Softball | 4/7/2023 10:10:17 AM
Four players from three Empire 8 institutions were named to the 2023 Tucci/NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Division III Player and Pitcher of the Year Watchlist from Region III. 2022 Empire 8 Co-Players of the Year Allie Klonowski of St. John Fisher University and Arianna Papas of Russell Sage College, along with Lauren Paul of Utica University and Cassidy Ormond of St. John Fisher were honored.
A total of 141 student-athletes were honored from the nation's 10 regions.
Both Klonowski and Papas earned NFCA All-Region accolades for the second straight season in 2022 and shared E8 Player of the Year accolades.
Klonowski, a senior outfielder from Buffalo, NY, is off to a strong start in 2023, batting .352 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 18 games. She has a 1.020 OPS on the season. She is a career .400 hitter to date with 26 home runs and 96 RBI and has a 1.186 career OPS in 103 contests.
Papas, a graduate student outfielder from Castleton, NY, leads all Empire 8 student-athletes with a .444 batting average, .492 on-base percentage and 1.224 OPS in 2023. She is currently 24-for-54 on the season and has eight doubles, two triples, a homer and 16 RBI, while stealing five bases. Papas is currently a career .490 hitter (120-for-245) with nine homers and 63 RBI in 75 games at Russell Sage.
Paul, a sophomore utility player from Guilderland, NY, is off to a great start for the Pioneers in 2023, batting .427 with three home runs and 17 RBI in 14 games to date. She is (20-for-47) and has added six doubles to go along with a .745 slugging percentage. Paul was named the Empire 8 Player of the Week on April 3.
Ormond, a sophomore pitcher from Cicero, NY, is 4-0 on the mound this season with a sparkling 1.31 earned run average spanning 32 innings. She has two complete games and twirled a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts at RIT on March 28. In addition, she earned a save in the season-opener at LeTorneau on March 6.
Empire 8 league play kicks off this weekend. Alfred University is the two-time reigning league champions.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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