Worcester State's Despres Named ECAC DIII New England Softball Player of the Year, Headlines the All-Star Teams

Worcester State's Sydney Despres has been named the Eastern College Athletic Conference DIII New England Softball Player of the Year while also landing on spot on the All-Star team along with five other MASCAC student-athletes as announced by the organization.

June 10, 2016

Worcester State's Sydney Despres has been named the Eastern College Athletic Conference DIII New England Softball Player of the Year while also landing on spot on the All-Star team along with five other MASCAC student-athletes as announced by the organization.

Joining Despres on the first team are Bridgewater State's Kelly McCarthy, Westfield State's Maddy Atkocaitis and teammates Taylor Daniels and Dakota Smith-Porter. Landing on the second team is Westfield State's Julia Sullivan.

Despres was an offensive force for the Lancers in 2016, helping Worcester State capture its second-consecutive Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) regular-season title. The sophomore finished the regular season first in batting average (.527), on base percentage (.569), slugging percentage (.992), doubles (20), home runs (13), RBI (49) and total bases (130) while helping the squad to a 12-2 record in the conference. Prior to receiving the ECAC Player of the Year Award, Despres was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) DIII All-New England Region First Team and also named the MASCAC Softball Player of the Year.

Also making the All-ECAC First Team with Despres is designated player Daniels (Norco, Calif.) and second baseman Smith-Porter (Montague, Mass.). Daniels and Smith-Porter made their marks on their first season with Worcester State as they batted .450 and .421, respectively. Daniels logged 30 runs, 58 hits, 12 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 32 RBI. Smith-Porter posted 26 runs, 45 hits, 13 doubles, three home runs, and 30 RBI. Smith-Porter appeared in the circle 10 times and averaged 7.61 strikeouts per game.

Reigning MASCAC Pitcher of the Year, McCarthy finished the season with 21 wins, 25 complete games, seven shutouts, 1.49 ERA and an opponent batting average of only .229 which were all the best in the MASCAC. In 47 appearances (38 starts) over her first three seasons with the Bears, McCarthy is 28-12 with 31 complete games and ten shutouts. She has a career ERA of 1.68 with 163 strikeouts in 254 2/3 innings.

Atkocaitis had a standout sophomore season, in which she batted .434 with five home runs, 32 runs scored and 29 RBI in 40 games. For the season, 24 of Atkocaitis' 49 hits were for extra bases, with 12 doubles and seven triples. She ranked ninth in NCAA Division III with the seven triples.

Sullivan, a junior, split time between first base and pitcher for the Owls. At the plate she batted .425 with six doubles, two triples and two home runs. She drove in 27 runs and scored 23 runs.

In the pitching circle, the left-hander started 17 games for Westfield and posted a 9-9 record with a 2.87 earned run average.

Both players had earlier earned All-MASCAC honors for their performances this season.

Westfield finished with an 10-4 record and in third place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Owls were 19-22 overall, posting a 17-14 mark after returning from their Florida trip.

Portions of this release courtesy of Westfield State and Worcester State Sports Information