Four Lions Awarded USCAA Softball All-American Honors
MEDIA, Pa. -- Four members of Penn State Brandywine's national championship-winning softball team received all-American laurels from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. Earning first team awards were Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor), Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) and Karly Rees (Oxford, Pa./Oxford), while April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) was a second team honoree.
Mushinski capped off her sophomore season with her second-straight USCAA First Team All-American selection, while also becoming the fifth Brandywine student-athlete to be named USCAA National Player of the Year.
During 45 games this spring, Mushinski topped all USCAA players with 10 home runs, 32 extra-base hits and a program-record 70 RBI. Her 63 hits and 47 runs scored also ranked in the top three nationally, while hitting .417. Mushinski hit safely in 35-of-45 games and drove in at least one run in a game 30 times.
Mushinski posted seven games with three-plus hits and drove in at least four runs six times. She matched season highs with four hits, including two home runs, and six RBI in an 11-0 win at Penn State Fayette on Apr. 21.
Bussenger, the only Lion to appear in every game, hit safely in all 47 contests and had two or more hits in over half of Brandywine's outings (25). Bussenger's 48-game hitting streak is one game shy of tying the all-time record from all levels of collegiate softball. Rebecca Laudino of Florida Southwestern College hit safely in 49-straight games from 2018-19.
A .491 hitter, Bussenger set single-season team records with 81 hits, 70 runs scored and 70 stolen bases, while leading the USCAA in each category. She added 20 RBI and a .551 on-base percentage after working 22 walks, tied for fifth most in the nation.
Bussenger posted a season-best four hits when she also drove in five runs in a win at Penn State Greater Allegheny on Apr. 20. She swiped four bags in a game during wins over Northland and Central Maine in March.
Rees had the top season of her three-year career, setting career highs in hits, extra-base hits and RBI. Also the USCAA Student-Athlete of the Year, Rees tallied a .464 batting average with 64 hits, including a team-leading 19 doubles, the fourth-highest total in the USCAA.
In 44 games behind the plate, Rees added 40 runs scored and 37 RBI, tying for eighth nationally in both categories.
Rees posted four outings with four hits, including two in five USCAA World Series games. She collected season highs with four runs and four RBI in a win at Penn State DuBois on Mar. 29.
The winning pitcher in Brandywine's national championship triumph over Salem, Lewandowski pitched to a 16-2 record in 22 appearances this spring. She owned the lowest earned run average among USCAA pitchers at 1.62, while ranking second in victories. Against USCAA opponents, Lewandowski was dominant, allowing just six earned runs in 65.1 innings for a 0.64 ERA.
Lewandowski went the distance in the circle eight times, including six complete-game shutouts. She set a career high with 86 strikeouts during 108.1 innings pitched. Lewandowski fanned a season-best 11 Central Maine batters, while tossing six shutout innings on Mar. 12.
Brandywine finished its 11th season of softball by capturing its second-straight USCAA World Series title, along with a ninth consecutive conference championship. The team set a program record with 38 victories under the direction of Head Coach Mark Caserta.
