Four Blue Hens Named To College Sports Madness Preseason All-CAA Softball Second Team
January 9, 2012
photos courtesy of Mark Campbell
NEWARK, Del. –Blue Hen senior pitcher/designated player Amanda Stacevicz, junior catcher Gina Knutson, sophomore second baseman Michelle McKinnon and junior centerfielder Lara Andrews were named to the College Sports Madness Preseason Colonial Athletic Association Softball Second Team, the website announced this week.
Stacevicz (above right), who earned second team All-CAA honors for the second consecutive season as a designated player/pitcher last season, led the Delaware pitching staff with an 11-9 record and a 3.27 earned run average. Stacevicz fired seven complete games and notched two saves on the season while striking out 84 batters in 137 inning pitched. She was 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 15 conference games, and picked up key league victories over James Madison, UNC Wilmington and Drexel. Stacevicz was also the Blue Hens’ cleanup hitter, batting .258 at the plate while ranking second on the team with eight doubles and 23 RBI.
Stacevicz enters her senior season ranked third in Blue Hen history with 305 career strikeouts, sixth with 11 shutouts, and ninth with both 436.1 innings pitched and 32 victories.
Knutson (above left) earned second team All-CAA accolades last year while batting .257 with a team-leading nine home runs and 31 runs batted in on the season. Knutson appeared in all 55 games for the Blue Hens and started 52, including 45 behind the plate, and paced the squad with 10 multi-RBI games during her sophomore campaign. Knutson’s nine homers rank second in a UD single season, while her 31 RBI are tied for fourth and her 14 stolen bases are fifth. She already is tied for third in UD history with 10 career home runs and tied for 12th with 16 stolen bases.
McKinnon (below right) is coming off a very impressive freshman campaign, when she started all 55 games including 53 at second base. A member of the CAA All-Rookie Team and second team All-CAA, McKinnon led the squad and ranked seventh in the conference with a .322 batting average. Her 46 hits and six stolen bases were the second most on the Blue Hens, while her 24 runs scored were third on the squad. McKinnon recorded three-hit games against George Mason, Hofstra and Army, while her 17 sacrifice hits tied for fourth in Division I.
Andrews (below left) started all 55 games in center field during her first season in Newark, ranking second on the team with a .298 batting average. The team’s third hitter in the order, Andrews also ranked third on the squad with 42 hits and 19 RBI 
while leading the team with 27 walks. She batted .320 during CAA games, and was named to the conference All-Tournament Team. Andrews recorded a three-hit game during a victory over UMES on March 13 and added seven two-hit games on the year.
The Blue Hens, who went 21-34 last season and advanced to the CAA Tournament under head coach Jaime Wohlbach, open the 2012 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 11 against Charlotte and Presbyterian in Charlotte, N.C.
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