Weiss and Kelly Highlight Four All-PAC Softball Selections
May 11 – GREENVILLE, Pa. – Led by first-team selections, sophomore pitcher Cassie Weiss (Washington, Pa./McGuffey) and senior outfielder Kayla Kelly (Pasadena, Md./Institute of Notre Dame), the Bethany College softball team has placed four players on the 2016 Presidents' Athletic Conference All-Conference teams, announced the PAC on Wednesday morning.
Along with the two, first-team honors, the Bison also saw senior catcher Marissa Bosley (New Martinsville, W. Va./Magnolia) garner Second-Team All-PAC recognition, while senior first baseman Deanna Mihalco (Patterson, N.Y./Brewster) was awarded Honorable-Mention All-PAC status.
Weiss, who was also named to the PAC All-Tournament team, earned the second First-Team All-Conference selection of her young career. The Bison's ace ranked among the conference's best in multiple statistical categories. She set a new standard for Bison pitchers, breaking the school record for strikeouts while ranking first in the conference with 172.
Weiss totaled eight or more strikeouts on nine-separate occasions, including a season-high 15 against Geneva College, en route to shattering the 2008 mark of 165 held by Heather Immesberger. Her 172 Ks also ranked 17th in all of Division III.
Weiss ranked fourth in the conference in opponents' batting average, holding the opposition to .249 in 164.2 innings (which ranked second in the PAC). She finished the year with a career-high 15 wins, posting 20 complete-game performances.
In the postseason, Weiss was even better, starting all four games while allowing giving up just four runs in 29.1 innings of work. She posted an ERA of 0.95, while holding opponents to a batting average of .231. She also struck out 21 total batters.
Kelly collected her fourth All-PAC honor, securing her second-consecutive first-team selection. The senior played and started in 41 of the team's 42 games this season, ranking first on the roster in a multitude of categories.
Spending the entirety of the 2016 season as the leadoff hitter, Kelly ranked in the top ten in the conference in multiple categories, including batting average, as she finished the season hitting .371.
Kelly ranked fifth in the PAC in slugging percentage (.591), posting 19 extra-base hits. She ranked fourth in the conference in doubles (13), fifth in triples (2) and tied for third in home runs with four. Kelly's 49 hits also ranked fourth in the PAC.
Over the course of the season, Kelly tallied 15 multi-hit performances, the most by any Bison this season. She led the team in runs scored, crossing the plate 24 times, while also sitting third in RBIs (16).
At the culmination of her four-year career, Kelly has imprinted herself on the Bison record books, ranking sixth all-time in batting average (.365) while sitting third on the career lists in both runs scored (119) and stolen bases (32). She also ranks second in triples (11), sixth in hits (181) and home runs (12) and eighth in doubles (31).
Completing a solid four-year career, Bosley earned her second-consecutive All-PAC honor, garnering second-team distinction after playing and starting in 41 games this season.
Bosley hit .278 on the year, but ranked first on the team and second in the conference in home runs (five). She ranked in the top ten in RBIs (24), while sitting second on the team in extra-base hits. The senior posted a career-high 13, tallying five long balls, six doubles and a pair of triples.
Behind the plate, the four-year starter was once again solid, posting a fielding percentage of .979 in 286 chances.
Mihalco earned her third-straight All-PAC honor, receiving honorable mention recognition for the second-consecutive season. The firstbaseman was one of just two Bison to appear in every game this season, starting in all 42 contests.
The senior showed off her ability to get on base, hitting .333 while ranking second in the conference in on-base percentage (.490). Mihalco showed great patience at the dish, walking a conference-best 30 times over the course of the year. She finished her four-year career with 79 total free passes, a new Bison record.
Defensively, Mihalco showed off her glove on a regular basis, committing just three errors in 264 total attempts. Her fielding percentage of .988 ranked in the top ten among all qualifying players in the PAC.
The Green & White finished the 2016 season with a 22-20 record, earning their way into the PAC Championship Tournament title game for the second-straight year. The Bison also recently earned a spot in the upcoming Eastern College Athletic Conference DIII South Regional Tournament, which will take place at Hood College, on Saturday and Sunday, May 14-15.
