Army West Point Athletics
Six Cadets Garner All-League Accolades
May 08, 2018 | Softball
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Six members of the Army West Point softball team received All-Patriot League honors on Tuesday afternoon.
The six postseason awards is the most since 2012 and tied for the third most in program history.
Carrie Reilly, Courtney Springman and Taylor Drayton were all named to the first team, while Emily Ballesteros, Kristen McPeek and Amelia Trotter earned second-team recognition.
Reilly received the starting nod at first base on Feb. 18 and, despite never playing the position previously, excelled greatly. She became one of the top hitters in the Patriot League boasting the fourth-best average (.349). At the dish, she led the team in several categories, including hits (51), doubles (10), triples (3), RBIs (28), slugging percentage (.541) and on-base percentage (.428), while sitting second in runs scored (25) and home runs (4). Over a 51-game span, she notched 14 multi-hit games.
In her first season on the Banks of the Hudson, Springman was stellar inside the circle. The freshman appeared in 37 games, while posting a league-best 1.77 ERA in 186 innings pitched with 151 strikeouts. She held the opposition to a league-low .206 average at the plate and tossed 20 complete games en route to picking up 16 wins. Throughout her rookie campaign, she was a two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week and received pitcher of the week honors once.
Drayton spent the majority of her time in the Black Knights' lineup as the cleanup hitter and showcased the pop in her bat over a 44-game stretch. The Clayton, N.C., native posted a .313 batting average with 40 hits, 22 RBIs, 13 runs scored, eight doubles and two homers. As a freshman, she documented 10 multi-hit performances. Â
Ballesteros was a constant at the hot corner for the Black Knights in her sophomore season. She was the lone Cadet to appear and start in all 52 games. The Chino Hills, Calif., native tallied 48 hits and a .312 average, while notching six doubles, 19 RBIs, 20 runs scored, a triple and a home run. She showcased her glove work as well, posting a .970 fielding percentage on the year.
After missing all of last season due to injury, McPeek returned for her senior campaign and put up a .317 batting average, which ranked second on the team. She was one of the toughest batters to strikeout in the Patriot League, as she was retired via the strikeout just seven times in 142 at-bats. The Cypress, Texas, native had 45 hits and led the Black Knights with 32 runs scored, while totaling 24 RBIs, 10 doubles, three triples and one home run. Â
Trotter was a key cog in the Army lineup, making 45 appearances in the outfield. For the season, the sophomore held a .290 average at the plate and displayed her power and speed. She capped the year with 40 hits, 25 runs scored, 16 RBIs, five doubles, two triples and a team-best five homers. While on the bases, she swiped 14 bags in 15 tries to lead the squad.
Army returns to action this Thursday in Boston for the Patriot League Tournament. The fourth-seeded Black Knights will be pinned against the top-seeded Terriers at noon.
For more information on the Army West Point softball team, visit GoArmyWestPoint.com and follow @ArmyWP_Softball on Twitter.
All-Patriot League First Team
1B - Meghan Kovac, Bucknell, Sr.
2B - Lauren Hadley, Bucknell, Jr.
3B - Holly Geranen, Colgate, Sr.
SS - Brittany Younan, Boston University, Sr.
CÂ Â - Alex Heinen, Boston University, Jr.
DP - Taylor Drayton, Army West Point, Fr.
OF - Emma Wong, Boston University, Sr.
OF - Jackie Brewster, Holy Cross, Jr.
OF - Nicole Yozzo, Lehigh, Sr.
P - Ali Dubois, Boston University, Fr.
P - Courtney Springman, Army West Point, Fr.*
P - Raeanne Geffert, Bucknell, So.*
At-large - Carrie Reilly, Army West Point, Jr.
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Second team
1B - Kaitlin Sahlinger, Boston University, Sr.
2B - Mary-Hannah Smith, Lehigh, So.
3B - Emily Ballesteros, Army West Point, So.
SS - Brooke Wensel, Lafayette, So.
CÂ Â - Virginia Irby, Colgate, So.
DP - Julienne Egofske, Bucknell, So.
OF - Kristen McPeek, Army West Point, Sr.
OF - Amelia Trotter, Army West Point, So.
OF - Jilee Schanda, Boston University, Sr.
P - Parker Boyd, Lehigh, So.
At-large - Emily Morrow, Boston University, Jr.
