HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - George Mason softball picked up four All-Colonial
Athletic Association honors Tuesday evening on the campus of Hofstra
University, which is the host site of the 2012 CAA Softball Championship. Freshman second baseman Brooke Blankenship
grabbed First Team and All-Rookie honors, while teammates Megan Blank and Tori
Dudley picked up Second Team recognition.
Leading the team in eight offensive categories, Blankenship finished
the regular season with a team-best .349 batting average. The Glen Allen, Va.
native led the team in batting average (.349), slugging percentage (.548), on
base percentage (.443), RBI (30), doubles (12), home runs (5), total bases (80)
and hit by pitch (6). Her team-high 12 doubles tied for third in the league.
The freshman appeared in 47 games, earning the start in 46 and recorded a .961
fielding percentage.
A three-year starter for the Patriots, Blank finished the
season with a .253 batting average with six doubles, one triple and 12 RBI. The
Leoloa, Pa. native recorded a season-high two hits on five occasions and drove
in two runs at Maryland and against Drexel. In conference play, the junior
outfielder led the team in hitting with a .395 average, driving in seven runs
on two doubles and one triple.
Joining Blank on the second team was senior outfielder Tori
Dudley who led the team in hits (55) and runs scored (28). Dudley, who hails
from Maple Valley, Wash., capped her senior season tied for second on the team
in hitting with a .333 batting average. The senior started 50 of 52 games
appeared in and posted a .973 fielding percentage. Dudley recorded nine
doubles, two home runs and one triple. Her 55 hits ranked fourth in the league.
Last season, four Patriots were tabbed All-Rookie, while
Becky Anderson was selected second team in 2010. Anderson was the last Patriot
to earn first team honors in 2009.
Hofstra placed a league-high five players for six positions
on the All-CAA first team. Georgia State saw a league-best three players
honored on the All-CAA second team, while Georgia State and James Madison
placed a conference-high three players on the All-Rookie squad. Ashley Burnham
of James Madison was named the 2012 CAA Player of the Year, while Olivia Galati
of Hofstra won Pitcher of the Year. James Madison's Heather Kiefer was named
the Rookie of the Year, while Bill Edwards of Hofstra took home his fifth
straight CAA Coach of the Year honor after leading the Pride to perfect 19-0 conference record.
The year-end conference awards were handed out
on the eve of the tournament, as selected by a vote of the league's eight head
coaches.
2012
ALL-CAA SOFTBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Player, School Pos. Cl. Hometown/Previous School
Paige Collings,
Drexel* C Sr. Delta, British Columbia, Canada/South Delta
Lauren Coleman,
Georgia State 1B Fr. Marietta, Ga./McEachern
Brooke Blankenship,
George Mason 2B Fr. Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run
Krista Thorn,
Hofstra# 3B Sr. Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppuage/Iona
Ashley Burnham,
James Madison* SS Sr. Danvers, Mass./Danvers
Morgan Heath, James
Madison OF Fr. Yorktown, Va./Grafton
Rachael Senatore,
Hofstra OF Jr. Sparta, N.J./Pope John XXII
Tessa Ziemba,
Hofstra* OF Jr. Wilmington, Del./St. Mark's
Erin Trippi,
Hofstra DP/NP Fr. Lyndhurst,
N.J./Paramus Catholic
Olivia Galati,
Hofstra DP/P Jr. West
Babylon, N.Y./St. John's The Baptist
Olivia Galati,
Hofstra* P Jr. West Babylon, N.Y./St. John's The Baptist
Heather Kiefer,
James Madison P Fr. Potomac Falls, Va./Potomac Falls
SECOND TEAM
Player, School Pos. Cl. Hometown/Previous School
Callie Alford,
Georgia State C Fr. Conyers, Ga./Heritage
Jenn Reading,
Drexel 1B Jr. Stevensville, Md./Kent Island
Tori Rocha, Hofstra 2B So. Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth
Caitlin Sandy,
James Madison* 3B So. Fayetteville, N.C./Jack Britt
Hailey Balk, Towson SS Fr. West Covina, Calif./West Covina
Megan Blank, George
Mason OF Jr. Leola, Pa./Conestoga
Ashley Christy,
Georgia State OF Fr. Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge
Tori Dudley, George
Mason OF Sr. Maple Valley, Wash./Tahoma
Maddison Timoteo,
Drexel DP/NP So. Jupiter,
Fla./Jupiter
Sarah Mooney, James
Madison DP/P Fr. Huntersville,
N.C./North Mecklenburg
Katie Lingmai,
Towson# P Jr. Salem, Ore./North Salem
Kaitlyn Medlam, Georgia
State# P So. Bethlehem, Ga./Apalachee
2012
CAA Player of the Year: Ashley Burnham, James Madison
2012 CAA Pitcher of the Year: Olivia Galati, Hofstra
2012 CAA Rookie of the Year: Heather Kiefer, James Madison
2012 CAA Coaches of the Year: Bill Edwards,
Hofstra
* - 1st team All-CAA in 2011 #
- 2nd team All-CAA in 2011
2012 CAA ALL-ROOKIE SOFTBALL TEAM
Player, School Pos. Cl. Hometown/High School
Callie Alford, Georgia State C Fr. Conyers, Ga./Heritage
Hailey Balk, Towson SS Fr. West Covina, Calif./West Covina
Brooke Blankenship,
George Mason 2B Fr. Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run
Ashley Christy,
Georgia State OF Fr. Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge
Lauren Coleman,
Georgia State 1B Fr. Marietta, Ga./McEachern
Jordan Critcher,
UNCW IF Fr. Asheville, N.C./TC Robinson
Jessica Grisler,
Delaware IF Fr. Sacramento, Calif./Foothill
Morgan Heath, James
Madison OF Fr. Yorktown, Va./Grafton
Heather Kiefer,
James Madison P Fr. Potomac Falls, Va./Potomac Falls
Sarah Mooney, James
Madison DP Fr. Huntersville, N.C./North Mecklenburg
Erin Trippi, Hofstra DP Fr. Lyndhurst, N.J./Paramus Catholic
