Williams, Lange Lead Record A-10 Softball Award Haul
5/10/2022 3:00:00 PM | Softball
Five Colonials landed on All-Conference First Team
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - On the heels of GW softball's second straight Atlantic 10 regular season title, Alexa Williams and Sierra Lange were recognized with major conference awards on Tuesday, leading a record five All-Conference First Team picks for the Buff and Blue.
Williams was tabbed A-10 Player of the Year after leading the conference in RBIs and slugging percentage during the regular season, while Lange became the conference's first repeat Pitcher of the Year winner in a decade, adding another accolade to her still-growing resume in a spring in which she's again ranked among the national leaders in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
After leading the Buff and Blue to the top of the A-10 standings with a 21-3 mark in her first season at the helm, Head Coach Chrissy Schoonmaker was tabbed the conference's Coach of the Year.
Joining Williams and Lange on the All-Conference First Team were Alessandra Ponce, Hannah Eslick and Maddie Spell, surpassing the program's previous high of four honorees set last spring.
Spell claimed a spot on the All-Rookie Team, as well, and rounding out the honors, Lange, Ponce and Maddy Dwyer were recognized on the A-10 All-Academic Team.
"We are thrilled for our program to be recognized with these awards," said Schoonmaker, whose club closed the regular season with 27 wins in its last 30 games to sit at 33-13 overall. "This group has embodied the team mentality all year, and these honors are a direct reflection of this team's success and the work we have put in together. We're proud of all of our student-athletes and thank both the Atlantic 10 and our coaching colleagues for the recognition."
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Williams has followed up a tremendous rookie campaign with an even better sophomore season, highlighted by a .362/.412/.652 slash line with 46 RBIs, 38 runs, 10 home runs and 10 doubles in 43 games.
The sophomore outfielder homered in four straight games to begin A-10 play and finished with eight long balls in 21 conference games, including a pair of grand slams and a walk-off, three-run shot on April 30 to beat Saint Louis and clinch the regular season title. She was a two-time A-10 Player of the Week and finished the regular season among the top 25 nationally in RBIs per game, top 100 in runs per game and top 10 in toughest to strike out with just four Ks in 138 at-bats.
It's the third Player of the Year award for the program after back-to-back wins for Jenna Cone to close out her decorated career.
"Alexa Williams has had an incredible season offensively in the heart of our lineup while anchoring our outfield defense from multiple positions," Schoonmaker said. "At the plate, Alexa has a terrific ability to hit for both power and average, and she has stepped up in big moments all season long. She is an incredible teammate, a true competitor and a joy to coach."
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Closing out a record-breaking career in Buff and Blue, Lange has been sensational in the circle while serving as a catalyst out of the leadoff spot for the A-10's highest-scoring offense.
The graduate student from Plano, Texas, has compiled a 24-7 record thanks to a 2.28 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 187 1/3 innings. She went 16-2 in A-10 play with a 1.25 ERA across 112 innings, highlighted by four solo shutouts, including a no-hitter at UMass on Sunday to finish the regular season in style.
Lange collected four A-10 Pitcher of the Week awards this spring to give her 10 for her career, and this is her third All-Conference First Team nod. The veteran right-hander enters the conference championship with 91 wins, 747 strikeouts, 85 complete games and 17 shutouts, all GW career records and totals that put her among the top 30 of all active D-I student-athletes.
At the plate, Lange has been a force, compiling a .356/.446/.548 slash line with an A-10 leading 43 runs scored, 18 extra-base hits and a career-high 19 steals. She posted a team-high .510 on-base percentage in conference play and finished the regular season with a 12-game hitting streak.
She's the first repeat Pitcher of the Year award winner since Sara Plourde of UMass won three straight from 2010-12.
"Sierra Lange has earned her place among the best dual-threat players in the country," Schoonmaker said. "She has inked one of the most remarkable careers in our program's history and she continues to grow her all-around game. While Sierra leads us on the mound with her presence, her competitiveness and her will to win, she also hits at the top of our lineup as a table setter for our offense. Her command on the mound is impressive, she is a true student of the game and it's a privilege to be her coach."
