Piancastelli Earns Second Consecutive Southland Softball Player of the Year Honors
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – McNeese State freshman catcher Erika Piancastelli has been named the 2016 Southland Conference Softball Player and Hitter of the Year by vote of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced Monday in conjunction with the release of the all-conference softball teams.
Pitcher of the year honors went to Nicholls senior Hannah Haydel while teammate Amanda Gianelloni was named the league’s top freshman. Lamar junior Ciara Luna was tabbed newcomer of the year and Nicholls head coach Angel Santiago was named coach of the year.
For the third consecutive year, a McNeese softball player has been named both player and hitter of the year. Piancastelli, a native of Carlsbad, Calif. (Carlsbad H.S.), becomes the second Southland softball player in history to earn both honors in consecutive years. While earning first-team all-conference honors, the sophomore led the league in several statistical categories including home runs (21), slugging percentage (.967), runs scored (64), on-base percentage (.585), and walks (59). The sophomore ranks second in the nation in home runs and slugging percentage and seventh in on-base percentage by reaching base in 37 of the last 40 games. She has already become McNeese’s career home run leader with her 39th career home run in the regular-season series finale. She earned player of the week honors three times this season and is a Top 25 Finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year. She was named to the CoSIDA All-Academic All-District first team.
Haydel becomes the fourth Nicholls player to be chosen as pitcher of the year. The native of Ama, La. (Hahnville H.S.), led the league in conference play with an earned run average of 1.24 as she compiled a 15-2 record in 118.2 innings pitched. The senior is the ace of the Colonel pitching staff, which enters the tournament ranked 8th in the NCAA in ERA (1.88). She is the first Nicholls player to win 20 games since 1998 and was named pitcher of the week a league-high three times. In addition to being named pitcher of the year, Haydel was selected to the all-conference first team and CoSIDA All-Academic All-District first team.
Freshman of the year honors went to Nicholls shortstop Amanda Gianelloni. In conference play, the rookie led the Colonels in runs (20), triples (four), home runs (four), RBIs (17), and slugging percentage (.679), and was second in batting average (.385). Her first season was highlighted by a grand slam and player of week honors. Gianelloni is the only freshman to be named to the first-team all-conference.
Newcomer Ciara Luna made an immediate impact on the Lamar pitching staff. Luna’s 2.57 ERA is a single-season Lamar modern-era record. The Seguin, Texas, native and Navarro College transfer’s .682 winning percentage is a single-season school mark. Her four shutouts this season tied the single-season mark set by Karen Castilaw in 1984. Luna went 10-3 in league play to help the Cardinals finish 18-9 in the conference to earn the No. 3 seed in the tournament, their best seed in the four years since reviving the program in 2013.
Nicholls head softball coach Angel Santiago becomes the third coach in program history to earn coach of the year after guiding the program to its first tournament appearance since 2010. Santiago led the Colonels to a 21-5 record in conference play and a 38-15 overall mark on the year. Under his guidance, Nicholls earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament after being picked to finish seventh and eighth in the preseason polls.
A total of 12 players made a return appearance to the all-conference teams, led by four-time all-conference selections Southeastern outfielder Katie Lacour and second basemen Sarah Bigej from Central Arkansas. They are accompanied by three-time selections Nicholls outfielder Danielle Phillips, UCA second baseman Sam Forrest, and Northwestern State first baseman Brittany Jones. Seven additional players made their second all-conference appearance including Piancastelli, fellow McNeese pitcher Emily Vincent, Stephen F. Austin first basemen Brittany Lewis, Abilene Christian shortstop Peyton Hedrick, UCA catcher Jessie Taylor, ACU outfielder Taylor Brown, NSU outfielder Kellye Kincannon and UCA outfielder Briana Whisenhunt.
McNeese leads all teams with eight all-conference selections, with three on the first team. Nicholls claims five selections while Lamar has four, with both teams boasting a first-team selection. Central Arkansas also placed five players and Northwestern State and Abilene Christian each have three. UIW and Sam Houston State had two selections each while Southeastern Louisiana and Houston Baptist received one all-conference selection.
The 2016 Southland Conference Softball Tournament is slated get underway Wednesday, May 11, at the Cowgirl Diamond on the campus of McNeese in Lake Charles, La., with game one starting at 11 a.m. The tournament host Cowgirls won their third Southland regular-season championship in four years and is the No. 1 seed while Nicholls claimed the No. 2 seed. The tournament consists of a six-team double elimination format with the winner punching its ticket to the NCAA Championship.
