Liberty Places a Conference-Best 6 on ASUN Softball All-Conference Teams
5/8/2019 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Just prior to the 2019 ASUN Softball Championship, Liberty received nine postseason awards, including a conference-best six players on the ASUN Softball All-Conference teams.
Liberty placed six players on the ASUN All-Conference team, including a league-best four on the first team.
Liberty's All-ASUN first-team selections were: juniors Autumn Bishop (1B) and Amber Bishop (2B) and seniors Jaclyn Amader (Utility) and Julia DiMartino (P).
The Lady Flames were represented on the all-conference second team by: sophomore outfielder Madison Via and senior shortstop Sarah Robertson.
Amber Bishop and Lipscomb's Hannah DeVault were the only two unanimous selections to the all-conference first team.
Seniors Amader (Nursing major) and Robertson (Sport Management major: pursuing a Master's in Public Administration) were both voted to the All-Academic Team, while Kara Canetto earned a spot on the All-Freshman team.
DiMartino becomes the third player in program history with four all-conference honors, joining Ashley Williams (2005-08) and Tori Zavodny (2015-18). DiMartino is the first Liberty softball player with four first team all-conference awards. Amber and Autumn Bishop are the third and fourth players in program history to earn first team all-conference honors as freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
Amader, Amber Bishop, Autumn Bishop and Robertson all pick up their third career all-conference honors, while Via was honored for the second time. Amader is the only player in program history to be named all-conference as an outfielder (2016), infielder (2018) and utility player (2019).
Lipscomb Head Coach Kristin Ryman was named ASUN Coach of the Year, while Lipscomb senior Hannah DeVault was voted both ASUN Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Megan Garst from North Alabama was tabbed as ASUN Pitcher of the Year, while FGCU's Reedy Davenport received ASUN Freshman of the Year honors. ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors went to North Florida senior Navia Penrod.
The 2019 ASUN Softball Championship begins today (Wednesday) at FGCU Softball Complex in Fort Myers, Fla. Second-seeded Liberty has received a bye to the second day. Liberty will face the winner of No. 3 seed FGCU and No. 6 seed North Florida, Thursday at 10 a.m.
2019 ASUN Softball Award Winners
First Team All-Conference
Julia DiMartino, Sr., P, Liberty
Megan Garst, Jr., P, North Alabama
Sarah Higgins, Sr., C, Lipscomb
Amber Bishop, Jr., INF, Liberty
Hannah DeVault, Jr., INF, Lipscomb
Autumn Bishop, Jr., INF, Liberty
Navia Penrod, Sr., INF, North Florida
Kate Kelly, Sr., OF, FGCU
Kassidy Cross, Jr., OF, Jacksonville
Graysen Gladden, Sr., OF, Lipscomb
Jaclyn Amader, Sr., Utility, Liberty
Second Team All-Conference
Riley Randolph, Sr., P, FGCU
Mandy Jordan, Sr., P, Lipscomb
Kira Czyrklis, Sr., C, Kennesaw State
Raquel Fournet, Sr., INF, FGCU
Maddie Roth, Sr., INF, Kennesaw State
Sarah Robertson, Sr., INF, Liberty
Veronica Westfall, Jr., INF, North Alabama
Madison Via, So., OF, Liberty
Dominica Cocuzza, Sr., OF, North Florida
Tiffany Lower, Sr., OF, North Florida
Jordan Fortel, Sr., Utility, Lipscomb
All-Freshman Team
Reedy Davenport, INF, FGCU
Nydia Perez, OF, Jacksonville
Victoria Rodebaugh, Utility, Jacksonville
Christen Florence, INF, Kennesaw State
Katie Greep, OF, Kennesaw State
Kara Canetto, OF, Liberty
Lexie Harper, OF, North Alabama
Veronika Klimplova, INF, North Florida
Maddie Marchiando, OF, StetsonKatie Turner, P/INF, Lipscomb
Amy Vetula, INF/OF, Lipscomb
Morgan Clausen, P, North Florida
All-Academic Team
Navia Penrod, Sr., North Florida
Kassidy Cross, Jr., Jacksonville
Abby Genest, So., Jacksonville
Jessie Mullen, Sr., Kennesaw State
Maddie Roth, Sr., Kennesaw State
Jaclyn Amader, Sr., Liberty
Sarah Robertson, Sr., Liberty
Jordan Fortel, Sr., Lipscomb
Alex Brown, Sr., North Alabama
Sydney Matzko, Sr., North Florida
Molly McLaughlin, Jr., Stetson
Player of the Year – Hannah DeVault, Jr., Lipscomb
Pitcher of the Year – Megan Garst, Jr., North Alabama
Freshman of the Year – Reedy Davenport, FGCU
Defensive Player of the Year – Hannah DeVault, Jr., Lipscomb
Coach of the Year – Kristin Ryman, Lipscomb
Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Navia Penrod, Sr., North Florida
Liberty All-Conference Capsules
Jaclyn Amader - Sr., Utility, Rocklin, Calif.
