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Bridgewater, NJ — On the heels of the program’s third undefeated conference slate and fourth consecutive Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season crown, Saint Francis U collected a pair of major award winners, but it was CCSU slugger
Paige Stringer (Monroe, WA/Monroe) who stole the show in 2024.
Stringer powered the Blue Devils to their second straight NEC Championship appearance with her lethal bat, and as a result, she was pegged the NEC Player of the Year.
The Red Flash were rightfully rewarded for their dominance in 2024. Riding a 31-game conference win streak that dates back to the 2023 regular season, Saint Francis U ace
Grace Vesco (Uniontown, OH/North Canton Hoover) secured the NEC Pitcher of the Year award for the second time in her career. In addition, first-year head coach
Beth Krysiak and her assistants earned NEC Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
LIU, which will be looking to knock off top-seeded Saint Francis U and repeat as league champs this weekend, got in on the postseason honors when sophomore second baseman
Mari Narvaiz (Albuquerque, NM/Manzano) earned the Golden Glove Award.
FDU struck the program’s second NEC Rookie of the Year honoree since 2022 with the enshrinement of right-handed hurler
Brooklyn Shroyer (San Dimas, CA/Bonita) as the league’s top first-year player. The Knights doubled up on their postseason awards, as sophomore utility player
Ayden Stone (Hanford, CA/Hanford) was voted the NEC Most Improved Player by the league’s head coaches.
Now a two-time All-NEC first team member, Springer slugged her way to the pinnacle of the NEC by earning the league’s most coveted award. The Monroe, WA native packs immense power, ranking first on the circuit with 12 homers. With 15 multi-hit outings, the third baseman hit a team-high .356. Bringing power to the top of the Blue Devils’ lineup, she ranked second on her postseason-bound squad with a .644 slugging percentage and a 1.056 OPS. She knocked in 36 runs (3rd in NEC) and crossed home 31 times (6th in NEC). Over the course of 24 NEC games, Stringer bumped her average to .395 and smashed five home runs. She is the second NEC Player of the Year to hail from New Britain. Kat Malcolm was the first-ever Blue Devil to earn the honor back in 2013.
Saint Francis U has had a knack for producing some of the league’s most-feared pitchers in recent years, and Vesco has been no exception. The graduate student became the sixth Red Flash player to win NEC Pitcher of the Year in the past seven years, and with her prior selection as the league’s top hurler coming back in 2021, she was the first repeat honoree since Robert Morris’ Nicole Sleith won the award three times (2012, 2013, 2015). Vesco, who has not had a home run hit against her in 27 appearances and 155.2 innings, won a league-leading 17 games and posted a remarkable 1.17 ERA during the regular season. Ranking fifth in the nation in ERA while leading all Division I hurlers with 2.97 hits allowed per inning, the Buckeye State native is also 19th in shutouts. Vesco was even better in league play where she finished a perfect 12-0 with a 0.44 ERA, and limited batters to a .103 average. Since April 6, she has allowed just one earned run, which came in the eighth inning in a pitcher’s duel at Big Ten opponent Penn State. Vesco was a three-time NEC Pitcher of the Week in 2024. The Red Flash’s ace also earned a spot on the All-NEC first team for a fourth time.
Coming off an All-Rookie team-worthy debut season in Brooklyn in 2023, Narvaiz had an outstanding defensive season at second base for an LIU club that committed the fewest miscues in the circuit and led all squads with a combined .971 fielding percentage. Turning seven double plays from the keystone sack, the Albuquerque native recorded 83 putouts and 74 assists in 160 chances for a .981 fielding percentage. This year’s Gold Glove winner also impressed in the batter’s box. Ranking among league leaders with 12 doubles and a pair of triples, she added three dingers to pace the squad with 17 extra-base hits, while her 22 RBI are good for second-most amongst fellow Sharks. Narvaiz is LIU’s fourth Golden Glove winner since the award made its debut in 2012.
Shroyer needed little time to establish her dominance inside the circle and make a name for herself as not only one of the most destructive pitchers in the circuit, but in the nation. Just two games into her career, the Knights’ ace punched out 11 batters to come out on top in an extra-inning win at Big West foe UC San Diego. Three days later, the California native dazzled on-lookers — and puzzled the lineup of Hofstra — by registering 17 strikeouts, which to this date stands as the third-most recorded by an NCAA Division I hurler in a game this season. The queen of strikeouts fanned double-digit batters in 15 games, and with 251 total punchouts on the season, she leads the entire nation in the category. In addition, Shroyer’s 9.50 strikeouts per inning and 6.28 strikeout-to-walk ratio are good for ninth and 10th in the country, respectively, while her 22 complete games are second amongst all Division I pitchers. She concluded her debut season in Hackensack with a 17-12 record in 31 appearances and 22 starts, was third in the conference in ERA (1.78), second in innings pitched (184.2) and fourth in opposing batting average (.208). Her numbers were even stingier in NEC play thanks in part to a five-game stretch of lights-out pitching that saw her throw 37.1 frames without allowing an earned run. During that impressive run, she punched out 61 conference competitors, an average of 12.2 per contest. Shroyer racked up five NEC Rookie of the Week awards and a pair of NEC Pitcher of the Week nods to lead all conference players with seven weekly honors. She also landed a spot on the All-NEC First Team and is just one of three rookie all-stars to garner the distinction. With Shroyer’s Rookie of the Year enshrinement, FDU has produced the league’s top rookie in two of the past three seasons.
