Complete America East Release
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The America East All-Conference awards were handed out on Wednesday afternoon with five University of Hartford softball players receiving hardware prior to making the program's first America East Championship appearance in five years.
Highlighting the Hartford honorees as representatives of the Second Team All-Conference are juniors Zuzana Kudernatschova and Chelsey Mooney and veteran Kate Wacyk. Two other Hawks round out the award winners as junior Amber Andrews and graduate student Erica Phelps join Wacyk on the 11-member All-Academic Team.
Coming off its most successful season in four years, Hartford begins the quest for the program's first ever America East Championship title on Thursday. Tournament action from Vestal, N.Y., begins with a matchup featuring No. 1 Albany against No. 4 Stony Brook followed by a 3:30 p.m. matchup that pits the third-seeded Hawks up against the No. 2 Binghamton Bearcats at 3:30 p.m.
In her first season with the Hawks, Kudernatschova has had one of the most dominant years in the circle of any Hawk pitcher. A righty from Statenice, Czech Republic, her 14 wins this season are the fourth-most wins in program history, also the most since 2009. Kudernatschova has vaulted herself into Hartford's single season record book, ranking second in complete games (26) and fourth in both shutouts (6) and strikeouts (140).
A two-time America East Pitcher of the Week, Kudernatschova was even better in league play, going 8-4 with a 1.51 ERA and 72 strikeouts. Owning a 2.30 ERA on the season, the third-best mark in the conference, Kudernatschova has earned wins in each of her last four starts, throwing shutouts in three of those outings.
Mooney landed her first-ever all-conference award as the second team's designated player. After a sluggish start in the batter's box, the Corona, Calif., native turned her season around as she enters the postseason ranked fifth on the squad with a .236 batting average with 21 hits, three doubles and nine RBI.
During conference action, Mooney has been even more impressive, improving her average by more than 50 points to lead the team with a .313 bat. During that span, she has accumulated 10 hits in 32 at-bats while driving in five runs. Last month, Mooney was tabbed the America East Player of the Week for the first time in her career after belting out a .643 batting average while slugging at a .786 clip over a five-game stretch to lead Hartford to a 4-1 week.
Earning America East All-Academic Team accolades for the third-straight season, Wacyk, a senior shortstop, grabs All-Conference honors for the first time in her career. Having started and played in all 53 games, Wacyk has been Hartford's most consistent batter in the lineup, hitting .254 on the season.
A native of Sellersville, Pa., 12 of her team-best 43 hits have gone for extra bases including seven doubles, two triples and three home runs. In addition, Wacyk leads the team with 27 RBI and 19 walks while her 28 hits are second-most on the squad. Belting out multiple hits 12 in contests this season, Wacyk owns Hartford's longest hitting streak (7) and has cracked Hartford's record books, earning top billings in both career assists (393) and appearances (182).
Among the All-Academic team members, Wacyk, a Biology major, holds the fifth-highest cumulative grade point average on the squad, checking in at 3.74. Joining Wacyk as a repeat member of the All-Academic Team is Andrews, who took home the honor for the first time at the conclusion of her sophomore season in 2012. An early childhood education major with a 3.81 GPA, the fourth-highest on the list, Andrews has started and played in all 53 games at second base and leads the team with 30 runs and 11 stolen bases.
A graduate student from West Chester, Pa., Phelps, who has enjoyed a breakout season in 2013, receives All-Academic honors for the first time in her career. After graduating with a 3.61 GPA in entrepreneurial studies, Phelps is currently pursuing her MBA and has a 3.72 mark in those courses. On the field, she leads Hartford with a .261 batting average and has committed just two errors in the outfield.
