Westfield, Mass. — Worcester State's Kaiulani Ennis and Framingham State's Kelsi Gunarathne have been named the 2019 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Player and Pitcher of the Year and head up the all-conference squad which is voted on by the coaches from around the conference.

 

Ennis, a junior outfielder from Swansea, Mass., earned the 2019 MASCAC Player of the Year. She registered a .376 batting average, .581 slugging percentage, nine doubles, five home runs, 44 total hits, 21 runs scored and 27 RBI, all which were in the top 10 in the league. In the win over Massachusetts Maritime, she was a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with a double, home run, run scored and three RBI. 

 

Earning the 2019 MASCAC Pitcher of the Year honors, Gunarathne, a senior from Providence, R.I. led the league in several categories, including wins (15), shutouts (4), strikeouts (115) and strikeouts per game (4.98). She was also second in ERA (2.38) and fourth in opponent batting average (.231). She currently holds the school record in single season wins (17) and career (52),  innings pitched (530) and single season strikeouts (144) and career (428).    

 

Kelley Reichert of Bridgewater State is the 2019 MASCAC Softball Rookie of the Year. The freshman pitcher from Milford, Mass. finished her first year with a 2.64 ERA, eight wins, 13 complete games, two shutouts, 51 strikeouts, over 122 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .273 batting average. 

 

Merry MacDonald of Fitchburg State is the 2019 Champion's Choice Coach of the Year after leading the Falcons to an 8-6 conference record and the fourth seed in the MASCAC Tournament.

 

Joining Ennis, Gunarathne and Reichert on the first team are Bridgewater State's Jenny Heller and Samantha Mulcahy, Fitchburg State's Audrey Johnson, Framingham State's Farrah Adam, Grace Caughey, Camille Desrochers, Kirsten Dick and Lauren Salisbury and Westfield State's Bri Tortora.

 

Grabbing a spot on the MASCAC second team all-conference are Bridgewater State's Shannon Grindle, Alexandra Ruprecht and Alexandra Taylor, Fitchburg State's Mikayla Harnois, McKenzie Lambert and Olivia Pietersen, MCLA's Kaitlyn Berghela and Samantha Feinstein, Westfield State's Sarah Meunier and Worcester State's Ashley Lynch, Katie Polselli and Samantha Stake.

 

The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, the nation's first Division III men's and women's playing conference, has a rich and storied tradition of competitive success while celebrating excellence in the classroom.  MASCAC core member schools include Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, MCLA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University.  Two other institutions, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Plymouth State University, are affiliate members of the conference in the sports of football and men's ice hockey, while Western Connecticut State University joined the conference as an affiliate member in football beginning in 2014.