Posted: 05/08/2012
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Patriot League announced its softball All-League teams and major award winners on Tuesday and regular season champion Lehigh is well represented. Senior shortstop Jen Colquhoun was named the league’s Player of the Year, leading nine Mountain Hawks who were named to the All-League teams. Head coach Fran Troyan also garnered his fourth career Coach of the Year award.
The Mountain Hawks won their 17th Patriot League regular season title in 2012 and will host the league tournament beginning Thursday at Kaufman Field.
Colquhoun has put together one of the finest offensive single seasons in school history, as she becomes Lehigh’s sixth Patriot League Player of the Year and it’s first since classmate Julie Fernandez in 2010. She has tied a Lehigh single-season record with 13 home runs and leads the Patriot League in home runs, RBI (47) and triples (six) and runs scored (48). Colquhoun is tied with Fernandez for the league lead with 69 hits and ranks second in the league and 11th nationally with a .442 batting average.
The Oak Park, Calif. native appeared in 18 of Lehigh’s 20 league games batting a league-best .533 with five home runs and 25 RBI in those games. Colquhoun also becomes a four-time All-Patriot League selection at shortstop and a three-time first team selection.
Troyan was honored as the league’s Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his 17 seasons as the Mountain Hawks’ mentor. Under Troyan’s direction, Lehigh shook off a 1-6 start to finish the regular season at 37-17 overall, while posting an 18-2 Patriot League mark to win the regular season title by four games. Lehigh boasts the league’s top offense (.317 team avg.) and pitching staff (1.79 ERA) and have been tough to beat at home this year, as the Mountain Hawks are 16-2 at Kaufman Field and are riding a 12-game home winning streak, which is one of the longest in the nation. Troyan was previously won this award in 1997, 2005 and most recently, he shared the award in 2007.
Lehigh’s nine All-League selections included seven first-team honorees. Colquhoun was joined on the first team by classmates Fernandez and Audra Wood.
Fernandez became just the league’s ninth four-time, first-team All-Patriot League selection for her standout work at first base. She leads the Patriot League and ranks tenth nationally with a .445 batting average. Fernandez is tied for the league lead in hits (69) and is tied for the Lehigh and Patriot League single season doubles record (21) along with the school and league career hits mark (257).
Wood garners her third career All-League honor and her second first-team nod. Lehigh’s left fielder and leadoff hitter came on late in the season to finish with a .294 batting average and 45 runs scored. Wood was especially strong in league play with a .411 batting average and 25 runs scored in 20 games.
Also named to the first team were juniors Becca Bliss, Liz Lucas and Rosie Roessel and freshman Cassie Waggy.
Bliss was one of two pitchers on the first team after going 10-0 with a sparkling 0.57 ERA in league play. She had a hand in five shutouts and also recorded a save in 61 innings of league action. Overall Bliss led the Mountain Hawks in wins with a 17-6 record used her strong league performance to lower her overall ERA to 1.84. Bliss is a three-time All-League selection and a two-time first-team pick.
Lucas re-established herself late in the season as one of the league’s top run producers as she earns first team honors at catcher for the second straight year. She batted .353 with 13 doubles, five home runs and 36 RBI. Lucas led Lehigh with 27 RBI in Patriot League games.
Roessel garners first team honors for the first time in her career, and earns All-Patriot League accolades for the second time overall. Lehigh’s centerfielder and leadoff hitter, Roessel ranked third on the Mountain Hawks with a .356 average and added 57 hits and 33 runs scored. She also stole a team-best 20 bases. Roessel also hit an impressive .456 in 18 league games.
Waggy earned a spot on the All-League first team as the designated player. She batted .348 overall with 23 RBI, while in league play she batted .354 with four doubles and ten RBI.
On the second team, Lehigh was represented by freshmen Emily Bausher and Emma Capetz.
Bausher put up some impressive numbers in her freshman season, with a Patriot League leading 1.67 ERA in 159 innings of work. She owns a 16-10 record with a team-leading 183 strikeouts. Bausher had a hand in nine shutouts this season, including a no-hitter versus South Dakota in early March. In league play, Bausher was 7-2 with a 1.22 ERA and struck out 66 while walking just nine in 51.2 innings. Bausher did not allow a run in six of her seven league wins.
Capetz enjoyed a strong rookie campaign after settling in as Lehigh’s second baseman, while also filling in at shortstop and third base. She hit .297 in 52 games with five doubles, a home run and 12 RBI and hit .319 in league games.
The Mountain Hawks will open up the Patriot League tournament against rival Lafayette Thursday at noon from Kaufman Field. Live audio of the contest and all of Lehigh’s Patriot League tournament action will be available through Patriot League All-Access.