MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – The NEWMAC has released its softball postseason awards, as announced by the conference on Tuesday morning. The awards are determined by the conference's eleven coaches following the conclusion of regular season play.
Outfielder
Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) of Wheaton College was voted NEWMAC Player of the Year, while Babson College's
Moira O'Reilly (Columbus, Ohio) was named Pitcher of the Year for the fourth-straight season. O'Reilly is the first pitcher in NEWMAC history to win the award four times. WPI'S
Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, N.Y.) was named Defensive Player of the Year. Rookie of the Year accolades went to
Delaney Benevides (Plainville, Mass.) of MIT. The MIT coaching staff was voted Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers.
Zito and Benevides headline the first team outfield selections and are joined by Babson's
Sara Moore (Kennett Square, Pa.) and
Sophia Pak (New Rochelle, N.Y.), as well as MIT's
Layla Thiessen (Carlsbad, Calif.) and U.S. Coast Guard Academy's
Abriana Schmutz (Marysville, Ohio). Infielder selections went to Emerson College's
Riley Caiazza (Schaghticoke, N.Y.), MIT's
Ava Ladd (Austin, Texas) and
Mackenzie Bivin (San Diego, Calif.) and WPI's
Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, Hawaii) and
Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, N.Y.). Emerson's
Jessica Gomez (West Chester, Pa.) and Springfield College's
Amelia DeRosa (Miller Place, N.Y.) were awarded a spot as utility players. Springfield's
Callie Gendron (Berlin, Conn.) was selected as a catcher. O'Reilly is featured in the first team pitcher slot, while MIT's
Caroline Langmeyer (Upper Arlington, Ohio) wraps up the first team pitcher selections.
Five infielders made the second team in MIT's
Mikayla Cable (Valrico, Fla.) and
Arianna Kumar (San Diego, Calif.), Salve Regina University's
Samantha Franceschi (East Haven, Conn.), Wheaton's
Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) and WPI's
Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, Mass.). The outfield spots went to Salve Regina's
Jacey Cosciello (Seymour, Conn
.), Springfield's
Michaela Ponticello (Gloversville, N.Y.) and Wellesley College's
Charis Chung (San Gabriel, Calif.). Three student-athletes made the team as utility players in
Sarah Wicker (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) of Wellesley, and
Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) and
Emma Boucher (Derry, N.H.) of Wheaton. Catchers
Rebecca Mauro (Easton, Conn.) of Clark University and MIT's
Olivia Scarpaci (Staten Island, N.Y.) earned the nod. The second team pitcher spots were awarded to Babson's
Cameron Whiteford (Centerville, Md.), Coast Guard's
Dana Walker (Macon, Fla.) and Wheaton's
Sofia De La Rosa (Middle Village, N.Y.).
Player of the Year- Juliette Zito (Sr., OF), Wheaton College
Juliette Zito started in every conference game for the Lyons, hitting .471, good for second in the league. Her .779 slugging percentage in league play was also second in the conference, as was her 1.265 OPS. She led the league in total bases (53) and was second in league play in hits (32), triples (3), home runs (3) and RBI (22). Overall, Zito hit .417 and led the league with 65 hits, eight triples and 44 runs scored.
Pitcher of the Year – Moira O'Reilly (Gr., P), Babson College
Moira O'Reilly ranks second in NEWMAC with a 0.96 ERA in league play, throwing 58.1 innings and compiling 52 strikeouts for the Beavers in conference play. She picked up eight wins in nine starts and led the league in opponent's batting average at .184. Overall, O'Reilly had a 1.76 ERA and a .207 opponents' batting average, both good for third in the NEWMAC.
Defensive Player of the Year – Virginia McKinney (So., OF), WPI
Virginia McKinney was an NFCA Gold Glove winner in 2024 and had another standout performance in the outfield. She has committed just one error and fearlessly controls the outfield, diving in the gaps, stealing home runs at the fence, and showing her range in front, often stealing base hits. She posted 74 putouts in centerfield with three outfield assists.
Rookie of the Year- Delaney Benevides (Fy, OF), MIT
Benevides has made an immediate impact on MIT with her speed, as she has broken the program record for steals in a season with 31 steals, 18 of which came in league play, good for second in the league. Overall, she leads the Engineers with a .440 batting average, which ranks third in the NEWMAC and tops amongst rookies. In league play, she is hitting .422 which also tops all first years. She tacked on 13 runs and 11 RBI in league play.
Coaching Staff of the Year – MIT
MIT went 16-4 in NEWMAC play, claiming the regular season crown, and earning the top seed in the NEWMAC Championship. The Engineers would go on to win their third straight NEWMAC title. They led the NEWMAC in batting average in league play, hitting .371, compiling 50 more runs than the second place team with 158. The MIT staff is led by head coach
Madison Trotman, and assistants
Emily Kraytenberg,
Amanda Genovese,
Courtney Zambello and
Michaela Russell.
| Team |
Name |
Position |
Institution |
| First Team All-Conference |
Moira O'Reilly |
P |
Babson College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Caroline Langmeyer |
P |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Riley Caiazza |
INF |
Emerson College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Ava Ladd |
INF |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Mackenzie Bivin |
INF |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Destiny Lum |
INF |
WPI |
| First Team All-Conference |
Riley O'Brien |
INF |
WPI |
| First Team All-Conference |
Sara Moore |
OF |
Babson College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Sophia Pak |
OF |
Babson College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Delaney Benevides |
OF |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Layla Thiessen |
OF |
MIT |
| First Team All-Conference |
Abriana Schmutz |
OF |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| First Team All-Conference |
Juliette Zito |
OF |
Wheaton College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Jessica Gomez |
UTL |
Emerson College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Amelia DeRosa |
UTL |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Callie Gendron |
C |
Springfield College |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team All-Conference |
Cameron Whiteford |
P |
Babson College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Dana Walker |
P |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Sofia De La Rosa |
P |
Wheaton College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Mikayla Cable |
INF |
MIT |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Arianna Kumar |
INF |
MIT |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Samantha Franceschi |
INF |
Salve Regina University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Ella Molinari |
INF |
Wheaton College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Sandy Fairbairn |
INF |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Jacey Cosciello |
OF |
Salve Regina University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Michaela Ponticello |
OF |
Springfield College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Charis Chung |
OF |
Wellesley College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Sarah Wicker |
UTL |
Wellesley College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Peyton Blankenheim-Brown |
UTL |
Wheaton College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Emma Boucher |
UTL |
Wheaton College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Rebecca Mauro |
C |
Clark University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Olivia Scarpaci |
C |
MIT |
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports.