Central Islip, N.Y. - The softball coaches of the East Coast Conference have voted NYIT senior firstbaseman, Kat Zabielski (Farmingdale, N.Y.) as the 2016 ECC Player of the Year. Freshman teammates Hannah Olshevski (Robbinsville, N.J.) and Julia Seader (Piscataway, N.J.) of LIU Post have earned the Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, respectively.
Zabielski has put up one of the top seasons in ECC history in 2016. Coming in to ECC Championship play, Zabielski is second in the conference with a .428 batting average to go along with a league-leading 20 homeruns and 72 runs batted in. This marks only the second time in conference history that a hitter has reached the 20 homerun and 70 RBI plateaus. Zabielski also ranks at the top of the ECC in numerous other offensive categories. She leads the loop with 53 runs scored, 134 total bases, 22 walks, a .520 on-base percentage, and a .971 slugging percentage. Her name is also littered about the Division II national leader board, as well. Zabielski's slugging percentage, home run, RBI, and runs batted in per game total of 1.57 all rank second nationally. In addition, the four-time ECC Player of the Week leads all of Division II with 0.43 home runs per game and ranks ninth with 1.15 runs per game.
Olshevski had an outstanding debut season with the Pioneers to earn the Pitcher of the Year honor. In 26 appearances and 23 starts spanning 162.2 innings pitched, Olshevski has compiled a 20-4 won-loss record with a 1.81 earned run average. A two-time ECC Pitcher of the Week and one-time Rookie of the Week, Olshevski's win and complete game (22) totals are tops in the ECC. She also ranks in the top-five in the league in ERA, innings pitched, shutouts (5), and batting average against (.219).
Seader, a freshman catcher, was part of a standout rookie battery for LIU Post, joining Olshevski in earning one of the conference's major awards as the Rookie of the Year. Seader's name can be found among the conference leaders in multiple categories. The lefty swinging backstop finished the regular season third in the ECC with 61 hits to compile a .401 batting average, good for fifth in the league. She also added 14 doubles, nine home runs, 36 RBI, 102 total bases, six stolen bases, a .462 on-base percentage, and a .671 slugging percentage, all of which rank within the top-five in the conference.
Steve Christianson of NYIT has been selected Coach of the Year by his peers. This season, Christianson guided the Bears to a 35-11 overall record and a 24-4 mark in conference play to earn the program's first-ever ECC Regular Season Championship and claim the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Christianson also reach a milestone this season, picking up his 200th win at NYIT with a victory over Merrimack on March 19.
Zabielski, Seader, and Olshevski are joined by Tori Duquette (Sr., 2B, NYIT), Arianna La Puma (Sr., 3B, Dowling), Brianna Dalton (So., SS, Molloy), Kaila Crandall (Sr., OF, Bridgeport), Morgan Lloyd (So., OF, Mercy), Christina Pantages (Sr., OF, NYIT), Milan Botte (Jr., DP, Molloy), Amber Butenhoff (Sr., U, NYIT), Tracey Balinskas (Sr., U-P), and Laura McLaughlin (Sr., P, NYIT) on the ECC All-Conference First Team.
Second Team honorees include Madison Smith (Jr., C, NYIT), Gianna Gatto (So. 1B, Dowling), Kayla McCoy (Jr., 2B, LIU Post), Maria Palmeri (Sr., 3B, LIU Post), Tiffany McCracken (Jr., SS, NYIT), Olivia Banulski (So., OF, Molloy), Jenna DiLorenzo (Fr., OF, Bridgeport), Crystal Tarango (Sr., OF, Dowling), Paige Swantek (Sr., DP, LIU Post), Kristen Boody (Jr., U, Queens), ToniMarie Valeriano (So., U-P, Queens), Chelsea Hawks (Jr., P, Molloy), and Ashley Martin (Jr., P, LIU Post).
NYIT had the most All-Conference picks with seven. LIU Post was second with six and Molloy came in third with five selections.
2016 ECC Softball All-Conference
First Team
C - Julia Seader, LIU Post
1B - Kat Zabielski, NYIT
2B - Tori Duquette, NYIT
3B - Arianna La Puma, Dowling
SS - Brianna Dalton, Molloy
OF - Kaila Crandall, Bridgeport
OF - Morgan Lloyd, Mercy
OF - Christina Pantages, NYIT
DP - Milan Botte, Molloy
U - Amber Butenhoff, NYIT
U-P - Tracey Balinskas, Molloy
P - Laura McLaughlin, NYIT
P - Hannah Olshevski, LIU Post
Second Team
C - Madison Smith, NYIT
1B - Gianna Gatto, Dowling
2B - Kayla McCoy, LIU Post
3B - Maria Palmeri, LIU Post
SS - Tiffany McCracken, NYIT
OF - Olivia Banulski, Molloy
OF - Jenna DiLorenzo, Bridgeport
OF - Crystal Tarango, Dowling
DP - Paige Swantek, LIU Post
U - Kristen Boody, Queens
U-P - ToniMarie Valeriano, Queens
P - Chelsea Hawks, Molloy
P - Ashley Martin, LIU Post
Player of the Year - Kat Zabielski, NYIT
Pitcher of the Year - Hannah Olshevski, LIU Post
Rookie of the Year - Julia Seader, LIU Post
Coach of the Year - Steve Christianson, NYIT