Making a seamless transition from a reserve role to a staple on FDU’s roster in a blink of an eye, Stone’s huge jump in productivity and versatility to play a multitude of positions in her second season in Hackensack was justly rewarded with the Most Improved Player accolade. The California product’s name was routinely inked in the 3-hole or cleanup spot on FDU’s lineup card in 2024 after she saw just four at-bats as a rookie the year before. Stone delivered a significant power boost to the Knights’ offense this season. In 41 starts, she exploded for a team-leading seven 39 hits, seven home runs, six doubles ,one triple and 21 RBI. In addition, her terrorizing bat also produced numbers that rank amongst the best in the NEC, as she is third in slugging percentage (.581), fourth in homers and sixth in OPS (.942). The fourth FDU player to earn a major award, Stone is the second Knight to garner MIP honors, joining Madison Emerson (2021). She was also chosen to the All-NEC second team as a utility player.
The Red Flash did not skip a beat under the direction of Krysiak and her assistants Mel Savala and Ry Godde. In fact, Saint Francis U brought its dominance in the NEC to a whole new level in 2024. Posting the third undefeated record in league play since the conference began sponsoring softball in 1994, Krysiak and her squad earned a spot in the recordbook, as their 24 conference wins were the most by an undefeated squad, and the second-most in NEC annals. What’s even more impressive about Saint Francis U’s stretch of superiority is how they have won. Outscoring fellow league foes by a commanding 280-110 margin, the Red Flash posted an average margin of victory of 7.08 runs per game. Under Krysiak’s leadership, Saint Francis U leads the NEC in batting average (.302) and runs (280). Defensively, the Red Flash pitching staff is ranked fifth in NCAA Division I with a combined 1.71 ERA, a mark that is even stingier in league games (0.77). Hosting the NEC Tournament for the fourth consecutive time, the Red Flash, who own the 22nd-best winning percentage in the nation, have not lost at home this year. They begin the quest for their sixth NEC championship in the past seven years, a feat that no other team in league history has been able to accomplish. Krysiak is the second coach in Saint Francis U history to take home the NEC Coach of the Year award.
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS
Twelve of the 14 star-studded All-NEC first teamers will showcase their skills at the 2024 NEC Championship, which is set to begin on Thursday in Loretto, PA.
Saint Francis U, which will be hosting the league’s postseason tournament for the fourth-straight year, occupied half of the spots on the conference’s top team. Sacred Heart and CCSU, the respective No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, landed two honorees apiece while No. 2 LIU rounded out the postseason-bound teams with one student-athlete earning All-NEC First Team distinction.
Vesco wasn’t the only Red Flash player to have tremendous success inside the circle. Saint Francis U was virtually unhittable in league play thanks to Vesco and fellow partner in crime and classmate
Rachel Marsden (Erie, PA/McDowell). The impenetrable duo became two of the most-feared hurlers in the circuit back in 2020-21, and they have done nothing but wreak havoc on NEC hitters in their final season in Loretto.
Once again delivering a one-two punch at the top of the Red Flash rotation with 23 combined wins in conference play, Vesco and Marsden, who have collectively kept nine league foes off the scoreboard, have allowed just 13 runs on their watch. With a 0.86 ERA against conference opponents, Marsden enters the postseason ranked second overall with a career-best 1.70 ERA and a .191 opposing batting average. She was a four-time NEC Pitcher of the Week.
Marsden’s excellence in the circle — and in the batter’s box — only validates that she is arguably one of the most versatile athletes to have come through the NEC. In addition to her pitching duties, she hit .431, slugged .784 and posted a .473 on-base percentage against conference competition to rank in the top-three in all three categories.
Marsden makes her fourth consecutive appearance on the All-NEC first team as a pitcher, while her first team nod as a utility player is her second in as many seasons. In total, she has earned eight All-NEC honors and one major award (Pitcher of the Year – 2022) during her illustrious career.
Saint Francis U’s explosive offense, which put up 67 more runs than the second-best offense in the circuit, posted problems for the opposition’s defense at nearly every spot in the lineup. As a result, four more hitters joined Marsden on the All-NEC First Team.
In conference play, senior second baseman
Ashley Orischak’s (New Stanton, PA/Hempfield Area) .489/.627/.844 slash line is unlike that of any others in the NEC this season. Leading the conference in all three categories during the 24-game league slate, her 1.471 OPS is first in the rankings by more than 200 percentage points.
