WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Bridgewater State's Amber White has been named the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year as voted on by the eight athletic directors from around the conference.

The MASCAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year has been awarded annually since 1980 to a student-athlete who has excelled in both the classroom and field of play while maintaining at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average through their last year of athletic eligibility.

I am honored to receive this award," White said. "It means so much to not only be recognized for my hard work on the softball field, but also for my hard work in the classroom."

This award caps off a stellar season for White after she helped lead the Bears to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament a few weeks ago.

This season, the Middleboro, Mass. native posted a record of 25-5 (.833) with 25 complete games and a school single-season record 15 shutouts.  She also recorded an impressive 0.73 earned run average with 158 strikeouts in 202 2/3 innings of work. Opponents batted just .168 against her.

White led the MASCAC in wins, winning percentage (.833), shutouts, ERA, complete games, games started, innings pitched and appearances.  She is also tied for first in the conference in saves (2) and ranked second in strikeouts.

On a national level, White ranks second in all of Division III in shutouts, third in ERA, sixth in wins and ninth in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (4.11).

For her success in the circle, White was named the MASCAC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). White is the Bears' first softball All-American since 2001 (Amanda Sanson, Betsy Ahearn) and the 18th in program history.  She is also just the fourth first team selection joining Jen Goodwin (1996), Angela Constantine (1994) and Deb Carreiro (1985).

Her recognition continued in the classroom as she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bridgewater State on May 17th with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in Ecological Biology and a minor in Chemistry.  She wrapped up her academic career with a 3.63 grade point average.

White was named to the Dean's List in each of her six semesters at Bridgewater State and is a member of the both the National Biological Honor Society (Beta Beta Beta) and the National College Athlete Honor Society (Chi Alpha Sigma).

Last week, White was voted to the CoSIDA Capital One NCAA Division III Academic All-America® First Team. She is just the fifth student-athlete in Bridgewater State history to garner Academic All-America® honors joining Sullivan Cohen (swimming, 2013), Philip Klotzbach (men's tennis, 1999), Winnie McGarry (softball, 1990) and Alan Probst (baseball, 1984). McGarry and Probst were also first team selections, while Cohen and Klotzback were third team honorees.

She is also a three-time Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Spring All-Academic Team selection.

She has been active in the community volunteering her time with her hometown Middleboro Youth Softball League over the years. She has taken part in the yearly fundraisers for the league, including the annual Christmas Tree Fundraiser, while also giving pitching lessons. After graduation, she looks to pursue a career in environmental biology. 

“The MASCAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award recognizes student-athletes success in athletics, as well as in the classroom and community which is a core value of Division III,” MASCAC Commissioner Angela Baumann said. “To see our student-athletes excel in all facets of their collegiate career shows the strength of our conference.”