Messina Earns First-Team All-ECAC Honors

Central Connecticut State University softball senior pitcher Laura Messina was named to the 2015 First Team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Star Team, via a release by the ECAC front office on Wednesday afternoon.

OFFICIAL ECAC RELEASE

The honor marks the second time in Messina's career that she has been recognized on an ECAC All-Star Team as she also garnered All-ECAC Second Team honors after her sophomore season in 2013. The ECAC First and Second Team are comprised of the top student-athletes from 88 Division I institutions that make up the ECAC.

The senior standout from Marlton, NJ was tabbed ECAC Pitcher of the Week four-consecutive weeks during her senior campaign, picking up her first award on April 8 and defending the honor every single week through April 28.

Messina, who was also an All-NEC First Team selection this season and for the past three seasons, finished the 2015 season with a 27-10 record in the circle for the Blue Devils. The righty appeared in a CCSU single-season record 41 games, spun a record 257.1 innings and also struck out a record-breaking 278 batters on the year. She tossed 35 complete games and led all of Division I NCAA with 15 shutouts, while finishing with an ERA of 1.52.

2015 ECAC Division I Softball All-Star Team
ECAC Player of the Year: Quianna Diaz-Patterson, Sr., University of Massachusetts-Amherst
ECAC Pitcher of the Year: Megan Good, Fr., James Madison University
ECAC Rookie of the Year: Megan Good, Fr., James Madison University
ECAC Coach of the Year: Mickey Dean, James Madison University

First Team
*C- Elena Bowman, Jr., Manhattan College
*C- Erin Burner, Sr., St. John's University
1B- Holiday Cahill, So., Towson University
2B- Alexis Watanabe, Jr., Lehigh University
SS- Quianna Diaz-Patterson, Sr., University of Massachusetts-Amherst
*3B- Kasey McCravey, Jr., Army West Point
*3B- Alexis Walkden, Fr., Seton Hall University
DP- Jurie Joyner, Fr, University of Pennsylvania
*OF- Caryn Bailey, Jr., Hofstra University
*OF- Bria Green, Sr., Stony Brook University
*OF- Taylor Newton, So., James Madison University
*OF- Kristen Zahn, Sr., Bucknell University
UT- Jailyn Ford, Jr., James Madison University
P- Emily Bausher, Sr., Lehigh University
P- Megan Good, Fr., James Madison University
P- Laura Messina, Sr., Central Connecticut State University

Second Team
C- Erica Field, Jr., James Madison University
1B- Paige Lloyd, Sr., Siena College
2B- Morgan Tolle, Fr., James Madison University
SS- Katie McEachern, Jr., Dartmouth College
3B- Brooke Blankenship, Sr., George Mason University
DP- Danielle DeStaso, Sr., Seton Hall University
*OF- Jessica Berzins, So., Canisius College
*OF- Shayla Giosia, Sr., Stony Brook University
*OF- Vicky McFarland, Sr., University at Albany
*OF- Taylor Parsons, Sr., St. Francis University
UT- Lauren Li, Jr., University of Pennsylvania
P- Morgan Lashley, Sr., Hofstra University
P- Nicole Sleith, Sr., St. Francis University
P- Rachel Gillen, Jr., Fordham University

*Additional Players Due to Ties