ROCHESTER, NY – The Empire 8 announced its 2011 Softball All-Conference Team with junior outfielder Jennifer Vanek of conference champion St. John Fisher College being named Player of the Year and sophomore pitcher Brittany Kemp of runner-up Rochester Institute of Technology chosen as Pitcher of the Year.
Vanek, a repeat first-team all-conference selection, hit .442 (23-for-52) with 10 runs scored in regular season conference play. Overall, she leads the Cardinals with a .417 batting average, 38 runs scored, 58 hits, five triples, and four stolen bases.
Kemp recorded a 5-2 mark with a 1.78 earned run average and two shutouts in regular season conference games. She allowed just 26 hits in 43.1 innings and struck out 58. Overall, she posted 10 wins and limited opponents to a .207 batting average.
Senior pitcher Carlissa Cole and sophomore shortstop Tori Nadow of RIT were also first-team selections. Cole went 6-1 with a 1.43 earned run average in Empire 8 regular season play and put together a 10-game winning streak late in the season to lead the Tigers to a spot in the conference tournament final. Nadow hit .364 in Empire 8 play and batted .348 in all games with a team-high 22 runs batted in.
Three players from regular season champion Ithaca College garnered first-team all-conference recognition. Senior pitcher Brit Lillie made her third consecutive appearance on the first team, posting a 5-0 record and 1.53 earned run average in Empire 8 regular season play and leads the team with nine victories overall. Senior designated player Kerry Barger repeated on the all-conference first team after hitting .548 in conference play with eight runs batted in. Sophomore outfielder Jennifer Biondi was selected to the first team, hitting .378 with nine runs scored, seven extra-base hits (two home runs), and 12 RBI in Empire 8 action.
Senior outfielder Kim Martin of Utica College was named to the all-conference first team for the fourth time in her career. She batted .391 in conference play with 15 runs scored and six RBI. Sophomore first baseman Bridgette Plummer of the Pioneers also made the first team after she hit .340 with nine runs scored, seven doubles, and 10 RBI in Empire 8 games.
Sophomore catcher Clair Strom became the first Stevens Institute of Technology player to receive first-team honors. She hit .404 with 11 runs scored, five home runs, and 17 RBI in Empire 8 play as the Ducks made the conference tournament in just their second varsity season.
Junior third baseman Molly Shepherd and junior utility player Nicole Hedrick of Alfred University were named to the first team. Shepherd hit .435 with 11 runs scored and 13 RBI in Empire 8 play. Hedrick, the 2010 Empire 8 Player of the Year, batted .426 with 18 runs scored in conference action.
Senior second baseman Jackie Gibson of Elmira College was named to the all-conference first team after hitting .400 with six RBI in Empire 8 games.
Kristie Jones of Utica was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. She batted .341 with nine runs scored, two home runs, and 12 RBI in conference play.
Deb Pallozzi was named Coach of the Year for leading Ithaca to the top seed in the conference tournament and the program’s 24th trip to the NCAA Division III Softball Championship. The honor is her fifth and first since 2007.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2011 Softball Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
2011 Empire 8 Softball Awards
Player of the Year: Jennifer Vanek, St. John Fisher College
Pitcher of the Year: Brittany Kemp, Rochester Institute of Technology
Rookie of the Year: Kristie Jones, Utica College
Coach of the Year: Deb Pallozzi, Ithaca College
2011 Softball All-Conference Release