May 7, 2013

All-Conference Team

BRONX, N.Y. - Following a 32-20 regular season that saw the Rams earn a two seed in the upcoming Atlantic 10 Tournament, five Fordham softball players have garnered All-League Accolades. The Atlantic 10 named Jamie LaBovick (Peoria, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain) and Kayla Lombardo (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock Township) to its First Team, Elise Fortier (Coventry, R.I./Stony Brook) and Gabby Luety (Cortland, N.Y./Homer) to its Second Team, and Michele Daubman (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) as a member of the Academic All-Conference Team.

LaBovick garners a place on the First Team after one of the finest regular seasons ever turned in by a Fordham hitter. The Peoria, Ariz., native is hitting .404 on the year, becoming just the third player in school history to hit above .400 for an entire regular season. With a hit in Sunday's win over Temple, LaBovick notched her 76th of the year, breaking the single season school record set by Allison Twarowski in 2007. In addition to these jaw-dropping numbers, LaBovick set both a school and conference record by stringing together a 28 game hitting streak from March to April of this year, breaking the Fordham record by 11 games and surpassing the old A-10 mark by one contest. Her second consecutive First Team honor also closes out one of the most decorated careers in Fordham history, as LaBovick earned All-Conference accolades in each of her four seasons at Rose Hill.

Lombardo's First Team honor comes after a breakout season at the hot corner for the sophomore hailing from Pompton Plains, N.J. Lombardo enters the A-10 Tournament ranked third on the squad with 36 runs batted in, including six long balls. The Pequannock Township product is hitting .286, having made 51 starts for the Rams in their 52 games played. Lombardo has also shown a keen batting eye, ranking third on the team in walks while striking out just 14 times in over 150 at-bats.

Fortier earns a place on the Second Team following one of the best seasons for a power hitter in school history. The transfer from Stony Brook broke the school record for home runs in a season, smacking 18 round-trippers while driving in 50 runs. As a result of her otherworldly power numbers, Fortier turned in a regular season slugging percentage of .839, over 100 points higher than the second best single season mark in school history. Fortier also became only the second Ram in the program's history to hit three homers in one game, accomplishing the feat against St. Bonaventure on April 27th.

Luety, an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection from two seasons ago, garners her second career All-Conference honor following a stellar campaign behind the plate. The junior from Cortland, N.Y., ranks third on the team in batting average, hitting .355 and reaching base in 46 percent of her plate appearances. Luety also packs some serious power, finishing second on the team in home runs (12) and finishing the regular season with an OPS in excess of 1.100. In addition to these superb hitting numbers, Luety also ranks as one of the best defensive catchers in the conference, fielding .992 on the season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in A-10 play.

Fordham's final All-Conference player, Daubman earns a spot on the Academic All-Conference Team with stellar efforts both on the diamond and in the classroom. In the circle, Daubman leads the Rams in wins with 16 and strikeouts with 102, while turning in an ERA of just 3.43. In addition to her skill in the circle, Daubman also ranks fourth on the team in batting average, hitting .341 while driving in 30 runs and slugging .563.

While her accomplishments on the field are certainly impressive, Daubman's academic performance is on an even more praiseworthy level. The Marketing major from North Masspequa, N.Y., carries a perfect grade point average through three semesters of study.

Along with the rest of their teammates, these five Rams will travel north to Amherst, Mass., gearing up for the 2013 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship. Fordham's first game will commence Thursday at 2:30 P.M., but their opponent has still yet to be determined.