Courtesy of the ECAC
DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced its Division I Softball All-Stars on Wednesday. University of Massachusetts-Amherst senior Quianna Diaz-Patterson (Amherst, Mass.) was named ECAC Player of the Year while James Madison University freshman Megan Good (Mount Sidney, Va.) was selected as the ECAC Pitcher and Rookie of the Year. Joining Good is her head coach, Mickey Dean, who was tabbed as ECAC Coach of the Year. Representatives from ECAC Division I member institutions completed the voting.
Diaz-Patterson was nearly unstoppable at the dish for the Minutewomen during the 2015 campaign, setting UMass single-season records with a .504 batting average, .866 slugging percentage and .592 on-base percentage. The senior’s batting and on-base percentages were also Atlantic 10 conference records. The Amherst, Mass. native led her squad with 40 hits, 13 doubles, three triples, 23 walks and five stolen bases. In league play, Diaz-Patterson also paced the league with a staggering .530 batting average, to go along with 19 runs, five doubles and five home runs. In addition to the ECAC accolades, Diaz-Patterson was also named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Northeast Region First team. Diaz-Patterson wrapped up her illustrious career ranked third in school history with a .381 average, fourth in slugging percentage (.603), third in on-base percentage (.467), sixth in hits (212) and fourth in doubles (47).
Good, the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Pitcher and Rookie of the Year, was outstanding for the Dukes this season. The NFCA Second Team All-American set James Madison single-season records for wins (29), ERA (1.05), opposing batting average (.164) and combined shutouts (4). En route to recording a 29-3 overall record, the freshman right-hander conceded just 4.13 hits per seven innings, limited opponents to a .164 batting average and led the league with 199 strikeouts in 193.1 innings of work. Good also hit .372 at the plate to go with 10 home runs, 43 RBI, 29 runs scored and a .607 slugging percentage. Good was named ECAC Division I South Rookie of the Week three times this season.
Dean piloted the Dukes to their best season in program history in 2015. The CAA Coach of the Year led the Dukes to a 48-10 overall record and 19-0 mark in the CAA this season and the No. 15 seed in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship. The Dukes won a school-record 36 straight games from March 8 to May 7 and were selected to host the Harrisburg Regional for the first time in program history. The Dukes notched a win over Binghamton University at the Harrisburg Regional before falling to North Carolina State and Fordham University. The Dukes received a top-20 ranking in both major polls and a top-15 NCAA RPI ranking for the first time ever. Overall, James Madison broke 22 single-season team records this season, which included most wins (48), fewest losses (10), batting average (.347), home runs (55) runs scored (345), opposing batting average (.174), strikeouts per seven innings (7.86), fewest hits allowed (233), fewest runs allowed (109), strikeouts (417) and fielding percentage (.971).
2015 ECAC Division I Softball All-Star Team
ECAC Player of the Year: Quianna Diaz-Patterson, Sr., University of Massachusetts-Amherst
ECAC Pitcher of the Year: Megan Good, Fr., James Madison University
ECAC Rookie of the Year: Megan Good, Fr., James Madison University
ECAC Coach of the Year: Mickey Dean, James Madison University
First Team
C- Elena Bowman, Jr., Manhattan College
C- Erin Burner, Sr., St. John’s University
1B- Holiday Cahill, So., Towson University
2B- Alexis Watanabe, Jr., Lehigh University
SS- Quianna Diaz-Patterson, Sr., University of Massachusetts-Amherst
*3B- Kasey McCravey, Jr., Army West Point
*3B- Alexis Walkden, Fr., Seton Hall University
DP- Jurie Joyner, Fr, University of Pennsylvania
*OF- Caryn Bailey, Jr., Hofstra University
*OF- Bria Green, Sr., Stony Brook University
*OF- Taylor Newton, So., James Madison University
*OF- Kristen Zahn, Sr., Bucknell University
UT- Jailyn Ford, Jr., James Madison University
P- Emily Bausher, Sr., Lehigh University
P- Megan Good, Fr., James Madison University
P- Laura Messina, Sr., Central Connecticut State University
Second Team
C- Erica Field, Jr., James Madison University
1B- Paige Lloyd, Sr., Siena College
2B- Morgan Tolle, Fr., James Madison University
SS- Katie McEachern, Jr., Dartmouth College
3B- Brooke Blankenship, Sr., George Mason University
DP- Danielle DeStaso, Sr., Seton Hall University
*OF- Jessica Berzins, So., Canisius College
*OF- Shayla Giosia, Sr., Stony Brook University
*OF- Vicky McFarland, Sr., University at Albany
*OF- Taylor Parsons, Sr., St. Francis University
UT- Lauren Li, Jr., University of Pennsylvania
P- Morgan Lashley, Sr., Hofstra University
P- Nicole Sleith, Sr., Robert Morris University
P- Rachel Gillen, Jr., Fordham University
