Softball Garners 13 Atlantic 10 Postseason Awards

League Release

Newport News, Va. – The Fordham softball team, fresh off clinching its fourth-ever Atlantic 10 regular season title, has another reason to celebrate: the Rams garnered 13 postseason conference honors, including three of the four major awards, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon. Three other schools earned six awards.
 
Fordham's Lindsay Mayer was named Player of the Year, Jessica Hughes was named Rookie of the Year, and Bridget Orchard was named Coach of the Year.
 
Hughes and Mayer were joined on the All-Atlantic 10 First Team by Madison Shaw and Sydney Canessa, while Lauren Quense was named to the Second Team. Joining Hughes on the All-Rookie team was Chelsea Skrepenak, while Canessa, Mayer, and Amy Van Hoven were recognized for their academic success with All-Academic nods.
 
This is Coach Orchard's sixth Coach of the Year award over her 15 seasons in the Bronx. Orchard's Rams dropped just one series this year, a doubleheader sweep at Dayton, and swept five of the seven series the team won. Picked to finish first in the preseason coaches' poll, the Rams secured their fourth regular season title in the last decade by sweeping George Mason this past weekend.
 
Lindsay Mayer, the team's third baseman and one of three pitchers, enjoyed a tremendous season, especially in conference play, to garner her first A-10 postseason award. The junior batted .354 over the season, ranking second in the league with 41 RBIs, but has exploded since the start of conference play with a .426 batting average and a league-leading 22 RBIs, while finishing in the top five in hits and doubles. With the loss of teammate Rachel Gillen in early April, Mayer stepped into the circle and compiled a 6-0 record, two saves, and a 3.21 ERA in 43.2 innings. Mayer earned her lone Player of the Week award after factoring into five of six victories, totaling a 3-0 record and both saves with 17 strikeouts in 14 innings, while also chipping in a .632 average, a home run, and seven RBIs for good measure. Mayer also earned First Team All-Conference and All-Academic honors.
 
This is the fifth time a Ram has been named A-10 Player of the Year and first since Elise Fortier in 2014.
 
Jessica Hughes enjoyed a scorching start to her Fordham career by leading the A-10 with 54 runs and 36 walks and ranking second with a .475 on-base percentage and 33 steals, the latter mark setting a school record for a single season. Hughes led the league with 200 plate appearances and her .350 average ranked 12^th, as well. Hughes earned a trio of Rookie of the Week honors this season and was also named to the All-Conference First and All-Rookie teams.
 
Hughes is the sixth freshman to earn the honor and first since Jamie LaBovick in 2010.
 
Sydney Canessa continued her excellent Fordham career with her third All-Conference award and second First Team appearance. On top of fantastic play in centerfield, Canessa batted .346 with a conference-leading 49 runs driven in, ranking third in the league with 10 home runs and 96 total bases, and appearing in the top five with 40 runs and 55 hits. Canessa is one of four players to start all 53 contests this year. She was also named to the All-Academic team.
 
Madi Shaw led the Rams with a .362 average, 10 home runs, and a .669 slugging percentage, currently the seventh-highest in a single season in program history, en route to her first All-Conference nod. Since the beginning of conference play, Shaw's seven home runs lead all players. The sophomore from Rayham, Mass. also finished second in the league play with a .746 slugging percentage, 21 RBIs, and 47 total bases. Shaw finished the regular season second on the team with a .440 on-base percentage and chipped in with seven stolen bases as well. Shaw earned Player of the Week honors twice.
 
Lauren Quense earned Second Team All-Conference honors, the first postseason award of her career, after firing a career-high 158.0 innings and leading the team with a 15-9 record in 37 appearances. The junior compiled a 3.46 ERA, seven complete games, and four shutouts while striking out 106. Quense assumed Gillen's role as the de facto starter following her injury and responded with a 7-3 record across 15 starts with a sterling 2.86 ERA and allowing just 70 hits in 73.1 innings. Quense was named Pitcher of the Week once.
 
Amy Van Hoven, a Biological Sciences major, earned her first All-Academic honor with a 3.52 GPA. The junior started her year slowly, batting .200 after a mid-March meeting with Saint Peter's, but enjoyed a tremendous second-half to raise her average up to .305. Van Hoven was one of four players to start all 53 contests and ranked second on the team with 44 runs and third with 54 hits, while leading the team with four triples. Her 21 runs ranked second during league play, as well.
 
Chelsea Skrepenak earned her All-Rookie nod as the starting right fielder in 45 contests this season, batting .186 with a pair of home runs and a pair of doubles, scoring 25 times, and chipping in 18 walks and five stolen bases.
 
Fordham begins its 14^th consecutive Atlantic 10 tournament with a noon game on Thursday against either #4 Saint Louis or #5 Saint Joseph's. That contest can be streamed live on the A-10 Digital Network.