The first nine games of the 2016 Southland Softball Tournament will be streamed live for free on the Southland Conference Digital Network, including
Southland.org/watch and the league’s mobile and tablet apps. The championship round will be an exclusive presentation of ESPN3, available via
WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. Chris Mycoskie, Assistant Commissioner of Television and Electronic Media for the Southland Conference, will handle play-by play for all games. Former University of Houston outfielder Sidney Gerbracht will join him for the championship as the color analyst.
2016 All-Southland Conference Softball Teams
| First Team |
|
|
|
| Pos. |
Name |
University |
Class |
Hometown |
| 1B |
Brittany Lewis2 |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
Allen, Texas |
| 2B |
Hailey Drew |
McNeese |
So. |
Fallbrook, Calif. |
| 3B |
Breanna Homer |
Sam Houston State |
Jr. |
LaGrange, Texas |
| SS |
Amanda Gianelloni |
Nicholls |
Fr. |
Napoleonville, La. |
| C |
Brynn Baca |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Round Rock, Texas |
| UT |
Erika Piancastelli2 |
McNeese |
So. |
Carlsbad, Calif. |
| DP |
Morgan Catron |
McNeese |
So. |
Mineola, Texas |
| OF |
Brittany Rodriguez |
Lamar |
So. |
Spring, Texas |
| OF |
Danielle Phillips3 |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Resaca, Ga. |
| OF |
Katie Lacour4 |
Southeastern La. |
Sr. |
Port. St. Joe, Florida |
| P |
Hannah Haydel |
Nicholls |
Sr. |
Ama, La. |
| P |
Emily Vincent2 |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Sulphur, La. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Second Team |
|
|
|
| 1B |
Libby Brown |
Houston Baptist |
So. |
Houston, Texas |
| 2B |
Kelly Meeuwsen |
Lamar |
Fr. |
Hillsboro, Ore. |
| 3B |
Sam Forrest3 |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Broken Arrow, Okla. |
| SS |
Peyton Hedrick2 |
Abilene Christian |
So. |
Fortney, Texas |
| C |
Jessie Taylor2 |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Bryant, Ark. |
| UT |
Veronica Villafranco |
Nicholls |
Fr. |
Spring, Texas |
| DP |
Gretchen Morgan |
Nicholls |
Fr. |
Southlake, Texas |
| OF |
Taylor Brown2 |
Abilene Christian |
Jr. |
Richland Hills, Texas |
| OF |
Kellye Kincannon2 |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Lake Jackson, Texas |
| OF |
Marisa Taunton |
McNeese |
Jr. |
Beaumont, Texas |
| P |
Ciara Luna |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Seguin, Texas |
| P |
Jamie Allred |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Hallsville, Texas |
|
|
|
|
|
| Third Team |
|
|
|
| 1B |
Brittany Jones3 |
Northwestern State |
Jr. |
Bryan, Texas |
| 2B |
Sarah Bigej4 |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Happy Valley, Ore. |
| 3B |
Taylor Leflore |
Stephen F. Austin |
Jr. |
Fortney, Texas |
| SS |
Taylor Goree |
McNeese |
Sr. |
Lake Charles, La. |
| C |
Katie Doerre |
Sam Houston State |
Sr. |
Tomball, Texas. |
| UT |
Mikaela Flores |
UIW |
Jr. |
Lockhart, Texas |
| DP |
Alex Alonzo |
UIW |
Jr. |
San Antonio, Texas |
| OF |
Justyce McClain |
McNeese |
Fr. |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| OF |
Briana Whisenhunt2 |
Central Arkansas |
Jr. |
Crandall, Texas |
| OF |
Natalie Landry |
Northwestern State |
Sr. |
Denham Springs, La. |
| P |
Hannah Null |
Abilene Christian |
So. |
Highland Village, Texas |
| P |
Shivan Landeros |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Reno, Nevada |
2 Two-time all-conference selection
3 Three-time all-conference selection
4 Four-time all-conference selection
Honorable Mention –
First Base: Alexis Huss, Nicholls.
Second Base: Demi Janak, Houston Baptist; Dani Allen, Sam Houston State.
Third Base: Shelby Swenson, UIW.
Shortstop: Stephanie Meeuwsen, Lamar.
Catcher: Taylor Fraccastoro, Stephen F. Austin.
Utility Player: Holly Neese, Abilene Christian.
Outfield: Danielle Ramirez, UIW; Jenna Holland, Lamar; Kinsey Nicholls, Southeastern Louisiana.
Pitcher: Megan Landry, Nicholls.
Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Erika Piancastelli, McNeese
Hitter of the Year: Erika Piancastelli, McNeese
Pitcher of the Year: Hannah Haydel, Nicholls
Freshman of the Year: Amanda Gianelloni, Nicholls
Newcomer of the Year: Ciara Luna, Lamar
Coach of the Year: Angel Santiago, Nicholls