BOSTON – After a stellar season that saw Suffolk softball capture its third GNAC Regular Season Title in the last four years, the Rams placed five players on the All-GNAC teams and yielded the conference Player of the Year, Delaney Sylvester and Rookie of the Year, Payton Sylvester, for the first time in program history, the league office announced Tuesday.
The Sylvesters make up half of Suffolk's four first-team honorees with Devlin Frost and Taylor Holmes joining the sisters. Suffolk matched Johnson & Wales four first-team selections and ties a program record for the most first-team honorees. Ashley Zulla represented the Rams on the second team.
Delaney Sylvester becomes the first Suffolk student-athlete to earn Player of the Year accolades since 2013 (Erin McAndrews), marking the sixth Ram to win the award and second under Jaclyn Davis. The top hitter on the league's best offensive team, Delaney Sylvester continued to make her name known in the league, region and nationally. The senior catcher finished the season as the Rams' leader in almost all offensive categories, while also setting pace among conference counterparts in batting average (.467), homers (10) and RBI (45). Behind a .467 batting average, 20 of her 57 hits went for extra bases – 10 doubles and 10 dingers – to bring in 45 runs and score 35 herself. She has been dubbed one of the nation's "toughest to strikeout" after being sat down just twice out of her 122 plate appearances.
The two-time NFCA Top Performer this year, who became the third Ram to earn all-league first-team status for the third time in her career this year, will graduate as one of the most decorated Suffolk softball players with her name scattered throughout the Rams record books, most predominately atop the all-time hits list with 231 career knocks. She rewrote the 10-year mark held by Jess Ferreira, which was set back in 2009, in the regular-season finale with a two-RBI double at Simmons. Overall, Delaney Sylvester appears on nearly every career hitting lists and sits second in jacks (32), RBI (167) and total bases (370).
With her sister's name already well known, Payton Sylvester put on the Suffolk uniform and made a name for herself. The record-setting six-time GNAC Corvias Rookie of the Week, who was also named the conference's best player and pitcher over a seven-day stretch as well this season, became the second-ever Ram to be named the league's Rookie of the Year, following Ferreira in 2006, and first student-athlete to do so in the Davis era. Splitting her time at short and on the rubber, Sylvester provided a punch at the plate and commanded the circle in her first season in blue-and-gold. Her bat sat second on the squad behind her sister's, with 54 hits including a league-best 18 doubles and seven bombs for 40 RBI on a .419 batting average to go along with 39 runs scored and eight stolen bases. Her 18 hits good for two bags are the most among her conference counterpart and ranks 17th across NCAA DIII. The rookie RHP's ERA of 1.42 was good for second in the league. Over 59.1 innings she put together a 10-3 record with 59 strikeouts. In addition to her rookie of the year recognition, the utility player earned a spot on the conference's first team.
Payton Sylvester had a handful of highlighted performances including a career-day at the dish in a convincing 23-2, five-inning win over Anna Maria March 31, where she hit back-to-back-to-back bombs, becoming the 10th-ever player in NCAA DII history to hit three consecutive homers and first to accomplish the feat since Charlotte Park of Monmouth barreled four in a row April 17, 2014. In that same win, she went for 15 total bases, the most under Davis and the most for a player in NCAA DIII since Monmouth's Park April 17, 2014. Her three jacks and nine RBI versus the AMCATs sit in a tie for the most by an individual across NCAA DIII this season, while her 15 total bases in the triumph sit solo atop the nation's individual game-high list. With the regular-season title on the line, Payton Sylvester kept her composure and helped lift the Rams to victory with a go-ahead grand slam over Saint Joseph's (Maine) April 24, before throwing the first known no-hitter in Suffolk softball history against Simmons six days later. In the conference tournament, she continued her finesse with a career-high 12 strikeouts to send Suffolk to the title tilt for the second straight season.
Delaney and Payton Sylvester became the second set of Suffolk student-athletes to take home the league's top honors in the same year after Jenn Elwell (Pitcher) and Ferreira (Player) did so in 2006. The Sylvesters are the first Rams pair to earn Player and Rookie distinction by the league in the same season.
Frost picked up her fourth all-league accolade, second straight and third overall first-team recognition. Hailing from Tewksbury, Massachusetts, Frost held down centerfield starting all 40 games. The senior, who batted .290, recorded 38 hits, 23 RBI and 30 runs in her final season in Boston.
