Brandywine Earns Four Softball USCAA All-American Awards
DUBOIS, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine senior Payton Landis (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) and freshman Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) were named to the first team, while junior Crystal Cassario (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) was a second team honoree and sophomore Maddie DeFazio (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) garnered honorable mention laurels as the United States Collegiate Athletic Association announced its softball all-American awards on Sunday evening.
Landis, now a two-time USCAA First Team All-American, was again one of the top offensive threats in the USCAA, while starting all 39 of the team's games at first base. Landis produced a .421 batting average, good for fourth on the team, while driving in 34 runs and scoring 17 times.
Landis amassed 48 hits this season and crossed the 100-hit mark for her career in March, becoming the ninth player in program history to join the 100-hit club. She currently ranks second in team history with 142 career knocks. Landis was one of the most difficult players in the USCAA to strikeout, fanning just seven times in 114 at-bats.
Landis has also excelled in the field, committing just two errors in 243 chances for a .991 fielding percentage.
Mushinski, who was named conference player of the year in April, has led the USCAA in RBI for nearly the entire season. She has driven in 55 runs, nine more than her closest competitor. Mushinski has delivered at least one RBI in 25 of her 38 games this spring, tallying three or more seven times, including a pair of five-RBI performances.
In addition, Mushinski has produced a USCAA-best 24 extra-base hits and leads the Lions with four home runs. She is also tied for second in hits with 55, two shy of the USCAA lead. Mushinski's .430 batting average and 34 runs scored rank third on the team. She recorded a pair of double-digit hitting streaks during the season and has hit safely in eight-straight games entering the USCAA World Series.
Cassario has been a standout two-way player, earning her second-straight all-American selection.
In the circle, Cassario sports a USCAA-low 1.93 earned run average, having produced five shutouts in 15 starts, including back-to-back shutouts during the conference tournament. She owns a 9-2 record and has tossed 10 complete games, while striking out 41 batters over 87.0 innings. In March, Cassario became the first Brandywine pitcher to throw a seven-inning no-hitter when she blanked Penn State DuBois.
Offensively, Cassario batted .361 as 14 of her 26 hits went for extra bases. She drove in 20 runs, three of which came during the PSUAC championship game, and scored 11 runs.
DeFazio collected a 10-1 record during 13 appearances (six starts), while her 2.50 ERA ranks second among USCAA pitchers. She spun four complete games and fanned 35 batters during 50.1 innings in the circle.
DeFazio was especially effective in a relief role, pitching to a 1.35 ERA and allowing an earned run in just one of seven appearances out of the bullpen.
Brandywine (33-8) will begin its run at the USCAA Small College World Series Monday at 6:00 PM in DuBois, Pa.