Junior first baseman
Olivia Ulam (Canonsburg, PA/Canon McMillan), who joined Vesco and Marsden as three-peat first team members, was also a force to be reckoned with during Saint Francis U’s undefeated run to the league’s regular-season title. The Keystone State native produced a league-leading 35 hits, 34 RBI, 22 runs and eight doubles, while her .449 batting average, .500 on-base percentage and .731 slugging percentage all ranked inside the top-three. Ulam led all NEC ballers with five Player of the Week awards.
Sophomore outfielder
Savannah Nash (Mechanicsville, VA/Atlee) launched all but one of her seven moonshots during conference play this season to upgrade her status from second team status in 2023 to first team in 2024.
Freshman shortstop
Kaylie Walters (Bucks County, PA/Council Rock), a two-time NEC Rookie of the Week, contributed speed to Saint Francis U’s potent lineup. The Red Flash’s leadoff hitter was an absolute menace on the basepaths in her debut season in Loretto. The only player in the conference to sport a perfect stolen-base percentage in NEC play (six-or-more stolen base attempts), she ranks 16th in the nation in swipes (29) and is 19th in stolen bags per game (0.59). She finished tied for the conference lead in runs scored with fellow teammate Ulam with 22.
Central Connecticut landed two All-NEC first teamers for the second consecutive season. Joining Stringer on the league’s top squad is power-hitter
Kassandra (KC) Machado (Miami, FL/Doral Performing Arts & Entertainment Academy (Liberty)). Machado slugged herself to the top-five of the NEC rankings in her debut campaign with the Blue Devils. Leading the circuit with a .688 slugging percentage, the Floridian is second in OPS (1.080), doubles (13) and dingers (9), while her 32 RBI are good for fifth.
All-NEC First Team members
Charlene Davis (San Jacinto, CA/San Jacinto) and
Cierra Bender (Shippensberg, PA/Shippensberg Area Senior) helped propel the Pioneers back to the NEC Championship for the first time since 2021. One of just three rookies to make the cut for the league’s first team, Bender is hitting .301 and is third on Sacred Heart with 23 runs scored and 25 RBI. Davis, a California-born backstop, cut down five base stealers and posted a .988 fielding percentage with 230 putouts and 13 assists in 246 chances.
LIU senior outfielder
Dallas Andrews (Santa Clarita, CA/Saugus) posted career-best numbers with a .358 batting average and a .415 slugging percentage to make her return to the All-NEC First Team. More than doubling her stats from a year ago with 31 runs, 16 walks, eight doubles and seven stolen bases, the outfielder’s name is inked throughout the NEC’s top-10 in a plethora of offensive categories.
In addition to Andrews, junior hurler
Lindsey Cowans (Camarillo, CA/Adolfo Camarillo (Moorpark)) and senior third baseman
Gabby Padilla (Victorville, CA/Victor Valley) earned All-NEC distinction for the defending NEC Tournament champs. Helping lead the Sharks to consecutive 30+ win seasons in 2023 and 2024, they are each repeat second team honorees.
Junior outfielder
Ellen Hubbard (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA/Palos Verdes), the 2023 NEC Player of the Year, highlights a trio of Merrimack award winners as one of three repeat first teamers. Graduate shortstop
Courtney Lanpher (Princeton, MA/Wachusett Regional) was voted an All-NEC second team pick for the second time in as many years, where she was joined by
Madison Cerpa (Long Beach, CA/Torrance), a senior outfielder.
Le Moyne nabbed a pair of All-NEC superstars in its inaugural season of competition as an NEC and Division I member. Junior outfielder
Alyssa Dybacz (Baldwinsville, NY/Charles W. Baker) and sophomore designated player
Aubrey Benderski (Spring Lake Park, MN/Spring Lake Park) made history for the Dolphins by receiving second team distinction.
This season’s All-Rookie team is laced with six all-stars who will be making their NEC Championship debuts come Thursday. NEC regular-season champion Saint Francis U occupied two 11 spots on the squad in Walters and utility player
Aliya Garroway (Ellwood City, PA/Lincoln), while FDU’s roster also boasted a pair of honorees with the selections of Shroyer and first baseman/outfielder
Erika Barella (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King Jr.).
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 43rd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout five states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#34) and Syracuse (#85). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U, Stonehill 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 TikTok, all @NECsports.
2024 Northeast Conference Softball Award Winners
Player of the Year
Paige Stringer CCSU 3B Sr R/R Monroe, WA/Monroe
Pitcher of the Year
Grace Vesco Saint Francis U P Gr R/R Uniontown, OH/North Canton Hoover
Golden Glove Award
Mari Narvaiz LIU 2B So R/R Albuquerque, NM/Manzano
Rookie of the Year
Brooklyn Shroyer FDU P Fr R/R San Dimas, CA/Bonita
Most Improved Player
Ayden Stone FDU UT So R/R Hanford, CA/Hanford
Coaching Staff of the Year
Beth Krysiak, Saint Francis U
Mel Savala & Ry Godde
2024 Northeast Conference Softball First Team All-Conference
Pos Name School Yr B/T Hometown/High School