*Due to a tie on first-team, only one pitcher is named to second-team
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The six postseason awards is the most since 2012 and tied for the third most in program history.
Carrie Reilly, Courtney Springman and Taylor Drayton were all named to the first team, while Emily Ballesteros, Kristen McPeek and Amelia Trotter earned second-team recognition.
Reilly received the starting nod at first base on Feb. 18 and, despite never playing the position previously, excelled greatly. She became one of the top hitters in the Patriot League boasting the fourth-best average (.349). At the dish, she led the team in several categories, including hits (51), doubles (10), triples (3), RBIs (28), slugging percentage (.541) and on-base percentage (.428), while sitting second in runs scored (25) and home runs (4). Over a 51-game span, she notched 14 multi-hit games.
In her first season on the Banks of the Hudson, Springman was stellar inside the circle. The freshman appeared in 37 games, while posting a league-best 1.77 ERA in 186 innings pitched with 151 strikeouts. She held the opposition to a league-low .206 average at the plate and tossed 20 complete games en route to picking up 16 wins. Throughout her rookie campaign, she was a two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week and received pitcher of the week honors once.
Drayton spent the majority of her time in the Black Knights' lineup as the cleanup hitter and showcased the pop in her bat over a 44-game stretch. The Clayton, N.C., native posted a .313 batting average with 40 hits, 22 RBIs, 13 runs scored, eight doubles and two homers. As a freshman, she documented 10 multi-hit performances. Â
Ballesteros was a constant at the hot corner for the Black Knights in her sophomore season. She was the lone Cadet to appear and start in all 52 games. The Chino Hills, Calif., native tallied 48 hits and a .312 average, while notching six doubles, 19 RBIs, 20 runs scored, a triple and a home run. She showcased her glove work as well, posting a .970 fielding percentage on the year.
After missing all of last season due to injury, McPeek returned for her senior campaign and put up a .317 batting average, which ranked second on the team. She was one of the toughest batters to strikeout in the Patriot League, as she was retired via the strikeout just seven times in 142 at-bats. The Cypress, Texas, native had 45 hits and led the Black Knights with 32 runs scored, while totaling 24 RBIs, 10 doubles, three triples and one home run. Â
Trotter was a key cog in the Army lineup, making 45 appearances in the outfield. For the season, the sophomore held a .290 average at the plate and displayed her power and speed. She capped the year with 40 hits, 25 runs scored, 16 RBIs, five doubles, two triples and a team-best five homers. While on the bases, she swiped 14 bags in 15 tries to lead the squad.
Army returns to action this Thursday in Boston for the Patriot League Tournament. The fourth-seeded Black Knights will be pinned against the top-seeded Terriers at noon.
For more information on the Army West Point softball team, visit GoArmyWestPoint.com and follow @ArmyWP_Softball on Twitter.
All-Patriot League First Team
1B - Meghan Kovac, Bucknell, Sr.
2B - Lauren Hadley, Bucknell, Jr.
3B - Holly Geranen, Colgate, Sr.
SS - Brittany Younan, Boston University, Sr.
CÂ Â - Alex Heinen, Boston University, Jr.
DP - Taylor Drayton, Army West Point, Fr.
OF - Emma Wong, Boston University, Sr.
OF - Jackie Brewster, Holy Cross, Jr.
OF - Nicole Yozzo, Lehigh, Sr.
P - Ali Dubois, Boston University, Fr.
P - Courtney Springman, Army West Point, Fr.*
P - Raeanne Geffert, Bucknell, So.*
At-large - Carrie Reilly, Army West Point, Jr.
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Second team
1B - Kaitlin Sahlinger, Boston University, Sr.
2B - Mary-Hannah Smith, Lehigh, So.
3B - Emily Ballesteros, Army West Point, So.
SS - Brooke Wensel, Lafayette, So.
CÂ Â - Virginia Irby, Colgate, So.
DP - Julienne Egofske, Bucknell, So.
OF - Kristen McPeek, Army West Point, Sr.
OF - Amelia Trotter, Army West Point, So.
OF - Jilee Schanda, Boston University, Sr.
P - Parker Boyd, Lehigh, So.
At-large - Emily Morrow, Boston University, Jr.
*Due to a tie on first-team, only one pitcher is named to second-team
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Players Mentioned
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