TOWSON, Md. --- Moravian College junior first baseman Jenn Dalickas has been selected as the 2014 Landmark Conference Softball Player of the Year, and Dalickas is one of nine Greyhounds to earn All-Conference accolades.
Dalickas was named to the First Team for the second time in three years and is joined on the First Team this spring by senior second baseman Eavan Matz, senior third baseman Rachel DeLucia, senior designated player Cassie Ernst, junior center fielder Dior George and junior utility player Lizzie Mack. Senior right fielder Miranda Sergas, sophomore left fielder Mary Schlosbon and sophomore pitcher Lindsay Sullivan were named to the Second Team.
"It says a lot about the quality of the team when you have nine players named to the All-Conference squads," stated 21st-year Head Coach John Byrne. "They have all had very good seasons at the plate, in the field and in the circle. We wouldn't be heading to the postseason for the 20th straight year without each one of them contributing game in and game out."
Dalickas, who moved to first base this spring after being an outfielder and designated player the last two years, leads a potent Moravian offense that is ranked first in the nation with a .389 batting average, second with a .588 slugging percentage and fourth in scoring at 8.12 runs per game. Dalickas his hitting a team-high .510, which is 13th in the nation, with 51 hits this season, and she has scored 37 runs and drawn 17 walks for a .581 on-base percentage (12th in the country). Dalickas is tied for the team-lead with 11 doubles, and she has connected on a school-record 12 home runs (tied for seventh in the nation). Her two triples give Dalickas a 1.020 slugging percentage which ranks second nationally. Dalickas, who was on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team in 2013 after being on the First Team in 2012, has also driven in a school-record 53 runs this season and is second in the country in RBIs per game at 1.56. Dalickas also has 196 putouts and six assists in her first year as a first baseman.
"Jenn has been seeing the ball very well all season," Byrne said. "She is hitting for power, and taking the ball the opposite way when teams try to pitch her outside. Everyone else in the line-up is hitting so teams really can't pitch around her, and that is making Jenn an even more dangerous part of our line-up since she's usually coming up with runners on base."
Matz made the All-Conference Team for the first time in her career this spring. She is hitting a career-best .407 with 24 hits, 13 runs, five sacrifices, four doubles, the first home run of her life and 17 RBIs. Matz is a three-year starter for the Greyhounds at second base where she has 78 putouts and 55 assists so far this season.
DeLucia also made the All-Conference Team for the first time this season. She has a career-high .449 average this spring with 31 hits, 21 runs, seven doubles, six home runs and 25 RBIs. DeLucia has made 18 putouts and 42 assists in the field.
Ernst, who has split time at designated player and catcher this spring, is on the All-Conference First Team for the third straight year, and she is a four-time All-Conference honoree after being on the Second Team as a freshman in 2011. Ernst is hitting .354 this season with 23 hits, 19 runs, six doubles, a homer and 15 RBIs. Ernst has also drawn 12 walks and been hit seven times for a .494 on-base percentage. She has been hit by a pitch a school record 57 times in her career including an NCAA Division III record 26 times last year. Ernst has added 42 putouts and six assists when behind the plate this spring.
George is on the All-Conference First Team for the third consecutive year and was the 12th player in school history to reach 150 career hits earlier this season, and George has set the school record in runs scored with 143. She is hitting .443 from the leadoff position with 43 hits, 42 runs, 11 doubles, three triples, a pair of home runs, 13 walks and 97 RBIs. George has 42 putouts and three assists from her center field position.
Mack makes the All-Conference First Team for the first time in her career after being on the Second Team a year ago. This spring, Mack has seen action in the circle, at first base, in the outfield and as a designated player. Mack, who wasn't in the pitching rotation at the beginning of the year, has a 4-0 record with 15 strikeouts and a 2.97 ERA in 30.2 innings of action. At the plate, Mack is hitting .333 with 23 hits, 28 runs, six doubles, a triple, a home run, 10 walks and 19 RBIs. She also has 13 putouts and 10 assists in the field.
Sergas is now a four-time All-Conference honoree after being on the First Team her first three years at Moravian. She is hitting .390 this spring with 39 hits, 26 runs, nine doubles, a triple, seven sacrifices and 22 RBIs. Last Saturday, Sergas became the 13th player in school history to reach 150 career hits. She has made 30 putouts and four assists from her right field position.
Schlosbon made the All-Conference Team for the first time this spring in her first season as a starter in left field. She is hitting .434 with 33 hits, 24 runs, a double, three triples and eight RBIs. Schlosbon, who hits second in the lineup behind George, has a team high 15 sacrifices this season. She also has 27 putouts and one assist in the field.
Sullivan also made the All-Conference for the first time this year. She has posted an 8-0 mark in the circle with a 1.92 ERA, two shutouts and 18 strikeouts in 43.2 innings of action. At the plate, Sullivan is hitting .423 with 11 hits, nine runs, a double and seven RBIs. She has 11 putouts and 12 assists this spring while also seeing some action at first base.
Moravian is 28-6 on the year and will be the second seed in the 2014 Landmark Conference Tournament after posting a 9-3 regular season mark in Landmark action. The Greyhounds will open the tournament on Friday, May 2 with a first round game versus third seed The Catholic University of America starting at 1:00 p.m. at top seed and host Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove.