With her First-Team nod at first base, Alessandra Ponce is the second in program history to earn All-Conference honors four times, joining her former teammate Cone.
The graduate student from Henderson, Nev., has authored a strong finish to an impressive career, hitting a team-high .372 while ranking in the top five in the A-10 in hits (55), RBIs (31) and slugging percentage (.561), boosted by 16 multi-hit and nine multi-RBI performances. Her 16 doubles are tied with Eslick for the A-10 lead, and earlier this season, she became the program's all-time leader in two-baggers and now has 58.
Ponce was previously named to the First Team last spring and the Second Team in 2018 and 2019.
In her fourth season representing the Buff and Blue, Eslick cracked the All-Conference list for the first time with a career-best offensive season while continuing to play strong defense at short.
The Glen Burnie, Md., native has slashed .317/.375/.453 with 20 RBIs and 24 runs. The 16 doubles put her tied for 17th nationally, and eight of them have come in conference play, including back-to-back contests with a pair of two-baggers at Rhode Island last month.
The seventh student-athlete in program history to be named to both the All-Conference and All-Rookie list, Spell has showcased power and a terrific knack for getting on base as the Buff and Blue's primary designated player in her first taste of collegiate action.
The Suwanee, Ga., native has a team-best .463 OBP thanks to 28 hits and 20 walks, and she's smacked nine extra-base hits, including homers in both ends of a doubleheader vs. Fordham on March 19 and a two-dinger performance last Saturday at UMass that included her first career grand slam.
Spell has also logged 22 innings as a pitcher, working to a 3.50 ERA. She won her first career start with a complete game at Delaware State last month.
In addition, GW's three All-Academic honors tied with Saint Louis for most in the conference. Seeking a master's in Management, Lange was honored for the second time in her career with fellow grad students Ponce (Paralegal Studies) and Dwyer (Media & Strategic Communication) on the list for the first time.
A transfer via Stanford, Dwyer has been an all-around excellent addition to the program, winning eight of her 14 starts in the circle and also collecting 28 hits as an everyday member of the lineup.
Looking to build on that shining regular season, GW begins its bid for a repeat A-10 Championship crown on Thursday, facing either No. 4 Saint Louis or No. 5 Dayton in a noon start at George Mason.
Williams was tabbed A-10 Player of the Year after leading the conference in RBIs and slugging percentage during the regular season, while Lange became the conference's first repeat Pitcher of the Year winner in a decade, adding another accolade to her still-growing resume in a spring in which she's again ranked among the national leaders in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
After leading the Buff and Blue to the top of the A-10 standings with a 21-3 mark in her first season at the helm, Head Coach Chrissy Schoonmaker was tabbed the conference's Coach of the Year.
Joining Williams and Lange on the All-Conference First Team were Alessandra Ponce, Hannah Eslick and Maddie Spell, surpassing the program's previous high of four honorees set last spring.
Spell claimed a spot on the All-Rookie Team, as well, and rounding out the honors, Lange, Ponce and Maddy Dwyer were recognized on the A-10 All-Academic Team.
"We are thrilled for our program to be recognized with these awards," said Schoonmaker, whose club closed the regular season with 27 wins in its last 30 games to sit at 33-13 overall. "This group has embodied the team mentality all year, and these honors are a direct reflection of this team's success and the work we have put in together. We're proud of all of our student-athletes and thank both the Atlantic 10 and our coaching colleagues for the recognition."
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Williams has followed up a tremendous rookie campaign with an even better sophomore season, highlighted by a .362/.412/.652 slash line with 46 RBIs, 38 runs, 10 home runs and 10 doubles in 43 games.
The sophomore outfielder homered in four straight games to begin A-10 play and finished with eight long balls in 21 conference games, including a pair of grand slams and a walk-off, three-run shot on April 30 to beat Saint Louis and clinch the regular season title. She was a two-time A-10 Player of the Week and finished the regular season among the top 25 nationally in RBIs per game, top 100 in runs per game and top 10 in toughest to strike out with just four Ks in 138 at-bats.
It's the third Player of the Year award for the program after back-to-back wins for Jenna Cone to close out her decorated career.
