Monday, June 28, 2004

SMITH NAMED SOFTBALL'S ECAC REGIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

MEDFORD – Tufts University Softball junior Katie Smith (Convent Station, NJ/Morristown), the leading hitter in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) for 2004, has been named the ECAC Division III New England Player of the Year. The junior also earned a spot on the ECAC First Team at first base, while Jumbo shortstop Courtney Bongiolatti (Locust, NJ/Middletown) was selected to the Second Team.

Smith was among the top five for NESCAC in six offensive categories this spring. Along with leading the league in hitting at .414 (41/99), she also topped the conference in slugging with a .616 percentage that includes eight doubles and four home runs. Her on-base percentage of .442, 41 hits, 23 runs batted in and 61 total bases were also among the league leaders. Also an excellent fielder, Smith handled 268 of 271 total chances for a .989 fielding percentage at first base.

Last month, Smith was named NESCAC Player of the Year. She was the fourth straight Jumbo to earn the award. She was the only NESCAC player on the ECAC New England First Team.

Bongiolatti was equally impressive at the plate for the Jumbos. She hit .346 with a league-leading six home runs and 63 total bases. Her .606 slugging percentage was second only to Smith and with 23 runs batted in the pair tied for third in NESCAC. She also tied for the team lead with seven stolen bases and was steady in the field.

Tufts finished 16-16 overall this spring. In the first year under Head Coach Cheryl Milligan, the Jumbos were 6-2 in the conference's East Division for second place. They qualified for their fourth straight NESCAC tournament.

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