Boston College Athletics
BIG EAST honors softball's best
May 13, 2005 | Softball
May 13, 2005
South Bend, Ind. - The BIG EAST Conference honored its best in softball Thursday at the pre-championship awards brunch held in conjunction with the 2005 BIG EAST Softball Championship at Ivy Field on the campus of Notre Dame University in Indiana.
As announced by the conference office, Seton Hall's Laura Taylor was named Player of the Year. Notre Dame's Steffany Stenglein was named Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive year and Syracuse's Erin Downey was Rookie of the Year. The Orange coaching staff of Mary Jo Firnbach, Jodie Cox, and Kim Doran was honored as Coaching Staff of the Year.
Syracuse earned four of the 12 All-BIG EAST first team slots while Notre Dame (3), and Seton Hall (2) each got multiple nominees to the first team. Boston College placed two players on the All-BIG EAST second and third team squads. Sophomore utility player Ashley Obrest (Elmwood Park, Ill.) earned a spot on the second team while junior outfielder Kimmy Hopkin (Dove Canyon, Calif.) appeared on the third team.
Obrest, appearing on her first All-BIG EAST team, hit .278 on the season with a team-leading 28 RBI. She belted 18 extra-base hits, including a team-high seven home runs. In addition, she made just eight errors on the year, seeing time at both second base and catcher.
Hopkin, another first-time conference honoree, hit .311 for the season with 46 hits, 18 RBI, and 25 runs scored. Hopkin belted 12 extra-base hits, including four homers. She made just one error all season, anchoring head coach Jen Finley's outfield.
The Eagles finished the regular season with a 20-25 overall mark and a 6-10 BIG EAST record.
