Softball 5/7/2008 4:00:00 AM Canisius College Athletics

Softball Sweeps MAAC Postseason Honors

STRATFORD, Conn. ? Canisius senior Katie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y) was named the MAAC's Co-Player of the Year while teammates Juliette Bowers (Morgan Hill, Calif.) and Lauren Hope (Los Osos, Calif.) were named the MAAC's Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year, the league announced at its annual awards banquet Thursday morning. Head coach Mike Rappl was named the 2008 Anaconda Sports MAAC Coach of the Year after he guided the Golden Griffins to a 35-12 overall record and a school-best 15-1 mark in conference action.

Miranto (pictured) and Bowers were named to the All-MAAC First Team, where they were joined by teammate Jenny Maheu (Hollister, Calif.). Hope was selected to the All-MAAC Second Team along with Michelle Fridey (Williamsville, N.Y.), Emily Helbig (Marina, Calif.) and Cameron Norton (Las Lomas, Calif.). Canisius' seven honorees were the most of any team in the league.

Miranto was named the conference's Co-Player of the Year after she led the league with her .409 batting average. She recorded 63 hits, a league-high 49 runs scored and drove in 35 runs in 47 starts as Canisius posted its third-straight MAAC regular season crown and the 12th regular season title in the last 15 years. Against MAAC schools, the senior second baseman hit .429 with two doubles, two triples, two home runs, 23 runs scored and 23 stolen bases. She enters the conference's postseason tournament with a school record 220 career hits and 156 runs scored. A two-time MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Miranto has been named to the conference's first team in each of the last three seasons and stands as the first Griff to earn MAAC Player of the Year honors since Jen Silata was recognized during the 1997 campaign.

Bowers posted a league-best 18-1 record in the circle with a 1.96 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 125 innings of work. Her 18 wins are the most for a Canisius pitcher since 2000, and against MAAC opponents this season, the junior hurler recorded an 8-0 record with a 1.60 ERA in 43.2 innings.

Bowers is the second-straight Canisius pitcher and the third Griff in the last four years to be named the league's top pitcher, joining Andrea Bunten (2005) and Courtney Piar (2007).

Hope is just the second Canisius freshman in school history to receive Rookie of the Year accolades and the first since 2001. The 5-foot-2 outfielder ranked third on the team with her .342 batting average with 53 hits and 40 runs scored. Hope also set a new Canisius single-season record with 35 stolen bases, which ties her for fifth in career steals after her first 47 collegiate games. In her first 16 career MAAC games, Hope led the Blue and Gold with her .500 batting average and led the conference with 18 steals on 19 attempts.

Maheu's first-team recognition marks the second-straight year she's been named to the league's top postseason awards group. She ranked second on the roster with her .396 batting average and 61 hits, while also ranking second on the squad with 19 stolen bases to go with 10 doubles and 21 RBIs. Canisius was one of three schools to have three players named to the first team, joining Fairfield and Niagara.

Fridey led the Griffs with her team-high 37 RBIs en route to being named to the All-MAAC Second Team. In her first year as a Griff, the sophomore catcher/designated player hit .331 with a team-leading 12 doubles. Helbig started 38 games for the Blue and Gold and closed out the regular season with a .337 batting average, and her .476 batting average in MAAC games was second best on the team. Joining Hope, Fridey and Helbig on the second team is Cameron Norton, who has earned All-MAAC honors in each of her first three seasons as a Griff. She hit .304 with five doubles, two homers and 31 runs batted in.

Rappl was named the MAAC's Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career, which leads all conference head coaches. In his 29 years, the Canisius graduate has compiled a career record of 687-373-2 with a 272-78 record in MAAC games. This season, Canisius reached the 30-win marks for the eighth time in school history and starts the MAAC Tournament two wins shy of passing the program's single-season record for victories.

In addition to the on-field honors, seven Griffs were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team as well. Mallory Aldred (Whitby, Ont.), Ashley Bonetto (Orchard Park, N.Y.), Brittany Bonetto (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and Jess Stackhouse (Warsaw, N.Y.) joined Bowers, Miranto and Norton on the league's top academic squad. To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.

The top-seeded Griffs open play at the MAAC Tournament Thursday afternoon when the team meets No. 4 Marist in the second game of the event's first day. First pitch at DeLuca Field in Stratford, Conn., is set for 3 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#28 Courtney Piar: P; 5' 8"; Redshirt

#7 Mallory Aldred: P; 5' 7"; Junior

#6 Ashley Bonetto: IF; 5' 3"; Senior

#21 Brittany Bonetto: OF; 5' 3"; Senior

#36 Juliette Bowers: P; 5' 10"; Junior

#17 Michelle Fridey: C/DP; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#33 Emily Helbig: IF; 5' 9"; Freshman

#28 Lauren Hope: OF; 5' 2"; Freshman

#73 Jenny Maheu: OF; 5' 2"; Junior

#9 Katie Miranto: IF; 5' 7"; Senior

#5 Cameron Norton: IF; 5' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#28 Courtney Piar
: 5' 8"; Redshirt
: P

#7 Mallory Aldred
: 5' 7"; Junior
: P

#6 Ashley Bonetto
: 5' 3"; Senior
: IF

#21 Brittany Bonetto
: 5' 3"; Senior
: OF

#36 Juliette Bowers
: 5' 10"; Junior
: P

#17 Michelle Fridey
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: C/DP

#33 Emily Helbig
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: IF

#28 Lauren Hope
: 5' 2"; Freshman
: OF

#73 Jenny Maheu
: 5' 2"; Junior
: OF

#9 Katie Miranto
: 5' 7"; Senior
: IF

#5 Cameron Norton
: 5' 10"; Junior
: IF