Sullivan of Tufts Honored on NFCA All-America Second Team
Courtesy Tufts Sports Information
MEDFORD, Mass. – Senior shortstop Casey Sullivan (Berlin, Conn.) of the Tufts University softball team, who showed her skills to a national audience a year ago when she was named to the All-Tournament Team at the NCAA Softball Championship in New Jersey, added another national honor to her resume when she was recently selected a Second Team All-American by Louisville Slugger and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) for 2010.
Sullivan is one of just three players in New England to make either First or Second Team All-America this spring. Her selection to the Second Team essentially qualifies her as the second-best shortstop in the nation, behind only First Teamer Mary Alice Roy from Louisiana College. This is Sullivan's second All-American honor after she was named to the Third Team in 2007.
Starting all 35 games at shortstop and hitting third in the Tufts batting order, Sullivan was the NESCAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. She was an NFCA All-New England First Team pick for the second straight year and for the third time in her career.
Sullivan hit .425 for Tufts with 10 home runs, 41 runs scored, and 28 runs batted in. Her runs scored led the NESCAC, while she finished tied for the home run crown. She led the Jumbos with 17 multiple-hit games, and eight times she drove home two or more runs in a game. She was productive in 12 NESCAC East Division contests, hitting .525 (21/40) with eight home runs, 18 runs scored, and 19 RBI. Six of her team-high 18 stolen bases came in divisional games.
Her senior year playing shortstop was perhaps most remarkable. She made just one error in NESCAC East games (48 chances) and committed just four errors overall. Considering two errors came in the same game during the team's spring break trip to California, Sullivan played 23 games in New England and made just two errors in 112 chances for a sparkling .982 fielding percentage in the region.
Sullivan leaves Tufts as the all-time leader in runs scored with 148, surpassing the previous mark of 143 by former teammate Samantha Kuhles from 2006-09. She's second all-time with 135 runs batted in and 329 total bases, and third with 31 home runs. In the total bases and home runs categories, she finished her career just one behind the Jumbo all-time leaders. Sullivan graduated with a .381 batting average and .951 fielding percentage.
