Four Brandywine Softball Players Earn All-American Awards

DUBOIS, Pa. -- The Penn State Brandywine softball team received four all-American awards from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association on Sunday night as Crystal Cassario (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury), Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) and Payton Landis (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) were all named to the first team, while Jess James (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) earned honorable mention accolades.

Cassario starred at the plate and in the pitcher's circle this spring for Brandywine. She enters the USCAA World Series ranked second nationally with 17 wins, 139.2 innings pitched and 18 complete games. Cassario owns a 13-2 record against USCAA opponents. She also stands among the top 10 in the USCAA with 109 strikeouts, a Brandywine single-season record, and a 2.81 earned run average.

At the plate, Cassario led Brandywine with a .434 batting average, good for ninth-best in the USCAA, and .496 on-base percentage. She totaled 46 hits in 106 at-bats with nine going for extra bases, while collecting 25 RBI and 24 runs scored. Cassario hit safely in 21 of the team's final 25 games, posting 11 multi-hit performances in that span.

Ferry owns the USCAA lead with a Brandywine single-season record 10 home runs in 40 games this spring. She also leads the nation with 22 extra-base hits, while batting .400. Ferry's 48 hits in 120 at-bats are tied for the 11th-highest total in the USCAA. She recorded a 12-game hitting streak in March and enters the USCAA World Series with hits in seven-straight games, including three consecutive games with a home run.

In addition, Ferry is fourth among USCAA softball players with 48 runs scored, eighth in RBI (35) and tied for 12th in stolen bases (14). Ferry has a pair of four-RBI games this spring, while scoring at least three runs four times.

Landis is one of the top run producers in the USCAA, ranking second with 44 runs batted in. Nineteen of her RBI have come during the Lions' last 13 games, including the game-winning run batted in during at the PSUAC Championship game last week.

Landis also serves as Brandywine's leader in hits with 49 and can become the 10th player in team history with 50 knocks in a season this week. She owns a .402 batting average and enters the Small College World Series with hits in 12-straight games, her second double-digit hit streak of the season. Landis also owns a team-high 14 doubles among her 17 extra-base hits, along with 18 runs scored and three stolen bases.

James played 38 games in the Lions' middle infield, recording 41 hits and a .342 batting average. She recorded 12 two-hit games and a pair of three-hit efforts. James added eight extra-base hits and 20 RBI.

Ranked fourth in the USCAA in stolen bases, James swiped 24 bags in 27 attempts, a team high. James also stands second on the team and eighth nationally with 38 runs scored. She served as the game-winning run in the PSUAC Championship game, scoring from second base on a Landis single in the top of the seventh inning last Monday.

Brandywine (32-11) opens the USCAA World Series Monday night vs. Mississippi University for Women.