May 8, 2007
Philaldelphia, Pa. - Fordham University freshman pitcher Nicole Ayres (Westville, N.J./Deptford) was named the 2007 Atlantic 10 Softball Rookie of the Year in voting conducted among the Conference's head coaches it was announced by the league. Additionally, junior catcher Allison Storc (Boynton Beach, Fla./Santaluces) was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 while four other Rams were named to the Second Team and junior infielder Allison Twarowski (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) was named to the Academic All-Conference Team.
Earning Second Team honors were Ayres and Twarowski along with sophomore outfielder Melissa Andrews (Vista, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista) and senior outfielder Krystle Henry (Maywood, N.J./Immaculate Heart Academy).
Additionally, Ayres was named to the All-Rookie Team along with freshman infielder Erin Fisher (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville).
Ayres becomes the fourth Ram in the past five years to earn Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honors, joining Laura Klaiber (2005), Sara Kinney (2004) and Michelle Schlichtig (2003). On the year, Ayres was 16-4 with a 2.03 ERA, leading the team in wins, striking out 133 batters in 131 innings. A three-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week and one-time Pitcher of the Week, she recorded three shutouts on the year, two in A-10 play, to go with one save and she held conference opponents to a .193 batting average. Her 16 wins on the year are the second most for a Fordham freshman.
In the latest Atlantic 10 rankings, Ayres is second in wins and fourth in ERA, strikeouts and appearances.
Storc, a 2006 Second Team All-Atlantic 10 selection, is currently hitting .345 (6-174) with 12 doubles, nine home runs and 41 RBI, all career highs. She leads the team in home runs and is second in RBI while defensively, she has committed just three errors in 382 chances behind the plate and has thrown out 16 base runners (30%) to go with three pickoffs. In Atlantic 10 play this spring, Storc hit .354 (23-65) with five doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI.
Over her career, Storc ranks third in home runs (17) and fifth in RBI (75).
Twarowski, who was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 last spring, is batting at a .381 clip (69-181) with 14 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 25 RBI while swiping 16 bases. She leads the squad in average, hits, runs (57), doubles and triples and is second in home runs and third in stolen bases. Twarowski leads the Atlantic 10 in runs scored and total bases and is tied for the lead in hits while ranking second in doubles and third in average.
Twarowski, a Mathematics major who makes her first appearance on the All-Academic team, also spent some time on the mound for the Rams, compiling a 6-3 record in 18 appearances with a 1.52 ERA, fanning 32 batters in 60 innings. She was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week once in 2007.
Over her three-year career, Twarowski ranks second in home runs (23), runs (134) and RBI (104) on the school's all-time list while ranking third in hits (179) and walks (60).
Andrews, a transfer to Fordham from Saint Peter's College, is hitting .364 (60-165) on the year with five doubles, two triples, four home runs and 42 RBI along with 20 stolen bass. She leads the squad in RBI and stolen bases while ranking second in batting average and hits. In conference play, Andrews was the Rams' leader in batting average, home runs, RBI and stolen bases and she was named Atlantic 10 and ECAC Player of the Week once. She also leads the conference in stolen bases.
Henry, a 2006 First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection, is batting .327 (56-171) with 11 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 20 RBI while also stealing 19 bases in 21 attempts. She hit .413 (26-63) in conference play with a .480 on-base percentage and .603 slugging percentage. Henry is tied for first on the team with 26 walks and she is second in runs (47) and stolen bases. In Atlantic 10 play, Henry hit .413 (26-63) with four doubles, one triple, two home runs and ten RBI.
Over her career, Henry has collected a school-record 213 hits, becoming the first Fordham player to surpass the 200-hit mark. She also ranks first all-time in walks (110), stolen bases (73) and runs (168) while sitting in second on the career list in games played (218), sacrifice hits (38) and at bats (653).
Fisher, one of the top freshmen in the league, is hitting .245 (36-147) on the year with ten doubles one triple, six home runs and 38 RBI and she has swiped six bases in seven attempts. She ranks third on the team in both home runs and RBI and was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice this season.
