Softball | 5/12/2025 9:59:41 AM
The St. John Fisher University duo of sophomore outfielder Emily McManus and senior Ainsley Evanetski were named Player and Pitcher of the Year honors, respectively, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2025 Softball All-Conference awards on Monday, May 12. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Alfred junior outfielder Jessica Remm was named the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, while first-year third base standout Kaijah Alexander of Nazareth University earned Rookie of the Year honors. St. John Fisher head coach Bari Mance and her staff was named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year for the second straight season.
McManus enjoyed a tremendous season for the Cardinals, batting .445 on the season with a .534 on-base percentage, .908 slugging percentage and remarkable 1.442 OPS. She slugged a St. John Fisher single-season record 15 home runs to go along with 44 RBI, 10 doubles and 45 runs scored in 44 games played. McManus, a. native of Rochester, NY, led the Empire 8 by drawing 25 walks and reached base 79 times in 145 plate appearances this season. She reached base safely in 40 of 44 games played and hit .542 with a 1.698 OPS, eight home runs, 27 RBI, 13 walks and scored 28 runs in 22 E8 contests. McManus is the eighth St. John Fisher student-athlete to earn E8 Softball Player of the Year honors.
Evanetski became the sixth different St. John Fisher player in program history to earn Pitcher of the Year honors. She finished the season with a 14-7 overall record, 2.45 earned run average and 1.16 WHIP to go along with 173 strikeouts in 137 innings pitched. Evanetski was a 9-1 in league play with a 1.30 earned run average, 0.93 WHIP, nine complete games and 119 strikeouts in just 64 2/3 innings. Named the NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week on April 15, Evanetski struck out at least 10 batters in a game eight times, including a career-high 18 against Elmira College on April 12 and threw a perfect game with 14 strikeouts against Keuka College the next day.
Remm, a junior from Carmel, IN, has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 70 total chances as Alfred’s centerfielder in 2025. Remm has also excelled at the plate, batting .481 with a remarkable 1.448 OPS, 57 runs scored, 32 extra base hits (16 doubles, five triples and 11 home runs) and a league-best and Alfred University program record 65 RBI. She has also stolen 20 bases in 2024 and has 43 doubles, 17 home runs and 143 RBI, while hitting .410 in 122 career games heading into the 2025 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament
Alexander, a native of Long Beach, CA, enjoyed an incredible debut season for Nazareth, leading the Empire 8 with a .536 batting average (59-for-110), .602 on-base percentage, 1.064 slugging percentage, 1.666 OPS and 16 home runs. She also drove in 56 runs and walked 18 times for the Golden Flyers, who won 14 league games in 2025. Alexander hit .568 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI to go along with 80 total bases in 22 E8 regular season games this season. Overall, Alexander reached base safely in all 36 games she played in and had a remarkable 33-game hitting streak from March 15 to May 8. Alexander had 19 multiple-hit outings and 17 games with at least two RBI.
Mance and assistant coaches Renee Smith, Sydney Bolton and Shayla Mills led St. John Fisher to an 18-4 mark in league play, share of the regular season title and right to host the E8 Championship Tournament in 2025. The Cardinals, who finished as the 2025 Empire 8 Conference Tournament runner-up, finished 29-15 overall. A pair of St. John Fisher student-athletes won Empire 8 Individual awards, while seven players garnered All-E8 accolades. It is the fourth E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honor for the Cardinals under Mance and sixth in program history.
Five different teams had at least one first team selection. E8 Champion Alfred led all institutions with five first team selections, while St. John Fisher and Nazareth University had three selections apiece. SUNY Geneseo and Utica University had a pair of first team picks apiece. Overall, Alfred, St. John Fisher and SUNY Geneseo had seven all-conference selections apiece to lead the way. St. John Fisher Mari Spitz earned All-E8 first team honors for the fourth time, while McManus and Evanetski of St. John Fisher and Meghan Neto and Remm of Alfred garnered All-E8 first team honors for the second time.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2025 Empire 8 Softball Sportswoman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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.
