Grap, Stacevicz, Richards, and Andrews Named 2011 University of Delaware Softball Captains
January 25, 2011
photos (top to bottom): Michelle Grap, Amanda Stacevicz, Jenny Richards, Lara Andrews
NEWARK, Del. -- University of Delaware softball head coach Jaime Wohlbach has announced that Michelle Grap, Amanda Stacevicz, Jenny Richards and Lara Andrews will serve as team captains for the Blue Hen softball team during the 2011 season.
"I am happy to announce our four captains for the 2011 season,” Wohlbach said. “Our captains are all unique and offer different styles of leadership to our team. They are diverse not only in the positions they play, but also in the way they inspire their teammates, their individual strengths, and the way they express their passion for the game."
Grap, a senior from Ellicott City, Md., will serve as team captain for the second consecutive year. She enters her final year at Newark with a 
school-record 22 career home runs, and also ranks sixth in Blue Hen history with 80 runs batted in. Grap started all 51 games for Delaware a year ago including the final 48 at shortstop, setting the UD single-season record and leading the Colonial Athletic Association with 13 homers. She also led the squad with 30 RBI and 24 walks, while tying for the team lead with 27 runs scored. Grap will begin the 2011 season needing just four hits to become the 26th player in UD history to reach the 100-hit mark.
Stacevicz, a native of Cedar Grove, N.J., enters her junior season already ranked sixth in UD history with 11 shutouts and 221 strikeouts. She was named a Northeast All-Region and All-CAA Second Team selection last season, when she finished 11-13 with a 3.20 earned run average 
in the circle for the Blue Hens. Stacevicz, who ranked third in the league with 137 strikeouts, fired six shutouts on the season, including a one-hit blanking of Norfolk State on April 14 when she came within one out of a no-hitter. Stacevicz was also a force at the plate for UD, ranking third on the team with a .273 batting average and tying for third with 38 hits.
Richards, a sophomore from Trabuco Canyon, Calif., earned CAA First Team and All-Rookie Team honors last season when she started all 51 games in center field for the Blue Hens. She led Delaware with a .354 batting average, 63 hits and seven doubles, while tying Grap for the team lead with 27 runs scored. Richards’ 63 hits tied for the most in the conference and were the second most ever in a UD single season, while her .354 average was the sixth highest in the league. Richards, who led the Blue Hens with 17 multi-hit games on the season, posted eight three-hit games and went 4 for 5 at Rider on April 7.
Andrews begins her first season with the Blue Hens this spring after spending last year at Itawamba Community College in Mississippi. Andrews, who is a sophomore at Delaware, was named first team MCAJC as a third baseman a year ago, when she led the Indians to the conference’s North Division championship. She previously played for the New Zealand National Team, earning Under 17 Top Batter and MVP honors in 2005 while being tabbed Under 19 Top Batter in 2006 and 2008. Andrews was a three-year starter as an outfielder and catcher from 2005-07 at Sacred Heart College High School in Wellington, New Zealand, leading the school to three regional championships.
Delaware opens its 2011 season on February 18-20 when the Blue Hens play five games at the University of Central Florida Invitational in Orlando, Fla. UD opens its campaign on Friday, February 18 by taking on Miami (Ohio) at 9 a.m. and Illinois-Chicago at 11:30 a.m.
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