Softball | 5/15/2026 4:00:00 PM
Fourteen players from five Empire 8 institutions were named to the 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region III Team. Nazareth University and St. John Fisher University led the way with four all-region selections, while league champion Alfred University had three players honored, a pair of SUNY Geneseo student-athletes and one SUNY Brockport standout was honored.
Ashley Bell and Alexis Brown from Nazareth, Brooke Fraas from Geneseo and Kendall Steward from Alfred were first team selections. Gabrielle Petroski from Geneseo, Taylor Shackleton, Sarah Gross and Emily McManus from St. John Fisher, Samantha Vidal from Alfred and Madison Hicks from Nazareth were second team selections. Molly Kuhn from St. John Fisher, Paris Guzman from Alfred, Bryanna Moroughan from Nazareth and Liana DeValder from Brockport were third team picks.
This year's 10 squads are comprised of a total of 386 student-athletes from 161 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 2025 NFCA Division III All-America squads, which will be announced on May 27 online and on-site at the NCAA Division III Finals banquet in Bloomington, Illinois.
McManus earned NFCA All-Region accolades for the third straight season. Steward earned All-Region accolades for the second straight season.
Bell, a first team all-conference selection, started all 38 games for the Golden Flyers recording 37 hits, eight doubles and 14 RBI. She held a .584 slugging percentage, a .453 on-base percentage and a .917 fielding percentage.
Fraas, a first team all-conference selection, led the way for the Knights in batting average with a .430 and set the program runs scored record with 150.
Brown, a first team all-conference selection, had an impressive debut season. She ranked 25th in the country with a .491 batting average and set the single-season stolen base record with 30, putting her at 50th in the country. She added 39 runs scored on the season.
Steward, a first team all-conference selection as well as the 2026 Empire 8 Tournament Most Valuable Player, was a contributer on multiple fronts for the Saxons. She batted .449 with 62 hits, 17 doubles, 10 home runs and three triples and drove in 46 runs. On the base path, she stole nine bases and scored 44 runs. In the circle, she went 13-7 with one save and struck out 84 batters in 114.2 innings.
Petroski, the 2026 Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year, finished the season with a 16-4 overall record, 2.92 earned run average and 1.17 WHIP to go along with 121 strikeouts in 124 2/3 innings pitched. Petroski was an incredible 12-1 in league play with a 1.77 earned run average, 0.94 WHIP, 11 complete games and 91 strikeouts in 79 innings. Petroski threw a no-hitter with a career-high 16 strikeouts Elmira on April 23.
Shackleton, the 2026 Empire 8 Player of the Year, enjoyed a tremendous season for the Cardinals, hitting .433 on the season with an .807 slugging percentage and remarkable 1.286 OPS. She slugged a league-leading totals of 65 hits, 20 doubles, 12 home runs, 58 RBI and 121 total bases, to go along with 47 runs scored in 43 games played. She reached base in 40-of-43 games played this season. Shackleton hit .450 with a 1.407 OPS, nine home runs and 40 RBI in 22 E8 contests.
Gross, a first team all-conference selection, had a fantastic rookie season for the Cardinals. She had 63 hits, eight doubles, a team-high four triples and one home run. She batted .394 with 32 RBI. On the bases, she scored 45 runs and led the team in stolen bases with eight on nine attempts. At third base, she held a .972 fielding percentage with 44 putouts and 59 assists.
McManus, a first team all-conference selection, in only 26 games, hit eight home runs and four doubles with a .519 batting average, a 1.037 slugging percentage and a .617 on-base percentage. She finished fourth on the team with 29 RBI.
Vidal, the 2026 Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 48 total chances as Alfred’s centerfielder during league play in 2026. Overall, she has recorded a .978 fielding percentage with 88 putouts and three assists this season. Vidal has also excelled at the plate, batting .397 with a .978 OPS, 48 runs scored, and a league-high 49 stolen bases in 51 attempts. She is just three stolen bases shy of the E8 single-season mark of 52, set by former Saxon All-American Ashley Lugo in 2021.
Hicks, a second team all-conference selection, appeared in 34 games and finished with a .322 batting average. She totaled 37 hits, 10 doubles and six home runs with 21 RBI. In the circle, she appeared in 18 games and held a 11-4 with a 3.52 ERA.
Kuhn, a first team all-conference selection, was a staple in the circle for the Cardinals. She finished her season with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. She held a 18-5 record, 13-3 in conference play, with 134 batter retired with only 13 walks in 153.1 innings.
Guzman, a first team all-conference selection, was the top catcher in the league. She caught runners stealing 14 times and recorded 163 putouts with 32 assists. At the plate, she hit for .312 with 29 hits, seven doubles and three home runs. She added 20 RBI, 17 runs scored and three stolen bases.
Moroughan, a third team all-conference selection, her nine triples on the season put her fourth in country and added 56 hits and 42 RBI. At shortstop, she tallied 56 putouts and a team-high 89 assists.
DeValder, the 2026 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, enjoyed an incredible debut season for SUNY Brockport, excelling both on the mound and at the plate while leading the Golden Eagles to the double elimination E8 Championship Tournament. On the mound, DeValder went 11-7 with a 2.37 earned run average and 1.10 WHIP, 13 complete games, four shutouts and 119 strikeouts in 109 1/3 innings. At the plate DeValder hit .315 with a 1.015 OPS, 19 walks, 11 doubles, three homers and 26 RBI. DeValder recorded an impressive 9-2 mark with a 2.03 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in league play.