College notebook: Bozek helps Georga Mason to Atlantic 10 softball title
Bozek
Higgins
Parschall
Sadler
George Mason senior second baseman Marlaina Bozek was named first team All-Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Washington native and 2020 Trinity High School graduate helped George Mason win the Atlantic 10 tournament championship, defeating Loyola Chicago 6-3 in 10 innings in the title game. The Patriots received an automatic bid to the field of 64 for the NCAA tournament. They were knocked out of postseason play with losses to Duke and Campbell.
George Mason finished the year with a 35-24 record.
Bozek was George Mason’s fourth-leading hitter with a .307 batting average. She had 10 doubles, was second on the team with three triples and hit one home run. Bozek led the Patriots with 25 walks, had a .400 on-base percentage and stole nine bases.
In the Atlantic 10, Bozek was a top-ten finisher in sacrifice flies (2nd), fielding percentage (6th) triples (7th), batting average (8th), on-base percentage (9th), runs scored (9th) and walks (10th).
In baseball
Potomac State shortstop Jimmy Sadler was named Junior College All-Region Division I first team.
Sadler had a huge season for the Catamounts with a .308 batting average, 38 runs, nine doubles, four triples, and three home runs with 49 RBI. Sadler also had 21 stolen bases, a .385 one-base percentage and .472 slugging percentage.
Washington & Jefferson junior first baseman Nolan Lutz was named first team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
A junior first baseman and South Fayette graduate, Lutz enjoyed a strong season in his first year as a starter. The junior recorded a team-best 1.095 OPS and a .385 batting average. Lutz had 50 hits, 30 RBI and scored 39 runs. He hit four home runs and totaled 81 bases. Lutz also has posted a .472 on-base percentage.
Waynesburg sophomore Bryce Bedilion was named second team All-PAC as a utility player.
Bedilion, a Clarksville native and Jefferson-Morgan graduate, hit .308 with a team-high six triples, five doubles, three home runs, 21 RBI and 22 runs. He slugged .525 and sported a .378 on-base percentage. His 63 total bases led the Yellow Jackets and his 37 hits were good for second on the team.
A lefthanded pitcher, Bedilion was third on the team in starts (seven) and tied for the team lead with two complete games. He had a 2-2 record and 5.21 ERA, highlighted by back-to-back wins at Franciscan and Bethany.
In softball
Waynesburg second baseman Grace Higgins was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year.
A Canonsburg native and Canon-McMillan graduate, Higgins was one of three Waynesburg players named to the All-PAC first team.
Higgins shined in all aspects of the game during her debut season with the conference champion Yellow Jackets. She ranked in the top five among Waynesburg players in batting average (.400), slugging percentage (.667), on-base percentage (.432), runs (32), hits (42), doubles (10), triples (3), home runs (4), total bases (70) and stolen bases (17).
Defensively, Higgins led the team in assists (58) and was a part of seven double plays.
Senior catcher Brin Hunter was another Waynesburg player selected to the All-PAC first team. The West Alexander native and McGuffey graduate was a versatile player for the Yellow Jackets as she also started several games in center field.
Hunter was a second-team pick following her sophomore and junior seasons. This past season, she batted .398 with 15 doubles and 27 RBI. Her 35 runs were the team-best and she was 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts.
Waynesburg junior first baseman Ella Brookman, junior third baseman Sydney Senay and freshman outfielder Jasmine Demaske gave Waynesburg three local products on the All-PAC second team.
Brookman, a Chartiers-Houston graduate, was Waynesburg’s second-leading hitter with a .427 batting average. She hit 14 doubles, had a team-leading 31 RBI and scored 23 runs.
Senay, a Canon-McMillan graduate, was a first-team all-conference pick last year and a second-team selection as a freshman. She batted .297 this season with four doubles, two home runs and 27 RBI. In back-to-back PAC tournament games against Westminster, Senay posted a pair of 2-for-4 efforts with a double in each game and three RBI.
Demaske burst onto the scene in her debut season and worked her way into the starting lineup. After becoming a regular, Demaske posted team bests in slugging percentage (.718), triples (7), home runs (4) and walks (8). She hit .341 for the season and finished in the top five in runs (31), hits (29), RBI (17), total bases (61) and stolen bases (15).
Former Canon-McMillan standout Olivia Ulam, a first baseman for St. Francis, was named first team All-Northeast Conference.
Ulam was top-10 in the NEC with six home runs and 26 RBI, each ranking top-3 on Saint Francis. She recorded five of her home runs during conference play and led the Red Flash with 18 RBI during those 21 games.
The sophomore is a first team All-NEC selection in back-to-back seasons to begin her collegiate career. She was named to the NEC All-Rookie Team last season.
Penn State fifth-year pitcher Bailey Parshall was named the NFCA All-Region first team.
One of the most storied players in PSU softball history, Parshall secured her second-straight appearance on the first team. The Belle Vernon native saw continued dominance in the circle in the 2023 season, setting Penn State’s career record in strikeouts, shutouts and appearances. Parshall tossed 168.1 innings, logged a 17-9 record, finished the year with a 1.54 ERA and had 176 strikeouts against only 28 walks.
In track and field
Seton Hill’s Gabriel McConville won the 1,500-meter run at the PSAC Championships held at Slippery Rock University.
McConville’s win helped the Griffins to a seventh-place finish in the team standings.
A sophomore and Waynesburg Central graduate, McConville won a highly competitive race. McConville crossed the finish line only .01 seconds before the second-place runner. McConville’s winning time was 3:50.78.