The Central Connecticut softball team earned three major awards and various players were named to the All-NEC First Team, Second Team, and Rookie Team on Wednesday announced by the Northeast Conference. Central went 20-8 in NEC play and earned the #3 seed in the upcoming NEC Softball Tournament.
CCSU’s Kaitlin Paterson earned the Golden Glove Award, Paige Stringer was named the Rookie of the Year, and coaches Breanne Gleason, Pat Holden, and Alexis Debrosse were recognized as the Coaching Staff of the Year. Paterson and Stringer were named to the All-NEC First Team, while Rian Eigenmann and Carli Backlund made the All-NEC Second Seam. Kate Houghton, Anaya Hunte, Paige Stringer, and Kaylee Whittaker, were all named to the All-Rookie Team.
COMPLETE LIST OF AWARD WINNERS
Senior Kaitlin Paterson played an outstanding second base, finishing the regular season with a perfect fielding percentage. The Southington, CT native totaled 52 putouts and 52 assists.
Freshman Paige Stringer led all rookies in home runs with 11 and broke the CCSU single-season record. The first baseman batted .351 and led the team with 34 runs batted in.
Head coach Breanne Gleason and her staff improved from a ninth place finish in 2019 to a 20-8 record in Northeast Conference play, good for the third seed. The staff led Central to the NEC Tournament for the second time in the previous three seasons.
Along with their major awards, Paterson and Stringer were named to the 2021 Northeast Conference Softball First Team All-Conference. Paterson led the Blue Devils with a .416 batting average and is just one double away from tying the CCSU all-time record. Stringer broke out leading CCSU in home runs and RBIs while also playing a solid first base, finishing the season with a .975 fielding percentage.
Juniors Rian Eigenmann and Carli Backlund were awarded to the Second Team All-Conference. Catcher Rian Eigenmann was stellar in the leadoff spot, hitting .349 and blasting a career high five home runs. She also led the team in stolen bases with 15. Shortstop Carli Backlund ranked second on the team belting eight home runs. She also drove in 22 runs and finished with a .367 on-base percentage.
Pitchers Kate Houghton, Anaya Hunte, and Kaylee Whittaker were all named to the All-Rookie Team along with teammate Paige Stringer. Houghton finished with a 5-3 record and a 4.00 era. The native of Lynwood, WA struck out 25 batters in 42 innings pitched. Anaya Hunte was solid as both a starter and reliever, collecting a 4-1 record, three saves, and leading the Blue Devils in strikeouts with 45. She was named the NEC Rookie of the Week on April 20, after dealing five innings of shutout ball and earning both a win and a save. Kaylee Whittaker dealt 50 innings over the year, striking out 36 batters and earning a 6-2 record. The sophomore out of Hamilton, NJ struck out a career high 11 batters in a complete game victory over Sacred Heart on April 13.
The Blue Devils will compete in round one of the Northeast Conference Tournament on Thursday, May 13 at 3:00 pm against LIU.