Five Student-Athletes Earn USCAA All-American Awards, Kirschner Named Coach of the Year
Dubois, PA -- Five Student-Athletes Earn USCAA All-American Awards, Kirschner Named Coach of the Year.
At yesterday's USCAA Small College World Series banquet, five student-athletes were awarded with USCAA All-American awards and Head Softball Coach, Andy Kirschner was named USCAA Softball Coach of the Year.
For baseball, juniors, Scott Hughes and Justyn Francona earned 2nd team and honorable mention respectively. Hughes led the team in batting average, hitting .442 this season which was also 9th in the USCAA. He was also inside the top six in the PSUAC in doubles (12). Scott also made impacts from the mound working as both a starting pitcher as well as in relief. Justyn Francona was the second player honored, being named Honorable Mention All-American. Francona also pulled double duty, hitting .310 and leading the team in RBI's with 23. He also led the team in triples (3) and home runs (2). From the mound he threw 3.26 this season, going 4-2 in 9 appearances.
On the softball side, freshman Tyler Johnson earned honorable mention playing in 42 games so far this season (leading the USCAA). She is also in the top five in the USCAA in at bats (132), triples (6), RBI's (46) and is batting .379 on the year while starting at the short stop for the Lady Lions this season. Michelle Cisco, also a freshman, earned a 2nd Team All-American award for her performance from the plate, batting .453 this season in 106 at bats. She is fourth in the USCAA in doubles with 14. Rounding out the group is senior, Vanessa Jackson who has been the go-to pitcher for the Lady Lions this season. In 28 appearances she has gone 18-3 in her 21 starts, leading the association in wins. She is also third in the nation in ERA, throwing 1.89 to date and is 5th in strikeouts with 102.
Earning Coach of the Year, Andy Kirschner led his team to their best record this season, going 29-11 in the regular season and earning the #1 seed in the west going into the PSUAC tournament. In the nation, the team leads in at bats (1145), hits (401), RBI's (286) and stolen bases (114). They are also in the top 5 in runs (308), doubles (72) and triples (17). For that performance, the team earned the #4 seed going into the 2019 Small College World Series, their highest seed in recent years.