HADLEY, Mass. - Bowdoin's Anika Ewert was voted as the NESCAC Player of the Year while Sadie Leonard of Williams was named the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year. Tufts' Josie Steinberg was selected as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and Williams' Katie Blanch was selected as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The Middlebury staff was voted the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year by its peers.
Ewert is the second straight Polar Bear to garner the NESCAC Player of the Year honor and the third overall. Ewert led the NESCAC in batting average (.551), on-base percentage (.603), hits (76), runs (62), and stolen bases (51). The sophomore, who also earned a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team, finished the year slugging 1.204 and was one of three Polar Bears to start all 40 games. Ewert helped Bowdoin advance to the semifinals of the NESCAC Softball Championship for the first time since 2018.
Leonard repeats as the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year after earning the honor as a rookie in 2023. The sophomore, who is the fourth Ephs to claim Pitcher of the Year honors, helped Williams capture its second straight NESCAC Championship with an 11-strikeout performance while allowing just three hits in a 3-0 championship game win over Trinity. Leonard leads the NESCAC with a 0.74 ERA and 171 strikeouts. An All-NESCAC First Team performer for the second year in a row, Leonard has allowed a league-low 15 runs and 41 hits while limiting opponents to a .180 average this season as the Ephs head into NCAA Tournament action.
Steinberg is the first player in NESCAC history to be named the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year three consecutive seasons. A three-time All-NESCAC First Team selection, Steinberg owns a .965 fielding percentage with 102 assists and turned nine double plays this season while committing a league-low six errors. Steinberg also ranks second on the Jumbos with a .407 average and leads the team with 55 hits, 32 runs, and 15 doubles. Tufts was an at-large selection to the NCAA Softball Championship and will host a regional at Spicer Field.
Blanch is the fifth Williams player to be named NESCAC Rookie of the Year and an Eph has garnered the award for the second year in a row. Blanch, also named to the All-NESCAC First Team, ranks in the top 10 among the NESCAC hitters with a .384 average and owns a 1.45 ERA in the circle for Williams. Blanch has pitched nine complete games and worked 92 innings with 59 strikeouts. The newcomer earned a win in the Ephs' opening game of the NESCAC Softball Championship, tossing a four-hitter with nine strikeouts.
The Middlebury College coaches were named the Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers. It is the second time since 2011 that the Panther coaches have been recognized with the honor. Head coach Kelly Bevere, the winningest coach in program history, and assistant coaches Raeanna Dunn and Lilah Desabrais led Middlebury to the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC Softball Championship and the most wins in a season (23) since 2013.
2024 NESCAC Softball Awards
Player of the Year: Anika Ewert, Bowdoin
Pitcher of the Year: Sadie Leonard, Williams
Defensive Player of the Year: Josie Steinberg, Tufts
Rookie of the Year: Katie Blanch, Williams
Coaching Staff of the Year: Middlebury College
| All-NESCAC First Team |
| Pos- Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| P/1B - Katie Blanch |
Williams |
Fy. |
Rye, N.Y. |
|
| P/OF - Kristyn Carroll |
Middlebury |
So. |
Kinnelon, N.J. |
2023 1st Team |
| P - Sophia DiCocco |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Bozrah, Conn. |
2023 1st Team, 2022 PIOY, 2021 ROY, 2021 1st Team |
| OF - Anika Ewert |
Bowdoin |
So. |
Newport Coast, Calif. |
|
| P - Sky Johnson |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Pismo Beach, Calif. |
2023 2nd Team, 2022 1st Team |
| P - Sadie Leonard |
Williams |
So. |
Tiburon, Calif. |
2023 1st Team, 2023 PIOY, 2023 Co-ROY |
| SS - Taylor Mikolajczak |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Johns Creek, Ga. |
2023 2nd Team, 2022 ROY, 2022 1st Team |
| P/OF - Abby Orso |
Colby |
Sr. |
York Harbor, Maine |
2022 1st Team |
| UT - Kaitlyn Perucci |
Tufts |
So. |
Coto De Caza, Calif. |
|
| P/1B - Isabella Secaira-Cotto |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Valley Stream, N.Y. |
2022 2nd Team |
| IF - Elise Siciliano |
Bowdoin |
Fy. |
Shrewsbury, Mass. |
|
| UT - Josie Steinberg |
Tufts |
Gr. |
Larchmont, N.Y. |
2023 1st Team, 2023 DPOY, 2022 DPOY, 2022 1st Team |
| P/1B - Tiffany Stowers |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Burke, Va. |
|
| C - Chloe Wilcox |
Colby |
Sr. |
Windham, Maine |
2023 2nd Team, 2022 1st Team |
| All-NESCAC Second Team |
| Pos - Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| OF - Michelle Adelman |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Cooper City, Fla. |
2023 2nd Team, 2022 1st Team, 2021 1st Team |
| OF - Carissa Cassidy |
Colby |
So. |
Columbus, Ind. |
2023 2nd Team |
| C - Sydney Fleming |
Williams |
Jr. |
Burlingame, Calif. |
|
| C/IF - Megan Fox |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
| P - Kathleen Hester |
Bowdoin |
Fy. |
Tinley Park, Ill. |
|
| C/1B - Kennedy Jones |
Bates |
So. |
Ocean Springs, Miss. |
|
| P/IF - McKenna Lont |
Middlebury |
So. |
Wyckoff, N.J. |
|
| C/IF - Kelly McGuigan |
Williams |
Sr. |
San Mateo, Calif. |
2023 2nd Team, 2021 1st Team |
| OF - Jordan Merklin |
Hamilton |
So. |
Wind Gap, Pa. |
|
| 1B - Kennedy Rogers |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Phillips Ranch, Calif. |
|
| 2B/SS - Waverly Smart |
Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Franklin, Mass. |
|
| P/UT - Emma Tansky |
Hamilton |
Jr. |
Collegeville, Pa. |
|
| OF - Tayler Wise |
Williams |
Sr. |
Belmont, Calif. |
|
| UT - Emma Yen |
Bates |
So. |
Albertson, N.Y. |
|