2025 Empire 8 Softball All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Emily McManus, So., OF, St. John Fisher
Pitcher of the Year: Ainsley Evanetski, Sr., P, St. John Fisher
Defensive Player of the Year: Jessica Remm, Jr., OF, Alfred
Rookie of the Year: Kaijah Alexander, Fr., 3B, Nazareth
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by head coach Bari Mance
Empire 8 First Team
Catcher – Tara Brochu, Sr., C, SUNY Geneseo (Hampton Bays, NY/Hampton Bays)
Catcher – Mari Spitz, Sr., C, St. John Fisher (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima)
First Base – Morgan Russo, So., 1B, Nazareth (Ilion, NY/Central Valley Academy)
Second Base – Delaney Prather, So., 2B, Alfred (North East, PA/North East)
Shortstop – Brooke Beleza, Sr., SS, Utica (Amherstview, Ontario/JCC)
Third Base – Kaijah Alexander, Fr., 3B, Nazareth (Long Beach, CA/Woodrow Wilson)
Outfield – Jessica Remm, Jr., OF, Alfred (Carmel, IN/Carmel)
Outfield – Emily McManus, So., OF, St. John Fisher (Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili)
Outfield – Haileigh Suitor, So., OF, Nazareth (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda)
Utility – Rachel Little, So., U, Utica (Burbank, CA/John Burroughs)
Designated Player – Molly Griffin, Fr., DP, SUNY Geneseo (Buffalo, NY/Nardin Academy)
Pitcher – Kendall Steward, So., P, Alfred (Kennedy, NY/Randolph)
Pitcher – Ainsley Evanetski, Sr., P, St. John Fisher (Rochester, NY/Brighton)
At-Large – Meghan Neto, Sr., SS, Alfred (Miami, FL/Doral Academy Charter)
At-Large – Molly Whitmyer, So., 1B, Alfred (Enola, PA/Trinity)
Empire 8 Second Team
First Base – Taylor Shackleton, So., 1B, St. John Fisher (Placentia, CA/El Doracdo)
Second Base – Annalise Tyler, So., 2B, Russell Sage (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont)
Shortstop – Amalia DeMartino, Sr., SS, St. John Fisher (Durham, CT/Coginchaug Regional)
Third Base – Abigail Gatza, Sr., 3B, Alfred (Burlington, Ontario/Assumption Catholic)
Outfield – Samantha Vidal, So., OF, Alfred (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill)
Outfield – Olivia Simone, Sr., OF, SUNY Brockport (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro)
Outfield – Meghan Paul, Fr., OF, Utica (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland)
Utility – Kaitlyn Schmitz, Sr., U, SUNY Geneseo (Eden, NY/Eden)
Designated Player – Sophia Temple, Fr., DP, Elmira (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro)
Pitcher – Gabriella Petroski, So., P, SUNY Geneseo (Lancaster, NY/Sacred Heart Academy)
Pitcher – Leah Madore, Jr., P, Russell Sage (Williamsville, VT/Brattleboro Union)
At-Large – Trinity Critelli, Gr., P, SUNY Poly (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler)
At-Large – Abigail Sacks, Sr., C, Utica (Colonie, NY/Colonie)
Empire 8 Third Team
Catcher – Ashlyn VanFleet, Fr., C, Elmira (Sayre, PA/Athens)
Catcher – Jadyn Childers, Sr., C, SUNY Poly (Carthage, NY/Carthage)
First Base – Hannah Smith, Jr., 1B, Russell Sage (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa)
Second Base – Brooke Fraas, Jr., 2B, SUNY Geneseo (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster)
Shortstop – Bella Nadzan, Jr., SS, SUNY Geneseo (Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville)
Third Base – Ray Schumacher, So., 3B, SUNY Geneseo (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena)
Outfield – Sarah Ferruzza, Fr., OF, Nazareth (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder)
Outfield – Madalyn Ring, Sr., OF, Russell Sage (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls)
Outfield – Maddie Donlin, Sr., OF, St. John Fisher (Vestal, NY/Vestal)
Utility – Olivia Simone, Sr., C/OF, SUNY Brockport (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro)
Designated Player – Madison Hicks, Fr., DP, Nazareth (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas)
Pitcher – Cassidy Ormond, Sr., P, St. John Fisher (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse)
Pitcher – Kylie Murray, Sr., P, Utica (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester)
At-Large – Teresa Cotty, Fr., DP, SUNY Brockport (Selden, NY/Newfield)
At-Large – Hailey Jasinski, So., 2B, Keuka (Buffalo, NY/North Collins)
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Ty Thomas, Jr., P, Alfred (Bolingbrook, IL/Bolingbrook)
Laina Beer, Sr., P, SUNY Brockport (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy)
Maryann Sobel, Sr., P, Elmira (Hastings, NY/Bishop Ludden)
Hannah Ojeniczak, Sr., IF/OF, SUNY Geneseo (Lake View, NY/Frontier)
Brianna Blake, Fr., C/1B, Hartwick (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville)
Rebecca Oates, Fr., P/OF, Houghton (Tonawanda, NY/Tonawanda)
Makenna DeMoney, Sr., C/OF, Keuka (Conklin, NY/Susquehanna Valley)
Ashley Bell, Jr., P/IF, Nazareth (Groton, NY/Lansing)
Katelyn Adams, So., INF, SUNY Poly (Croghan, NY/Beaver River)
Emma Anderson, Sr., P/IF, Russell Sage (Tolland, CT/Tolland)
Liv Godley, Sr., C, St. John Fisher (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo)
Cassidi Mushenski, Utica, Fr., U (Hadley, MA/Hopkins Academy)
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 and
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