Tuesday morning, the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference released the 2021 All-Conference Team and award winners. The list features three Redhawks: Ashtin Hoover (first team), Kelly Denk (second team) and Alexa Young (third team).
Freshman outfielder Ashtin Hoover put together a stellar first collegiate season with the Redhawks. In 22 games, she had 30 hits (tied-first on team), a .405 batting average (10th in AMCC), a .494 on-base percentage (4th in AMCC), five stolen bases, a double, a triple and eight RBI. Hoover was named the AMCC Player of the Week on April 12th. Hoover was one of only three underclassmen named to the All-Conference first team. Hoover is one of only nine Redhawks who have been named to the All-Conference first team in the last 10 years.
Junior outfielder Kelly Denk was one of the best two-way players in the conference. In 22 games this season with the Redhawks, Denk had 29 hits, eight doubles, four triples (tied-third in AMCC), 10 RBI and three stolen bases. Denk had a .358 batting average, a .416 on-base percentage and a .556 slugging percentage. In the field, Denk had 42 putouts, 15 assists and three double-plays with a .966 fielding percentage. Denk had a career-high three extra base hits (one double, two triples) and went a perfect 3-for-3 in a 9-1 win over Hilbert on April 25th.
Senior pitcher Alexa Young went 7-6 as a starter and had two saves on the mound for the Redhawks. She pitched 13 complete games this season (third most in the AMCC). In 98.1 innings pitched, Young had 68 strikeouts (most in AMCC), 19 walks and a 2.63 earned run average (7th in AMCC). Young had a single game season-high 8 K's on three separate occasions. Her best performances of the season came in a two game sweep over #2 seed Pitt Bradford in the AMCC semifinals in which she pitched back-to-back complete game shutouts. Young surpassed the 200 career strikeout mark earlier this season and finished her collegiate career with 262 K's. The last time a Redhawk pitcher made the All-Conference team was back in 2015 (Savannah Leonard). Young is one of only three La Roche pitchers in the last 10 years to earn All-Conference honors.
Penn State Behrend senior 3B Mackenzie McIntire was named the 2021 AMCC Softball Player of the Year. Pitt-Bradford senior Jordan Uhing was tabbed as the Pitcher of the Year. Newcomer of the Year honors went to Penn State Behrend freshman Maria Jones. Pitt-Bradford head coach Tina Phillips has been named the AMCC Coach of the Year.
The Redhawks went 9-13 overall and 7-9 in conference play. La Roche qualified for the AMCC postseason tournament for the first time since 2016 as the #7 seed. LRU upset #2 seed and co-regular season champion Pitt Bradford on the road in the a two-game sweep in the conference quarterfinal before losing in the semifinal to AMCC runner-up Mt. Aloysius.
View the complete 2021 AMCC Softball All-Conference Team HERE.