Somerset, NJ -- Defending Northeast Conference softball champion Saint Francis U collected two major individual awards on the heels of its second consecutive undefeated run through the league schedule.
 
With the Red Flash riding a 35-game conference win streak, Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, PA/DuBois) secured the NEC Player of the Year award while sophomore Abby Trahan (Kaplan, LA/Kaplan) shared the NEC Pitcher of the Year honor with Sacred Heart’s Emily Orosco.
 
In addition to tying Trahan in the voting and making for a rare co-recipient of the conference’s top pitching honor, Orosco earned the NEC Most Improved Player award.
 
Meanwhile, Sacred Heart’s coaches were recognized by their peers as the NEC Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
LIU Brooklyn also secured a pair of major accolades with catcher Victoria Zamora (Orange, CA/El Modena) taking the NEC Golden Glove and freshman Ryleigh Bermea (Saugus, CA/Saugus) capturing the NEC Rookie of the Year honor.
 
McKee made the leap from the 2017 All-NEC Second Team to NEC Player of the Year recipient. Hitting a team-high .359, the second baseman led the league in runs scored (47) and on base percentage (.480). Bringing power to the top of the Red flash lineup, McKee knocked in 34 runs (fourth-most in NEC) and smashed eight homers. She batted .511 over the course of 16 NEC games, connecting on 10 extra-base hits (7 HR, 3 3B) over that span.
 
Taking the next step following a phenomenal freshman campaign, Trahan set SFU’s single-season record for victories in the circle. As a sophomore, the 2017 NEC Rookie of the Year pitched to a 2.28 ERA while winning 27 of her 38 decisions.  En-route to compiling the nation’s third-highest win total, Trahan went 11-0 in 11 NEC appearances. She held opposing NEC hitters to a .167 batting average while fanning 52 over 68.2 innings.  In addition to boasting a sub-1.00 ERA in conference play (0.61), she earned victories over Big 12 member Iowa State and Big Ten foes Maryland and Penn State.
 
After giving up 21 earned runs and walking 21 batters in 25.0 innings last spring, Orosco transformed into a dominant force in 2018. Pitching to a 13-4 record, the strikeout machine has fanned 197 batters over 136.0 innings of work.  Lowering her ERA from 5.53 down to 1.18 this season, the junior leads the circuit and ranks amongst the National Top 20.  The Golden State product allowed only 0.51 earned runs per 7.0 innings pitched against NEC teams. Sporting a strikeout-to-walk ratio better than 8:1, Orosco permitted only four earned runs over eight conference starts.
 
Sacred Heart’s coaching staff guided the Pioneers to a 10-6 NEC finish for the second year in a row. This year’s squad improved upon last year’s overall win-loss record by 6.0 games. Co-head coaches Elizabeth Luckie and Pam London presided over a team that ranked amongst the NCAA Top 20 in both team ERA and fielding percentage. With Jen Russell tutoring the pitching staff, the Pioneers owns the nation’s 15th-lowest team earned-run average (1.78).  SHU’s .974 team fielding percentage is the 19th-highest amongst Division I leaders.
 
Zamora secured the NEC Golden Glove for the second time during her storied four-year career behind the plate. The California-born backstop cut down more than half of attempting base stealers (.529). She finished the regular season with a .979 fielding percentage, recording 204 putouts and 32 assists in 241 chances. She turned three double plays. The Gold Glove winner also impressed in the batter's box. She hit .373 to rank second among league leaders while driving in 28 runs.  Zamora, a former NEC Rookie of the Year, is a three-time all-NEC honoree.
 
Bermea batted .326 over 47 games en-route to the NEC’s top rookie honor.  The freshman outfielder cranked a team-leading six home runs while ranking third amongst conference leaders in RBI (35).  She shined during LIU’s conference schedule, hitting at a .340 clip and posting a .404 on-base percentage.
 
NEC-toids

Saint Francis U, which hasn’t lost to a conference opponent since 2016, garnered a league-high seven All-NEC selections, including four on the First Team.
 
Producing another powerful season at the plate, SFU’s Madison Cabell (Ivor, VA/Southampton) earned her fourth All-NEC First Team honor.  The native Virginian leads the league in numerous offensive categories, including home runs (17), slugging percentage (.696) and RBI (53).  She enters the tournament as the NEC Player of the Week after hitting four home runs over her last four games.
 
Joining Cabell, McKee and Trahan on the First Team is fellow Flash Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, PA/Spring Grove).  The junior outfielder was a Second Teamer in 2017 after capturing the 2016 NEC Rookie of the Year award as a freshman. Norton ranks second amongst NEC home run leaders. Helping the Flash to the nation’s fourth-highest home run average (1.38/g), Norton has gone deep 12 times this season.
 
Senior third basemen Angie Vazquez (Santa Ana, CA/El Modena) gives LIU a third all-NEC first team honoree.  Improving her hitting for the third consecutive season, is batting a robust .391 this spring.  Despite missing 11 games, she still finished the regular season with 23 RBI while slugging .511.
 
SHU junior shortstop Hailey Desrosiers (Cypress, CA/Edison) earned her way onto the First Team.  She leads the Pioneers in hits (50), home runs (7), RBI (22) and runs scored (28).

Central Connecticut also placed two onto the First Team. CCSU senior infielder Brittany Camara (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) led the Blue Devils in RBI (25) and stolen bases (18). Camara’s .346 batting average stands fifth highest in the NEC. Meanwhile, freshman Sydney Bolan (Fairport, NY/Fairport) produced to the tune of seven home runs and a .351 on-base percentage.
 
Robert Morris utility player Kaitlyn Clark (Canal Fulton/Archbishop Hoban) is one of three freshman to earn a spot on the All-NEC First Team this spring. Bryant’s DH Gianna Ceccarelli (Claremont, CA/St. Lucy's Priory) is the only freshman to earn a Second Team nod. 
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 37th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#22), Baltimore (#26), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.