"Alexa Williams has had an incredible season offensively in the heart of our lineup while anchoring our outfield defense from multiple positions," Schoonmaker said. "At the plate, Alexa has a terrific ability to hit for both power and average, and she has stepped up in big moments all season long. She is an incredible teammate, a true competitor and a joy to coach."
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Closing out a record-breaking career in Buff and Blue, Lange has been sensational in the circle while serving as a catalyst out of the leadoff spot for the A-10's highest-scoring offense.
The graduate student from Plano, Texas, has compiled a 24-7 record thanks to a 2.28 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 187 1/3 innings. She went 16-2 in A-10 play with a 1.25 ERA across 112 innings, highlighted by four solo shutouts, including a no-hitter at UMass on Sunday to finish the regular season in style.
Lange collected four A-10 Pitcher of the Week awards this spring to give her 10 for her career, and this is her third All-Conference First Team nod. The veteran right-hander enters the conference championship with 91 wins, 747 strikeouts, 85 complete games and 17 shutouts, all GW career records and totals that put her among the top 30 of all active D-I student-athletes.
At the plate, Lange has been a force, compiling a .356/.446/.548 slash line with an A-10 leading 43 runs scored, 18 extra-base hits and a career-high 19 steals. She posted a team-high .510 on-base percentage in conference play and finished the regular season with a 12-game hitting streak.
She's the first repeat Pitcher of the Year award winner since Sara Plourde of UMass won three straight from 2010-12.
"Sierra Lange has earned her place among the best dual-threat players in the country," Schoonmaker said. "She has inked one of the most remarkable careers in our program's history and she continues to grow her all-around game. While Sierra leads us on the mound with her presence, her competitiveness and her will to win, she also hits at the top of our lineup as a table setter for our offense. Her command on the mound is impressive, she is a true student of the game and it's a privilege to be her coach."
With her First-Team nod at first base, Alessandra Ponce is the second in program history to earn All-Conference honors four times, joining her former teammate Cone.
The graduate student from Henderson, Nev., has authored a strong finish to an impressive career, hitting a team-high .372 while ranking in the top five in the A-10 in hits (55), RBIs (31) and slugging percentage (.561), boosted by 16 multi-hit and nine multi-RBI performances. Her 16 doubles are tied with Eslick for the A-10 lead, and earlier this season, she became the program's all-time leader in two-baggers and now has 58.
Ponce was previously named to the First Team last spring and the Second Team in 2018 and 2019.
In her fourth season representing the Buff and Blue, Eslick cracked the All-Conference list for the first time with a career-best offensive season while continuing to play strong defense at short.
The Glen Burnie, Md., native has slashed .317/.375/.453 with 20 RBIs and 24 runs. The 16 doubles put her tied for 17th nationally, and eight of them have come in conference play, including back-to-back contests with a pair of two-baggers at Rhode Island last month.
The seventh student-athlete in program history to be named to both the All-Conference and All-Rookie list, Spell has showcased power and a terrific knack for getting on base as the Buff and Blue's primary designated player in her first taste of collegiate action.
The Suwanee, Ga., native has a team-best .463 OBP thanks to 28 hits and 20 walks, and she's smacked nine extra-base hits, including homers in both ends of a doubleheader vs. Fordham on March 19 and a two-dinger performance last Saturday at UMass that included her first career grand slam.
Spell has also logged 22 innings as a pitcher, working to a 3.50 ERA. She won her first career start with a complete game at Delaware State last month.
In addition, GW's three All-Academic honors tied with Saint Louis for most in the conference. Seeking a master's in Management, Lange was honored for the second time in her career with fellow grad students Ponce (Paralegal Studies) and Dwyer (Media & Strategic Communication) on the list for the first time.
A transfer via Stanford, Dwyer has been an all-around excellent addition to the program, winning eight of her 14 starts in the circle and also collecting 28 hits as an everyday member of the lineup.
Looking to build on that shining regular season, GW begins its bid for a repeat A-10 Championship crown on Thursday, facing either No. 4 Saint Louis or No. 5 Dayton in a noon start at George Mason.
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