2017-18 Division III Scholar-Athletes | 2017-18 Division III Academic Teams
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Nine members of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford softball team were honored as Easton National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Scholar-Athletes for the 2017-18 school year, officials announced.
"I'm very proud of the team for their success in the classroom," Head Coach Tina Phillips said. "With a roster of 23 players to be over a 3.314 GPA speaks volumes. But I'm especially proud of the nine who achieved All-Academic All-American. A total of nine is a great number and the largest that we have had here at Pitt-Bradford. Academics is a strong point of emphasis for our team and great to see that the players' hard work off the field is honored."
The nine players honored is the most in a single season and now 58 Panthers have received NFCA Scholar-Athlete recognition since Phillips took the helm in 2003-04.
For Pitt-Bradford, Gabby Carpenter (3.685), Kendra Colegrove (3.600), Betty Fratercangelo (3.900), Sophia Fratercangelo (3.737), Maddy Hillery (3.781), Kerrigan Hoffmann (3.742), Jessica Milliron (3.906), Melissa Nye (3.775) and Jordan Uhing (3.719) all earned status as NFCA Scholar-Athletes for earning a 3.5 GPA or higher for the school year.
For Betty Fratercangelo, Sophia Fratercangelo and Hillery, this marks the second-straight season receiving the honor.
Out of all three NCAA levels, junior college and high school, NCAA Division III led the way with 1,600 student-athletes earning a 3.5 grade-point average or higher for 2017-18.
Additionally, with an overall team GPA of 3.314, Pitt-Bradford qualified as an NFCA Academic Team. The Panthers' cumulative GPA is 77th best of NCAA Division III teams.
Carpenter appeared in 18 games and started 13 for the Panthers during her freshman season, knocking eight hits and scoring five runs. Also during her freshman season, Milliron saw time in 10 games and scored three runs.
Uhing and Hoffmann helped anchor the Panthers' pitching staff during their freshman campaigns last season, with Uhing leading the squad with five wins and 29 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched, and Hoffmann dealing 53.1 innings and striking out 13 for four wins.
Many innings tossed by Uhing and Hoffmann were to their classmate Colegrove behind the plate, who caught in 18 games and knocked a double and triple as part of her seven total hits.
A mainstay on the diamond for the Panthers, Betty Fratercangelo appeared in 28 games and started 26 while working a .416 on-base percentage and walking an AMCC-best 20 times. Her sister, Sophia Fratercangelo, played in 10 games and started eight while recording four hits and scoring two runs.
Nye appeared in 22 games her sophomore season and made 21 starts while recording 11 hits and driving in seven runs while scoring three.
Hillery caught fire and had one of the best performances in conference play her junior season, earning a spot on the All-AMCC First Team. She earned a .432 batting average in AMCC action, with her top performance of the season coming in a 4-for-5 game with two runs scored, three RBIs and a double to help power the Panthers to a win at La Roche (April 28).
In all, Pitt-Bradford went 14-18 and six AMCC victories in 2018.
