face Christopher Newport at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas at 4:00 PM CST. The Saints carry the No. 8 Regional Rank in New England into the national tournament while Christopher Newport was tabbed 12th in the most recent NFCA National Coaches' Poll.