DeStefano, Caserta Claim Major Awards; Four Named To All-PSUAC Softball Teams
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania -- Freshman Katie DeStefano (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) was named PSUAC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year, while second-year Head Coach Mark Caserta was selected as the conference's coach of the year, highlighting awards received by Penn State Brandywine when the league released its end-of-year softball awards on Sunday afternoon.
DeStefano, the second consecutive Brandywine student-athlete to earn the conference's newcomer of the year award and the Lions' first-ever pitcher of the year, was also an All-PSUAC First Team honoree. Joining DeStefano on the first team was sophomore centerfielder Lindsey Dellavecchio (Ridley Park, Pa./Interboro) and freshman first baseman Katy Steffen (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West). Freshman shortstop Lauryn Geduldick (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat) earned second team all-conference accolades.
Also a USCAA First Team All-American, DeStefano made seven starts against league competition, posting a perfect 7-0 record with a 1.02 earned run average and 54 strikeouts in 41.0 innings. She finished second nationally with seven shutouts, six of which came in games against PSUAC foes, and recorded five one-hitters.
In 19 overall starts in the circle, DeStefano collected nine victories and 89 strikeouts. She also made 49 plate appearances, hitting .400 with 15 runs batted in and 13 runs scored.
Dellavecchio produced a conference-leading 17 stolen bases and batted .422 in 35 games. As the Lions' leadoff hitter, she paced the team with 43 hits, 43 runs scored and a .516 on-base percentage.
A second team all-American, Dellavecchio also drove in 23 runs and clubbed her first home run during a victory over Penn State Schuylkill at the USCAA World Series.
Steffen registered team bests with eight home runs and 51 RBI, while batting .377 in 35 games started as she also earned USCAA First Team All-American laurels. She finished third nationally in RBI, fourth in home runs and ninth in slugging percentage (.774).
Twenty-four of Steffen's 40 hits went for extra bases, including a team-leading 14 doubles. She also scored 35 runs.
During 35 starts as the team's shortstop, Geduldick hit .315 and posted a .450 on-base percentage after working 25 bases on balls, the second-highest total in the league. She smashed a pair of home runs and knocked in 23 runs, while scoring 36 times and was a USCAA all-American honorable mention selection.
In just its second season as a varsity program, Caserta led Brandywine to a 23-12 record and its first PSUAC championship. Under Caserta's direction, Brandywine won all 18 of its games against league competition, outscoring foes 220-51 during those contests. The Lions went undefeated (8-0) at home and became just the fourth team to represent Brandywine at a USCAA Tournament.
