Softball Lands Six on All-MASCAC 1st Team; Gunarathne Tabbed Pitcher of the Year
Framingham, Mass. – The 2019 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Champion Framingham State softball team placed six players on the 2019 All-MASCAC 1st team and senior pitcher Kelsi Gunarathne (North Providence, RI) was chosen as the Pitcher of the Year in voting conducted by the league's coaches and announced by the conference office this morning.
Joining Gunarathne on the first team are sophomore catcher Camille Desrochers (Westford, Mass.), sophomore first baseman Grace Caughey (Mendon, Mass.), junior third baseman Kirsten Dick (Tewksbury, Mass.), senior outfield Lauren Salisbury (Cranston, RI) and freshman designated player Farrah Adam (West Springfield, Mass.).
Gunarathne, the 2017 Pitcher of the Year, 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).
Desrochers caught in 41 of the Rams 43 games hitting .348 leading the conference in runs scored (47), doubles (21) and walks (21) while slugging .558 good for third in the league.
Caughey anchored the Rams offense hitting .360 with 14 doubles, 2 homers and a school record 41 RBI. Caughey led the league in hits (54), RBI (41), fourth in runs scored (35) and also added six wins in the circle for the Rams.
Dick anchored the hot corner for the Rams hitting at a .355 clip and a .446 OBP while scoring 29 times and chipping in 12 doubles, 3 homers and driving in 22.
Salisbury, the 2019 MASCAC Tournament MVP, hit .396 which was good for second in the league and .511 in league play. She was second in the league in hits with 53 adding 8 doubles, a triple and a homer while scoring 25 times and driving in 35.
Adam hit .326 with 3 doubles, a triple and a homer, driving in 33 runs including 18 in conference play.
The 2019 Rams were crowned Co-MASCAC Regular Season Champions after posting a 12-2 record in league play. The Rams then went 4-1 in the conference tournament, including winning three games on the final day to be crowned MASCAC Tournament Champions for the third straight season.
The Rams sit at 24-19 overall and will make their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament when they open up play against #2 Williams College at SUNY Cortland on Friday, May 10th.