Softball Announces 2011 Award Winners
5/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
BUFFALO, NY – Head coach Jen Teague has announced the 2011 award winners following the season. Among those honored were Alyssa Ward, Alexandra Bejarano, Holly Luciano, Tori Speckman and Danielle Fields. UB's season ended in early May with a 12-35 record and a 7-13 mark in conference play.
Ward was honored as the team's Top Offensive Player, but missed the majority of conference play due to injury. Ward was hitting .312 on the year with four doubles before she was injured. In just eight conference games, Ward hit .519 going 14 for 27 with eight runs scored. Her season ended prematurely as she broke a finger sliding into home plate against Western Michigan.
Bejarano was named the team's Top Defensive Player as she moved into the outfield this past year following a few years in the infield. Bejarano had 68 putouts and 22 assists and finishes her career amongst the career leaders in assists. Offensively, Bejarano had a .235 average, but went out on a high note, driving in the game winning run in UB's season finale at Central Michigan.
Luciano was named the team's Most Improved Player as she hit over .300 in conference play, earning her All-Freshman Team honors. She had a .309 average, while leading the team in conference play with 11 runs scored. Overall, she had a team-high 22 runs scored and was second on the team with 14 stolen bases. Her 35 hits were also second on the team.
Speckman was named the Ace In The Circle as she finished with a team best 3.78 earned run average. Speckman appeared in 37 games, fourth most in school history and pitched 133.1 innings. In conference games only, Speckman finished with a 4-5 record and a 3.35 average, appearing in 17 of UB's 20 MAC games. She had 42 strikeouts against conference foes and 83 K's overall.
Fields was honored with the True Blue award, which is given by the coaching staff. Despite not seeing game action during the 2011 campaign, Fields was an integral part in the pitching staff's daily preparation. Fields was the consummate teammate through out the season, doing anything necessary for the good of the team. The True Blue award is the only award that is decided entirely by the coaching staff.
