WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University softball team, in the midst of their best season in nearly a decade, earned several accolades from the University Athletic Association today. Head coach Danielle DelPonte and her staff were selected as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year, while junior pitcher Scottie Todd of Tampa, Florida, was named the UAA Pitcher of the Year. Todd, rookie pitcher Sydney Goldman of Sherman Oaks, California, and sophomore shortstop Jolie Fujita of Honolulu, Hawaii, were first-team All-Association honorees, while senior catcher Keri Lehtonen of Oneco, Connecticut, and rookie third baseman Marley Felder of Miami, Florida, were named to the second team.
DelPonte and assistant coaches Emily Kraytenberg, Kelly Fluet and Amanda Genovese were honored for helping to lead the Judges to a 27-6-1 record, and a second-place finish in the league with a 10-6 record. The Judges' 27 wins are their most since 2012 and tied for fifth-most in program history. The Judges were ranked as high as 20th in Division III this season, at one point topping the NCAA New England Regional poll.
Todd earned UAA Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-Association accolades after two second-team All-UAA selections. She finished second in the conference in ERA at 2.02 and tied for fourth in wins with 12, posting a 12-4 record. Her 61 strikeouts were also fourth in the league. Todd was also a threat for the Judges at the plate, finishing third in the league in home runs (5), on base percentage (.473) and slugging percentage (.653). She was seventh with a .400 batting average and drove in a 25 runs, ranking second on the team and 10th in the league.
Goldman was terrific in her rookie season, going 13-2,to tie for the league lead in victories. Her 2.09 ERA was third behind Todd, while her 101 strikeouts were also third in the conference. Goldman turned in just the sixth 100-strikeout season in school history. Goldman won her first 13 decisions of the season before dropping the final two. She threw a complete game in all 15 of her starts and allowed two or fewer earned runs in 12 of them.
Fujita finished second in the league in batting with a .421 average. She led the Judges in hits (48), at bats (114), runs (34) and RBI (26). Fujita was third in the league in runs, fourth in hits, and eighth in RBI. She also placed fifth in on-base percentage (.461) and slugging percentage (.614). Fujita hit safely in 24 of 32 games this season, with multiple hits in 15 of them. She drove in runs in 15 games as well, including a pair of four RBI games early in the season, and scored runs in 24 contests.
Lehtonen was an All-UAA selection for the third time in her career, having earned first-team honors as a freshman and second-team honors last year. She hit .301 this season with a league-leading 15 doubles, adding two triples and a home to run to finish with a .426 on-base percentage and a .515 slugging percentage. Lehtonen was second on the team with 27 runs scored – good for 11th in the UAA – and tied for third on the squad and 12th in the conference in the UAA with 22 RBI. She also led Brandeis with seven stolen bases, tied for 11th in the league.
Felder was one of seven rookies – along with Goldman – to make the All-UAA team. She finished third on the team with a .355 batting average and tied for third with Lehtonen with 22 RBI. Felder scored 23 runs and had six doubles, two triples and two home runs to finish with a .393 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. She led the UAA with 10 sacrifice hits this season. Felder hit one of the team's most dramatic home runs of the season, hitting a walk-off home run against Simmons on March 24, helping the team to an 11-9 win in nine innings.
The Judges will hope to continue their season with the team's second-ever NCAA tournament berth. The field for the Division III championships will be announced on Monday, May 6 at 1 p.m.