Holmes completes the Rams first-team foursome with her first all-league accolade. The senior RHP entered the conference tournament with an unblemished record on the rubber, 10-0, with one of the best ERAs in league twirlers. In 13 appearances, 12 starts, the Ashford, Connecticut, native put together a career-best 1.91 ERA through 66.0 innings of work with 58 strikeouts.
Zulla earned all-league recognition for the second time in her career and took home her first second-team honor after putting together a batting average of 4.32 with 48 hits for 27 RBI and 33 runs scored. The sophomore from, Columbus, New Jersey, held the league's best slugging percentage of .802 with 24 extra-base hits including eight dingers and 15 doubles.
Senior Madison Eucalitto represented the Rams on the league's all-sportsmanship team, which was established to honor one player from each team in the league for outstanding dedication to sportsmanship and for their portrayal of good sportsmanship, fair play and positive attitude.
Delaney Sylvester, Ali Yamakaitis and Zulla were all recognized on the conference's all-tournament team for their standout playoff performances. Whenever the Rams needed a run to remain in the conference crown chase Delaney Sylvester or Zulla went yard to put Suffolk back in the games. Yamakaitis, meanwhile, threw fire versus Saint Joseph's (Maine), with a nine-inning, one-run, seven-hit, one-walk, eight-strikeout effort to secure Suffolk's spot in the winners' bracket.
Since joining the GNAC in 1996, Suffolk has earned 78 All-GNAC honors including six player of the year, two rookie of the year, one pitcher of the year, three coaches of the year, 37 first-team, 19 second-team and six third-team selections. The Rams have also received 17 all-tournament nods.
2018 ALL-GNAC SOFTBALL
FIRST TEAM
C – Delaney Sylvester, Suffolk
1B – Melodie Bailey, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
2B – Lauren Del Vacchio, Simmons
3B – Gillian Fortier, Albertus Magnus
SS – Brenna DuPretty, Johnson & Wales
OF – Tiffani Semanchik, Johnson & Wales
OF – Devlin Frost, Suffolk
UTIL – Payton Sylvester, Suffolk
DP – Katie Rufo, Johnson & Wales
P – Jennifer Corona, Johnson & Wales
P – Taylor Holmes, Suffolk
SECOND TEAM
C – Casey Sheehan, Emmanuel
1B – Kayla McKinnon, Johnson & Wales
2B – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
3B – Meghan Gavin, Johnson & Wales
SS – Meghan Elliott, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
OF – Aliza Esposito, Albertus Magnus
OF – Olivia Digiacomo, Johnson & Wales
OF – Ashley Zulla, Suffolk
UTIL – Kristin Frost, Johnson & Wales
DP – McKenna Driscoll, St. Joseph (Conn.)
P – Megan Kieselback, Emmanuel
P – Juliet Nelson, Simmons
THIRD TEAM
C – Jill Skalski, Mount Ida
1B – Naomi Rinaldo, Norwich
2B – Amaria Sharon, St. Joseph (Conn.)
3B – Kara Klimaszeweski, St. Joseph (Conn.)
SS – Hayley Microulis, Mount Ida
OF – Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda, Emmanuel
OF – Mikayla Ramsdell, Rivier
OF – Ivy Vann, Simmons
UTIL – Olivia Burgos, Emmanuel
DP – Maizie Lee, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
P – Laura Anderson, Albertus Magnus
P – Madeleine Smith, Mount Ida
Player of the Year – Delaney Sylvester, Suffolk
Pitcher of the Year – Jennifer Corona, Johnson & Wales
Rookie of the Year – Payton Sylvester, Suffolk
Coach of the Year – Kim Camara-Harvey, Johnson & Wales
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Mount Ida
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Melissa Castillo, Albertus Magnus
Sabrina Carreira, Anna Maria
Sarah Hoisl, Emmanuel
Taylor Fay, Johnson & Wales
Ashley Gatchell, Lasell
Michelle Cilley, Mount Ida
Makenna Wade, Norwich
Kelsey Grimard, Regis
Michelle Woodruff, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Devynn Ledgard, Simmons
Madison Eucalitto, Suffolk