POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Led by senior Ashley Corriss and sophomore Alyssa Zahka, the Marist softball team had a strong night at the MAAC Softball Tournament banquet on Thursday night in Poughkeepsie. Following a 28-25 regular season and a 9-7 mark in conference play, Marist had five Red Foxes honored on the All-MAAC teams; Corriss (Sayville, N.Y.) and Zahka (Lexington, Mass.) on the First Team and Nicole DiVirgilio (Aston, Pa.), Danielle Koltz (Chenango Bridge, N.Y.) and Megan Lamoureux (Woonsocket, R.I.) on the Second Team. For their prowess in the classroom, a league-high 11 Red Foxes were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team.
Corriss earned the First Team All-MAAC award for the first time in her career after collecting a Second Team nod in 2011. The Red Foxes leadoff hitter in 51 contests this season, Corriss leads the squad in batting average at .333, on-base percentage at .432 and triples with three. Her batting average is seventh-best in the MAAC, while her 15 hit by pitches is tops in the conference for the second consecutive year. Corriss currently sits third all-time at Marist with 103 runs scored.
Zahka joins Corriss as a first-time First Team honoree. After a solid freshman season, the sophomore shortstop/catcher exploded offensively as she has batted .331 with 55 hits, 12 doubles, five home runs, 31 RBIs and 40 runs scored. Zahka's batting average, hits, doubles, and runs scored all rank her amongst the top five in the MAAC in 2012. Her 40 runs scored are the fourth-most in one season by a Red Fox in program history.
The 2-3-4 part of Marist's lineup rounded out the All-MAAC honorees as Lamoureux, Koltz and DiVirgilio earned Second Team nods from the MAAC coaches.
Lamoureux, a senior catcher was honored with her second consecutive Second Team All-MAAC in recognition of a season in which she has batted .297 with nine doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs. Her on-base percentage of .429, which is fourth-best in the MAAC, is strengthened by her 28 walks and six hit by pitches.
Koltz is a first-time honoree for Marist. Coming into 2012 as a .229 hitter, the junior third baseman has stepped up and taken the reigns as the Red Foxes' leading run producer. Koltz is first on the team with 39 RBIs, eight home runs and a .536 slugging percentage. She augments those outstanding figures with a .315 batting average and 11 doubles. Koltz' RBI, home run, slugging and double numbers are all top five in the MAAC.
DiVirgilio will conclude her career as a Red Fox with a perfect showing in MAAC postseason awards. The senior first baseman has been recognized with three Second Team honors, one First Team and one Co-Rookie of the Year nod during her four years in Poughkeepsie. In 2012, she is batting .308 with nine doubles, four home runs and 29 RBIs. DiVirgilio ranks second all-time in Marist history with 42 doubles and third all-time with 114 RBIs.
Marist also had 11 athletes named to the MAAC All-Academic Team; seniors Ashley Corriss (Psychology/Special Education) and Lindsay Durant (Martinsville, N.J./Psychology/Special Education), juniors Sarah Carmody (Camarillo, Calif./Fine Arts), Christina Lausch (Lancaster, Pa./Psychology), Emily Osterhaus (Suwanee, Ga./Biology) and Joelle Zahka (Lexington, Mass./Communication) and sophomores Haley Birnbaum (Lido Beach, N.Y./Biology/Adole. Education), Aly Klemmer (Hamilton, N.J./Liberal Arts), Paige Lewis (Temecula, Calif./Fine Arts), Nicole Van Loan (Kingston, N.Y./Psychology/Special Education) and Alyssa Zahka (Biology). Durant is a three-time honoree, while Corriss, Carmody and Joelle Zahka are two-time recipients.
To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team, a student athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.
The Red Foxes will be in action tomorrow afternoon as they face off with the #3 seeded Canisius Golden Griffins. The action at Marist's Gartland Park is set for 1 p.m.
