Softball | 5/19/2025 3:00:54 PM
A league-record 17 players from six Empire 8 institutions were named to the 2025 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region III Team. Empire 8 Champion Alfred University led the way with six all-region selections, while SUNY Geneseo and Nazareth University each had three players honored, a pair of St. John Fisher University and Utica University student-athletes and one SUNY Brockport standout was honored.
Ainsley Evanetski and Emily McManus from St. John Fisher, Morgan Russo and Kaijah Alexander from Nazareth, Brooke Beleza from Utica, Jessica Remm from Alfred and Molly Griffin from Geneseo were first team selections, Tara Brochu and Kaitlyn Schmitz of Geneseo, Molly Whitmyer, Delaney Prather and Abigail Gatza of Alfred and Rachel Little of Utica were second team picks and Kendall Steward and Meghan Neto of Alfred, Olivia Simone of Brockport and Haleigh Suitor of Nazareth were third team picks.
This year's 10 squads are comprised of a total of 383 student-athletes from 170 programs. The awards salute student-athletes from the Association's 10 NCAA regions with first, second and third-team honors. NFCA member coaches voted on the teams in their respective regions, and all honorees are eligible for selection to the 2024 NFCA Division III All-America squads, which will be announced on May 28 online and on-site at the NCAA Division III Finals banquet in Bloomington, Illinois.
McManus and Gatza both earned NFCA All-Region accolades for the second straight season. Remm and Schmitz also earned All-Region accolades in 2023, while Neto was also honored in 2022.
McManus picked up right where she left off in her sophomore season. She led the Cardinals in batting average (.445), hits (53), home runs (15), slugging percentage (.908) and walks taken (25). She drove in 44 runs, and led the team with a single-season Fisher record 51 RBI.
Evanetski who ranks fourth in Fisher's record book with 458 career strikeouts, went 14-7 with a 2.45 earned-run average this season. The sixth player in program history to be named E8 Pitcher of the Year, she led the conference in complete games (16) and finished second in strikeouts (173).
Russo tied for the conference lead in doubles with 16. Her 16 doubles also tied her single season Nazareth record from 2024.The dependable leadoff was seventh in conference-only games with a .480 batting average, fourth in slugging percentage (.893), seventh in on base percentage (.518), fourth in on base + slugging percentage (1.411), tied for first in runs scored with 31, fourth in hits (36), eighth in RBI (25), third in doubles (10), and fourth in home runs (7). Russo's .46 doubles per game ranked 19th in the country, her .897 slugging percentage was 14th, and her 104 total bases with 22nd.
Alexander, the 2025 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, was plastered on the leaders list for the conference, ranking first in slugging percentage (1.081), hits (42), RBI (41), and home runs (11) in 22 conference games. She was also second in batting average (.568), on base percentage (.607), and on base + slugging percentage (1.688). For the entire season she led the conference with a .536 batting average (59-for-110), .602 on-base percentage, 1.064 slugging percentage, 1.666 OPS and 16 home runs, which tied an E8 single-season record. She reached base in all 36 games and had a 33-game hit streak from March 15-May 8. She broke the Nazareth single season record for hits (59), RBI (56), home runs (16), total bases (117), batting average (.536), slugging percentage (1.064), and on base percentage (.602). Nationally, Alexander ranked second in the country in slugging percentage (1.055), was seventh in total bases with 115, third in RBI per game at 1.60, sixth in total RBIs with 56, fourth in on base percentage (.592), third in home runs per game (.46), fifth in home runs with 16, and fifth in batting average .532.
Beleza led the Pioneers and ranked among the top hitters in the conference with a staggering .492 batting average, starting all 35 games. The senior shortstop racked up 60 hits in 122 at-bats, scoring 41 runs and driving in 30 RBIs. Her offensive output included nine doubles, two home runs, and 75 total bases, resulting in a .615 slugging percentage and an impressive .541 on-base percentage. Not just a threat at the plate, Beleza also proved reliable defensively, recording 60 putouts and 70 assists in the field with a .956 fielding percentage, helping anchor the infield for the Pioneers.
