Brandt Tabbed NECC Co-Player of the Year, Softball Collects Five All-NECC Selections
May 4, 2023

Brandt Tabbed NECC Co-Player of the Year, Softball Collects Five All-NECC Selections

MANSFIELD, Mass.- Senior Taylor Brandt (Napa, Calif.) of the Eastern Nazarene College softball team has been named the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Co-Player of the Year, announced the league office Thursday. Darcy Castro (Garden Grove, Calif.), Alexys Giddings (Kuna, Idaho), Jennelle Munoz (Lake Elsinore, Calif.), and Bailey Olaveson (Lakeside, Calif.) joined Brandt on the All-NECC Team while Ashley Caldwell (Quincy, Mass.) was named to the NECC Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team.

Brandt paced the conference with a .462 batting average to go with a .517 on-base percentage. She ranked third in the NECC with 32 RBIs and racked up league-best 60 base hits, 15 BIs, and 41 runs scored.

In conference games, Brandt batted .488 with a .563 on-base percentage while posting 20 hits and 13 RBIs.

Castro hit .347 while notching 43 hits, 29 runs scored, and 26 RBIs. In league action, she owned a .395 batting average and tallied 17 hits with 16 runs scored.

Giddings boasted a .345 batting average this spring with 38 base knocks, 24 RBIs, and 19 runs scored. In 12 conference contests, she compiled a .333 batting average and registered 13 hits with 12 RBIs.

Munoz spun 15 complete games in 19 starts in the pitcher's circle and posted an 11-7 record. In 115 innings of work, she ranked third in the NECC with 67 strikeouts while issuing just 11 walks on the season. In league play, Munoz rattled off a 7-1 record in eight starts with six complete games. She struck out 32 batters in conference action in 48.1 innings.

Olaveson ranked fourth in the league with a .408 batting average and ranked second in the NECC with 41 RBIs. She recorded 53 hits this season, including a conference-best nine home runs, while adding 33 runs scored and four stolen bases. In NECC competition, Olaveson batted .395 with 15 base knocks and 14 runs scored.

Caldwell saw action in 14 games this spring and contributed with seven hits and four runs scored. She appeared in five conference contests and chalked up three hits and one RBI.

Eastern Nazarene finished the regular season with a 19-19 overall record and a 9-3 mark in conference action. The Lions claimed the No. 1 seed in the NECC Tournament and will open postseason play May 5 against fourth-seeded Lesley.