Softball Nets Four To ECAC Division III New England All-Star Team

Four members of the Wheaton College softball team were named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England Softball All-Star team earlier this week.

Junior Emma Hart (Lincoln, R.I./Lincoln) was tabbed to the first team, while senior Emily Berardi (Boston, Mass./Boston Latin) and sophomores Emily Bouthillette (Lincoln, R.I./Lincoln) and Caroline Fairbanks (Milford, Mass./Milford) were all selected to the second team.

Hart finished the 2015 season with a .507/.544/.622 (.avg/.obp/.slg) slash line alongside 58 runs, 75 hits, seven doubles, two triples, a pair of home runs, 22 RBI, 11 walks and 30 stolen bases. Hart’s 58 runs rank second overall in a single-season in program history, while her batting average and stolen bases are fifth, and her hits total is tied for sixth.

In addition to those numbers, Hart produced 26 multi-hit games this spring, a 12-game hitting streak from March 12 to April 10 and reached base safely in 21 straight contests to start the season. Hart also hit .477 with runners in scoring position, .406 with two outs and advanced runners at a .632 success rate in 44 games (all starts). As a team, Wheaton went 30-2 when Hart scored at least one run in a game.

Berardi posted a 16-7 record in the circle for the Lyons alongside a 2.06 earned run average (ERA) on 109 innings pitched. Berardi also registered 65 strikeouts (4.17 per game), eight complete games (three shutouts) and held opponents to a .258 batting average.

At the plate, Berardi hit .452/.476/.806 with 22 runs, 42 hits, 13 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 29 RBI, seven walks, and two stolen bases.

Bouthillette posted a .417/.466/.827 slash line alongside 36 runs scored, 53 hits, 16 doubles, three triples, ten home runs, 55 RBI, 12 walks, five sacrifice flies, and three stolen bases. Bouthillette led the squad in multi-RBI contests with 14 total and ranked second behind Hart in multi-hit games with 18.

Bouthillette also tied Berardi with a team-best 16 two-out RBI and paced the squad with a .574 clip with runners in scoring position and a .525 batting average with two outs in an inning.

Fairbanks compiled a .449/.488/.841 slash line to go with 20 runs, 48 hits, seven doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 41 RBI, ten walks and a .992 fielding percentage on 240 total chances. Fairbanks’ 11 home runs in 2015 ranks fifth all-time in a single-season, while her slugging percentage is positioned seventh overall.

Fairbanks also collected 17 multi-hit games, 12 multi-RBI contests, and a ten-game hitting streak fromApril 10-21. During that span, Fairbanks hit .613 with 11 runs, 19 hits, 18 RBI, two doubles, one triple, five home runs and two walks.

Hart is the first Wheaton student-athlete to claim ECAC Division III New England All-Star first team honors since Jessica DePolito ’07 did so in 2007. The Blue and White’s four selections to the 2015 squad also marks the first team Wheaton has been represented on an ECAC Division III New England All-Star team since 2009 when Stacey Kelleher ’09 was named to the second team.

Wheaton (34-10) advanced to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament before bowing out to Kean University in three games. The Lyons made their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, posted their second consecutive 30-win season and won their first conference regular season championship since 2004 with a 17-1 overall record in league play.

For their efforts in 2015, Wheaton finished No. 17 overall in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Top-25 poll.