DANBURY, Conn. --- Moravian College senior first baseman Jenn Dalickas has been selected as the 2015 ECAC Division III South Softball Player of the Year for a second straight year while freshman pitcher Josie Novak was honored as the ECAC Division III South Co-Rookie of the Year as the pair along with senior outfielder Dior George were selected to the ECAC Division III South All-Star First Team.
The trio helped the Greyhounds to a 38-8 record this past spring with an 11-1 slate in the Landmark Conference regular season to earn the second seed in the Landmark Tournament. It was the 22nd consecutive season the program has won at least 23 games and the 21st straight year reaching the postseason. Moravian went on to win the Landmark Conference title, the NCAA Division III Rochester Regional championship and play in the NCAA Division III DePauw Super Regional before the season ended. It was program's 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and 15th conference championship.
Dalickas adds two more honors to her 2015 postseason that includes being a First Team Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-American, her second straight All-America selection after being on the Second Team a year ago. She was also on the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region First Team for the fourth straight season and first time in the Atlantic Region, and Dalickas made the Landmark All-Conference First Team for a fourth straight year and was honored as the Landmark Player of the Year for a second consecutive spring. She is now a four-time ECAC All-Star selection after being on the First Team in 2012 and 2014 when she was named the Player of the Year and the Second Team in 2013.
Dalickas, led Moravian with a .465 batting average to go along with 53 hits, 44 runs, 14 doubles, nine home runs, 34 RBIs, 94 total bases, an .825 slugging percentage, a school record 52 walks and a school record .642 on-base percentage in 2015. Dalickas, who played first base for the second straight spring after being an outfielder as a freshman and a designated player as a sophomore, had 265 putouts and 11 assists in the field. Dalickas tied or set 14 school records including career marks for home runs (35), total bases (373), slugging percentage (.804), walks (89), on-base percentage (.535) and doubles (53 – tied with Janelle Brey '04).
"Jenn had outstanding final season to cap off an illustrious career," commented Head Coach John Byrne. "She was frustrated by teams trying to pitch around her but to have nearly as many walks as hits means that you're getting on base, which was a key to our success when we moved her to the lead off position. Jenn improved so much in her career, especially at the plate where she learn to take the outside pitch the opposite way with power. We are going to miss her in the line-up next season but she is always a pair of this program."
Novak, who was also the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year while earning sports on the Landmark All-Conference First Team and NFCA All-Atlantic Region Third Team, posted a 19-6 record in her debut season in the circle for the Greyhounds as she tied for sixth in school history for victories in a season. Novak, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Rochester Regional, had a 1.77 ERA with six shutouts in 27 appearances with 21 complete games including a no-hitter of Bates (Maine) College on March 12. Novak struck out 162 batters, the seventh most in a single season and 11th in school history at Moravian, and allowed just 37 walks in 158.1 innings of action (sixth in a single season).
"Josie gave us a number of quality outings this spring and kept us in every game she pitched. She was a valuable part of our success this season," stated Byrne. "Josie gave us a strikeout pitcher that we haven't had in a couple of years, and she has command of a number of pitches that keeps opposing hitters off balance.."
George, who is now a four-time ECAC All-Star as well after earning a spot on the First Team in 2012 and 2014 and the Second Team in 2013, also made the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Atlantic Region Third Team this spring after being on the First Team last year and the Second Team the previous two seasons in the East Region. George was selected to the Landmark All-Conference First Team in each of her four seasons, and she was the 2012 Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year to go along with being on the NCAA Rochester Regional All-Tournament Team this spring.
George became the second player in school history to reach 200 career, later joined by Dalickas as the third, and George finished second in school history with 214 hits while scoring a school record 185 runs. She is hit .368 this season to go with a team-high 56 hits, 42 runs, seven doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 13 walks, 10 stolen bases and 39 RBIs. George added 51 putouts from her center field position. In her career, George finished with 47 stolen bases (tied for second in school history), and she is third in school history with 48 doubles, 544 at-bats, and 313 total bases and tied for sixth with 13 home runs.
"Dior put together a great career and 2015 was a fitting final chapter in that story," Byrne said. "She was our leadoff batter for three years and the beginning of the season but willingly moved to third in the line-up after Jenn started drawing so many walks. Dior showed that she has power and drove in some key runs for us. She also kept a lot of balls from hitting the ground in the outfield and has an arm that will throw out a runner that tries for an extra base."
To view the entire 2015 ECAC South All-Star Team, visit http://www.ecacsports.com/sports/sball/2015/All-Stars/south.
