NORTHEAST-10 RELEASE
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Senior Ali Maloof (Norwood, Mass.) of Southern New Hampshire University was named the 2015 Northeast-10 Conference softball Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, as the league announced its annual All-Conference teams and major award winners on Tuesday. Head coach Deb Robitaille was selected as the Conference's Coach of the Year and seven Penmen student-athletes garnered all-league accolades.
Maloof becomes the first player in school history to be named the Northeast-10 softball Player of the year. She headlines a list of three First Team All-Conference honorees, which include junior Mo Hannan (Scarborough, Maine) and freshman Sarah Lavallee (Candia, N.H.), who was also tabbed to the league's All-Rookie Team. Senior Holly Eicher (Stoneham, Mass.) is a Second Team selection, while juniors Lindsey Bolduc (Londonderry, N.H.) and Katie Caruso (Newton, Mass.), and sophomore Nicole Gubellini (Salem, N.H.) were named to the Third Team.
For the fourth time in her 10 seasons at the helm, Robitaille has been chosen by her peers as the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year. Robitaille led Southern New Hampshire to a 29-6 regular season in 2015 that included an 18-3 mark in conference play. The winningest coach in program history, Robitaille has compiled an overall record of 239-184 (.565) during her tenure and her teams have gone 136-81 (.627) over the past five seasons. Robitaille has guided the Penmen to five consecutive Northeast-10 tournaments and eight NE-10 postseason berths in her career, and she has also led the team to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances.
Maloof has been dominant both offensively and in the circle for Southern New Hampshire this season. At the plate, she is hitting at a .422 clip with four home runs, 24 runs batted in and 31 runs scored. Maloof is currently carrying a 21-game hitting streak and on March 2, she broke the school's all-time hits record with the 179th base hit of her career. With 49 hits this season, she has now recorded 224 during her time in a Penmen uniform. In 116 at-bats this season, Maloof has compiled a .647 slugging percentage and a .469 on-base percentage.
For the third consecutive season, Maloof earned the Pitcher of the Year distinction. In 19 starts this season, she has a record of 18-1 with a 1.34 earned run average and 143 strikeouts in 120 innings pitched. Maloof has hurled 18 complete games and allowed one earned run or fewer in 10 starts while also firing six shutouts. She has registered at least five strikeouts 16 times this season, 10 strikeouts on five occasions and on April 15 she twirled the sixth no-hitter of her career against Saint Michael's College.
Hannan earns All-Conference honors for the first time in her career. The junior centerfielder has been one of the top offensive players in the region this season out of the leadoff spot for Southern New Hampshire. Her .427 batting average ranks second in the Northeast-10, she is fourth in on-base percentage at .481 and her .607 slugging percentage is also top-10 in the league. Hannan has reached base safely in 30 of 35 games this season, and she has scored 32 runs while also driving in 23. Defensively, Hannan has been flawless as she has not committed an error and has picked up a pair of outfield assists in 38 chances.
Lavallee, a First Team performer at the designated hitter position, is one of the most dangerous hitters in the NE-10. In her first season, she has hit .350 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in 80 at-bats. She is tied for the league lead in long balls, is second in slugging percentage at .700 and 14 of her 28 hits this season have gone for extra bases.
Eicher collects All-Conference recognition for the first time in her career after batting .322 this season. The senior left fielder has belted four home runs thus far and driven in 15 runs while scoring 18 times. Eicher has generated a .529 slugging percentage and a .971 fielding percentage, as she has committed just one error in 34 games this year.
Bolduc was tabbed an All-Conference performer for the third time in as many seasons after earning First Team recognition a season ago and Third Team honors as a freshman. The junior infielder is currently hitting .283 this season, is tied for fourth in the Conference with six home runs and leads the team with 30 RBI. She has a .538 slugging percentage and a .971 fielding percentage after committing just three errors in 105 total chances while also turning seven double plays.
Caruso picks up her first All-Conference selection after providing a steady presence in the middle of the Southern New Hampshire lineup. In 35 games this season, Caruso is hitting .368 with four home runs, 25 runs batted in and 27 runs scored. She is top-10 in the conference in RBI (7th), doubles (8th) with 10 and total bases (9th) with 66. She has been solid defensively at third base as well for the Penmen, as she has a .970 fielding percentage with just three errors in 99 total chances.
Gubellini takes home Third Team accolades after an impressive first season for Southern New Hampshire. The sophomore righthander is 9-3 in 13 starts this season with eight complete games. Her 1.47 earned run average ranks second in the Northeast-10, and she has registered 55 strikeouts in 75 innings of work. Gubellini has tossed four shutouts thus far for the Penmen and has held the opposition to two earned runs or less in 10 outings.
Southern New Hampshire returns to action on Friday when it hosts the 2015 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament semifinals at Penmen Field at 2 p.m. SNHU will face Pace University, Saint Anselm College or Assumption College in the first semifinal.
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