GNAC Softball Report: Week 9

Emmanuel's Olivia Conti took home the final GNAC Player of the Week award of the 2022 season.

May 2, 2022

FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 25 - MAY 1

	PLAYER OF THE WEEK *Olivia Conti, Emmanuel (Mass.)* (So, SS - Cranston, R.I.) - Conti posted a 1.842 OPS as the Saints earned the No. 1 North Div. seed in the GNAC Tournament. In a dominant 5-1 week, Conti hit .609 (14-23) with five doubles and three home runs to go with 11 runs, six RBI and four stolen bases.
	PITCHER OF THE WEEK *Natalie Amato, St. Joseph (Conn.)* (Sr., P - Cheshire, Conn.) - Amato struck out a career-high 16 batters and tossed a complete game three-hitter in her lone appearance of the week to power the Blue Jays past the Dean College Bulldogs in game two of a doubleheader on the road Saturday. Amato struck out and 16 without issuing a walk, facing just three batters over the minimum in USJ's regular season finale against the Bulldogs.
	ROOKIE OF THE WEEK *Kate McGrath, Regis (Mass.)* (Fy., P - Boston, Mass.) - McGrath pitched her second shutout of the season, allowing just three hits in eight innings Saturday as the Pride defeated Elms, 1-0. She faced the minimum 15 batters through the first five innings, and then she stranded a runner at third base in the sixth and eighth innings to keep the Blazers off the scoreboard. McGrath struck out five batters without allowing a walk. The victory played a major role in Regis qualifying for the GNAC Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 2017-18.

GNAC HONOR ROLL

Maddie Castigliego, Simmons (Senior, Pitcher - Bristol, R.I.) - Over the course of a four-game week, the senior right-hander tossed a no-hitter and a two-hitter to guide Simmons to a 3-1 week and claim the second seed in the 2022 GNAC Tournament. Early in week, Castigliego took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of game one against non-conference MIT and earned her 21st win of the year striking out four Engineers in seven innings. The Rhode Island native closed out the week tossing her second career no-hitter in an 8-0 win in game one against Rivier University, Saturday afternoon, where she struck out nine Raiders. Over the course of the four game week, she posted a 3-1 record with a 2.43 ERA and recording a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ration - tallying 17 Ks while walking just eight opposing batters.

Allie Mulhern, Simmons (Senior, Shortstop - Westford, Mass.) - Posting a .667 batting average (8-12) with a double, triple, home run and two RBI from the top of the Shark lineup (1.834 OPS), the senior shortstop guided Simmons to a 3-1 week, which included the program's first victory over MIT since 2012. In a 2-0 victory over the Engineers in game one, Mulhern went two-for-three while scoring the Sharks insurance run. Later in the week against conference foe Rivier, she recorded her 100th career hit, beating out a bunt single to ignite a five-run top of the fifth inning in game one. Mulhern is currently riding a 22-game hitting streak.

Meredith Pence, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Junior, P - Remington, Va.) - Pence tossed nine scoreless innings while allowing six hits and fanning 14 batters in a pair of dominant wins last week. The junior southpaw scattered five hits and struck out a career-high 13 batters in a complete-game shutout victory over Lasell on Saturday.

GNAC WEEKLY ARCHIVE

WEEK	PLAYER	PITCHER	ROOKIE
1	Shannon McMahon, SIM	Maddie Castigliego, SIM	-----
2	Kaelani Gamble, JWU	Annika Beebe, NOR	Skylar Arent, AMC
3	Eden Forget, ANM	Maddie Castigliego, SIM (2)	Caroline Amorelli, JWU
4	Ivy Geloso, AMC	Erin Dighello, AMC	Skylar Arent, AMC (2)
5	Allie Mulhern, SIM	Maddie Castigliego, SIM (3)	Sarah Frazier, RIV
6	Jill Pulek, JWU	Maddie Castigliego, SIM (4)	Jordyn Rubin, SIM
7	Ivy Geloso, AMC (2) & G. Orcutt, EMM	Tianna Dawe, EMM	Mackenzie Clee, JWU
8	Ivy Geloso, AMC (3) & Olivia Conti, EMM	Natalie Amato, USJ & Maddie Castigliego, SIM (5)	Kate McGrath, REG
9	Olivia Conti, EMM (2)	Natalie Amato, USJ	Kate McGrath, REG (2)

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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