Player & Rookie of the Week Cayla Crawford, Mercy (Fr, C - Hemet, Calif.) Crawford hit a team-high .409 (9-for-22) with two RBI and a team-high four stolen bases. The freshman opened the week going 4-for-6 with an RBI and three stolen bases against Pitt.-Johnstown and West Virginia Wesleyan on Thursday. The catcher then went 3-for-7 with an RBI against Bemidji State and Franklin Pierce on Friday. Crawford went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Mercy's win over AIC on Saturday and went 1-for-2 in game one against Rollins on Sunday.
Pitcher of the Week Carissa Della Vecchia, St. Thomas Aquinas (Sr, P - Wappingers Falls, N.Y.)
Della Vecchia went 3-0 on the week with 32 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched. She registered a shutout with 12 strikeouts in a 5-0 win over Pitt-Johnstown. She also had 12 strikeouts in a 4-1 win over Post University.
ECC Weekly Honor Roll
Amanda Baez, Queens (So, OF - Selden, N.Y.)
Baez led the way in six games in the Sunshine State with a team-high batting average of .412 with seven hits, two multi-hit games including tying a career-best 3-for-4 ABwith two runs against Embry-Riddle to go with three stolen bases.
Alexi Benson, Mercy (Sr, P - Fredericksburg, Va.) Benson went 1-3 in the circle with a team-best 2.15 ERA and team-high 26 strikeouts in 26 innings. The senior threw four complete games and opened the week with six innings pitched, five strikeouts and one earned run allowed against Pitt.-Johnstown on Thursday. The pitcher then went seven innings with seven strikeouts and one earned run allowed against Bemidji State on Friday. Benson pitched seven innings with a season-high 10 strikeouts and one earned run allowed to earn the win over AIC on Saturday. The senior ended the week with four strikeouts in six innings at Rollins on Sunday.
Alex Burns, Molloy (Sr, OF - Baldwin, N.Y.)
Burns drove in three runs on the week for the Lions, including a game-winning double over No. 8 Indianapolis.
Brianna Macias, Molloy (So, P - Downey, Calif.)
Macias put up a 1.08 ERA through 13 innings on the week for the Lions. The junior tossed a complete game in Molloy's victory over No. 8 Indianapolis, striking out four batters. She added another four strikeouts against St. Michael's through six innings of work.
Mercy: The Mercy College softball team went 1-7 on the week with a win over AIC. The Mavericks were led by sophomore Victoria Seppala who had a team-high three RBI. Mercy resumes action on Saturday, March 18th when they host Bloomfield at 12 p.m.
Molloy: No team notes submitted.
Queens: The Knights went 1-5 in their Sunshine State trip as they defeated Alderson Broaddus4-1 led by graduate student Allyson Dilday's complete effort in the circle. Queens returns to action on Thursday (Mar. 16) against Adelphi in Garden City before hosting their first DH of the season against SNHU on Saturday (Mar. 18) afternoon.
Staten Island: The Dolphins spent the week at The Spring Games in Florida where they played eight games over the course of five days. The Dolphins went 1-7 in those eight contests and are now 3-7 on the season.
St. Thomas Aquinas: The St. Thomas Aquinas College Softball team (4-2) kicked off its 2023 season with victories over Minnesota-Crookston (5-0), Pitt-Johnstown (5-0), Truman (6-5), and Post (4-1), while falling to Franklin Pierce (6-4) and Slippery Rock (3-0). STAC continues its Florida Spring Break trip with games against Bentley and Bloomfield (March 13), Indiana (Pa.) and American Int'l (March 14) and Le Moyne and So. Connecticut (March 16).