(All-Conference second team; All-Academic Team) (Career honors: Big South second team in 2016 (OF) and 2018 (3B); ASUN first team in 2019 (Utility))
Senior Jaclyn Amader split time between third base and the outfield this season. She led Liberty with a .393 batting average and .485 on base percentage in ASUN play this season. Amader went on a streak in April, reaching base in 21 straight games. She is third on the team with 12 multiple-hit games, including two three-hit contests and one four-hit game. Amader was named the ASUN Player of the Week on April 1.
Amber Bishop - Jr., 2B, Murrieta, Calif.
(All-Conference first team) (Career honors: Big South first team in 2017 and 2018; ASUN first team in 2019; 2016 Big South Freshman of the Year)
Amber Bishop, a member of the 2019 ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team, made a big impact on the ASUN this year. She bats .380 overall, leading the conference with 68 hits, 12 homers and a .659 slugging percentage. Bishop has added 14 doubles and 36 RBI. Overall, she has posted 22 multiple-hit contests. She hit two walk-off homers this season, including a walk-off grand slam. The junior was named ASUN Player of the Week on April 8.
Autumn Bishop, Jr., 1B, Murrieta, Calif.
(All-Conference first team) (Career honors: Big South first team in 2017 and 2018; ASUN first team in 2019; 2018 Big South Tournament MVP)
2019 ASUN Preseason Player of the Year Autumn Bishop currently leads the conference with a .462 on base percentage overall. The junior hits .357 with a team-leading 26 walks, and she is third on the team in both runs scored (29) and RBI (25). Her 13-game hitting streak was the longest by a Lady Flame so far this season. Bishop was voted ASUN Player of the Week on April 22. She has posted 15 multiple-hit contests.
Julia DiMartino - Sr., P, Brockport, N.Y.
(All-Conference first team) (Career honors: Three-time Big South first team; 2019 ASUN first team; 2017 and 2018 Big South Pitcher of the Year)
2019 ASUN Preseason Pitcher of the Year Julia DiMartino has had her best season yet. Overall, she is 17-9 with a 1.17 ERA, four shutouts, six saves and a .201 opponents' batting average. She pitched her first career perfect game, Feb. 24 against Princeton and also pitched in a combined no-hitter of Quinnipiac on Feb. 28. A three-time ASUN Pitcher of the Week, DiMartino is ranked 12th nationally in ERA.
Madison Via – So., OF, Roanoke, Va.
(All-Conference second team) (Career honors: 2018 Big South first team; 2019 ASUN second team)
Madison Via has had a standout sophomore campaign, ranking third on the team with a .333 batting average. She leads the ASUN with five triples while also pacing the Flames with 17 stolen bases and 37 runs scored (tied). Via is the first Liberty player since 2013 with two four-hit games in the same season and the first since 2015 with an inside-the-park home run. She was named to the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge All-Tournament Team.
Sarah Robertson - Sr., SS, Panama City, Fla.
(All-Conference second team; All-Academic Team) (Career Honors: Big South second team in 2017 and 2018; ASUN second team in 2019)
Sarah Robertson continued her strong play both at the plate and in the field during her senior season. She has batted .305 so far with seven doubles, two triples, two homers and a .399 on base percentage. In the field, she posted a .963 fielding percentage and a team-leading 103 assists. During conference play, her fielding percentage soared to .987. Robertson posted 10 multiple-hit games, including two three-hit contests.
Kara Canetto – Fr., OF, Sylvania, Ga. (All-Freshman Team)
Kara Canetto made a great debut to her career, becoming the first player in program history with two doubles in the season opener. She batted .296 overall in 33 games played. Canetto had just hit her second double of the game, a go-ahead two-run double in the ninth at Duke, before sustaining a season-ending injury in the bottom of the ninth. She ended the year with 16 runs scored and 16 RBI.