Remm finished the season with a .462 batting average, recording 67 hits, one shy of the AU school record held by Thompson and three away from the Empire 8 record of 70 hits held by
Danielle DeFeo of Stevens Institute of Technology back in 2012. Out of her 67 hits, 17 were double and 12 were home runs with five more being triples. She was walked 18 times and hit-by-pitch five times while only striking out seven times. Remm added 20 stolen bases. Remm set Empire 8 single-season records of 61 runs scored and 67 RBI this season.
Griffin picked up First-Team Empire 8 recognition as a DP in her first year as a Knight, picking up 48 hits, 23 doubles, and 28 RBIs.
Brochu posted a slugging percentage of .734 with 32 hits, nine doubles, two home runs, and 23 RBIs.
Whitmyer was a 2025 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Player of the Year Watchlist for Region III selection. She averaged a .442 with 57 hits. She totaled 13 doubles, nine home runs and one triple while driving in 49 runs and scoring 31 times herself. Whitmyer totaled three stolen bases and three sacrificed flies while being walked 12 times. Defensively, she had 208 putouts with nine assists and only one error at first base, sporting a .995 fielding percentage before the Saxon's NCAA run.
Prather posted her best season to date as a Saxon, batting a .440 with 44 hits during 100 at-bats. 11 of those hits were doubles while driving in 21 runs and scoring 27 times herself. Prather stole five bases on the year. She recorded 59 putouts and 32 assists with a .948 fielding percentage.
Gatza batted a .435 with 57 hits, eight doubles and seven home runs while driving in 40 runs and scoring 28 times herself. At third base, Gatza had 66 assists and 32 putouts with five errors for a .951 fielding percentage.
Schmitz broke the Knight's record for career doubles in her final game this season, and finished the year with a batting average of .423 on 52 hits and 28 RBIs. As a pitcher, the Eden, NY native threw 88 innings with a 3.02 ERA and nine wins.
Little was a powerhouse in the Pioneers' lineup, finishing the season with a .486 batting average. Starting all 32 games she appeared in, Little tallied 53 hits in 109 at-bats, scoring 31 runs and driving in a team-leading 34 RBIs. She led Utica in slugging percentage (.688), racking up 13 doubles and three home runs as part of her 75 total bases. Her offensive firepower was matched by her defensive impact. Playing primarily behind the plate, Little recorded 101 putouts and 23 assists while maintaining a strong .961 fielding percentage. She also led the team in stolen bases, going a perfect 11-for-11 on the base paths. With a .517 on-base percentage and just one strikeout in 109 at-bats, Little was one of the toughest outs in the conference.
Steward, the 2025 Empire 8 Softball Tournament Most Valuable Player, posted a 23-4 record overall on the season, only dropping games to nationally-ranked opponents, Gettysburg, Ithaca, Randolph-Macon and Christopher Newport. Her wins broke the school record for most in a single season. She added one save to her resume against Saint Joseph's (ME) during the Florida Spring Break trip. In total, Steward struck out batters 150 times in her 177.2 innings pitched. She also stood out in the batter's box, hitting a .340 batting average with 36 hits. Seven of those were doubles, three were home runs and one was a triple. Steward drove in 22 runs while scoring 24 times herself. Defensively, she had 44 assists and 11 putouts with one error for a .982 fielding percentage.
Neto had multiple career-highs during her senior season. Notably, she totaled 44 hits with a batting average of .355, driving in 29 runs and crossing home plate 31 times. Out of her hits, five were home runs and 12 were doubles. She was hit-by-pitch 12 times and walked 14 times. For her career, Neto was hit 42 times, far surpassing the previous record of 38,
while her 12 times this season ties the record for a single season. 2025 was the first season for Neto playing shortstop where she had 64 assists and 60 putouts.
Simone had a fantastic season at the plate with a .420 average and 1.075 OPS. The outfielder/catcher totaled 50 hits, 12 doubles, six triples (tied program record), 23 RBIs, and 31 runs scored. At one point she rattled off an 11-game hit streak and she registered a .958 fielding percentage on the year.
Suitor, in her sophomore season, with a batting average of .324 on 34 hits, six doubles, five homers, and 19 RBIs. In conference play, Suitor was 16th in batting average with a .414, 11th in slugging percentage with a .686, 14th in hits with 29, 13th in RBIs with 18, and fifth in home runs with five. Suitor had a total of 58 overall putouts in center field.
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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