Smith of Tufts Named Player of the Year

HARTFORD, Conn. - Tufts University junior first baseman Katie Smith (pictured right) was named the 2004 NESCAC Player of the Year in a vote by the conference coaches. Smith, a second team selection a year ago, led the league at the plate hitting .414 with 23 RBI while ranking among the league’s top five in hits, RBI, home runs and total bases.

Joining Smith on the first team are teammates Deana Davidian and Courtney Bongiolatti. Davidian, a senior second baseman, led the league in hits (42) and runs scored (24) while hitting .365. Junior shortstop Bongiolatti, the 2002 NESCAC Rookie of the Year and first-team selection a season ago, led the league in home runs with six and was among the leaders in hits, total bases and RBI.

Williams, the 2004 NESCAC Champions, placed three members on the first team including the 2004 NESCAC Pitcher of the Year Clara Hard. The sophomore led the league in wins (14) while posting a conference best 0.66 ERA, holding opponents to a .156 batting average. Williams junior Liz Gluck, who both pitches and plays the outfield for the Ephs, earned first team honors after posting a 13-3 mark on the mound while leading Williams at the plate with a .330 average. Eph second baseman Alana Frost was selected to the first team for the second time after earning NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors a season ago. Frost bats at the top of the Williams order posting a .311 average and anchors the Eph infield with a .975 fielding percentage. Williams coach Kris Herman was honored as the NESCAC Coach of the Year after leading the Ephs to a 29-8 mark and their first NESCAC Championship. Herman had won three previous Coach of the Year honors at the helm of the Tufts Jumbos the past three seasons.

Senior outfielder Gillian Stevens and first year pitcher Emily Nelson both earned first-team honors for Bowdoin. Stevens led the Polar Bears in hits (33) and batting average (.359). Nelson posted a 12-3 record on the mound with a 0.74 ERA and set the college mark for strikeouts in a season with 138. Nelson was also selected as the 2004 NESCAC Rookie of the Year.

Middlebury seniors Christina Freyer and Michaela George earned first team all-conference honors for the NESCAC runners-up. George led the league in RBI (25) and hit .372 for the Panthers while playing behind the plate. Freyer, a first-team selection a year ago, posted a .363 batting average and led Middlebury in runs scored (23). Panther junior pitcher and designated player Megan McCarthy was also a first team selection. McCarthy, a second team honoree last season, finished the year with a 0.84 ERA while hitting .359.

NESCAC all-conference selections are determined in a vote by the conference coaches. Additional players honored on the first or second team are due to ties in the voting.

2004 NESCAC Softball All-Conference Team