BOSTON - Highlighted by a major award winner, seven members of the University at Albany’s softball team have been awarded a postseason honor from the America East conference, announced Tuesday.

Named the America East Pitcher of the Year for the first time in her career, Wendi Hammond led the pack. Joining her on the league’s All-Conference First-Team was Morgan Petty and Maddi Petrella. Caitlyn Mitros and Jordan Nastos earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Mary Kate Murray started her career with an All-Rookie nod. Kate Powers joined the four graduate students (Hammond, Mitros, Petrella, and Petty) with an All-Academic Team spot.

As a team, the Great Danes compiled 12 individual honors, including one major award, to earn the second-highest amount of honors. Bryant totaled 15, including two major awards, to lead the conference. 

Leading the conference with a 1.98 ERA, Wendi Hammond was voted the best pitcher in the conference to be named the Pitcher of the Year. Adding her first First Team All-Conference nod, second on any all-conference team, she also leads the America East with 21 wins, including seven shutouts, 19 complete games, 24 game starts, and 162.1 innings pitched. Boasting a 1.64 ERA in conference action, she is the only AE pitcher to earn double-digit wins in league play. A native of Chemung, N.Y., Hammond threw just two wild pitches all season, allowed less than a hit per inning (137 total hits allowed), and walked just 50 batters.

Tacking on her second career All-Academic nod, Hammond will graduate in May with her Master of Business Administration.

Earning her third consecutive First Team All-Conference mention, Morgan Petty led the conference with a .672 slugging percentage and 22 stolen bases while finishing second with a .368 batting average, nine home runs, and 36 runs. In league-only action, the Milford, Del. native leads with a .490 batting average, a .843 slugging percentage, and a .620 on-base percentage. The four-time all-conference honoree is tied for fourth in the league with 35 RBI.

Adding to her list of awards, Petty was named to the All-Academic Team for the second straight year. She will graduate in May with her master’s in communication.

In her fifth year behind the plate, Maddi Petrella was named First Team All-Conference for the first time in her career. A constant behind the dish, the League City, Texas native started all conference games this year as the Great Danes’ catcher. Tied for third in the AE with 12 doubles on the season, she leads with 20 RBI in league action. Making just one error on the season, she has a .994 fielding percentage with 159 putouts.

Joining her fellow First Team honorees with her first All-Academic nod, Petrella will graduate in May with a Master of Public Health.

The leadoff batter for UAlbany for three consecutive seasons, Caitlyn Mitros was named Second Team All-Conference for her third all-conference award, second in a row. Earning a .403 batting average in league action, she ranks second behind Petty and leads with 27 hits. Ranked fourth with a .363 batting average from the entire season, she added top-six ranks with 15 stolen bases (T3rd), 32 runs (5th), 49 hits (5th), and on-base percentage (6th).

Hailing from Warminster, Pa., Mitros earned her second All-Academic nod. She will graduate in December with her master’s in mental health counseling after graduating summa cum laude for her undergraduate degree.

Playing at the top of the conference since her transfer to UAlbany, Jordan Nastos earned her second consecutive Second Team All-Conference honor. A true utility player, Nastos has seen time in the outfield, the infield, and behind the plate. One of just two players in the conference without any errors on the season, she has been a part of four double plays. At the plate, the Sykesville, Md. native finished top-15 in the conference with 27 runs and 39 hits.

Rounding out the graduating class, Nastos earned her first All-Academic award. She will graduate in May with her Bachelor of Arts in Communication.

Mary Kate Murray added a postseason honor with a spot on the All-Rookie Team. A native of East Brunswick, N.J., Murray ranked second in the America East with four sacrifice fly balls. Third on the team in RBI, she finished top-10 in the conference with 29 RBI and top-15 with five home runs. Making herself a mainstay in the lineup, she started 37 of the Great Danes’ 42 contests.

The final postseason honoree from UAlbany is Kate Powers. One of the Great Danes’ starting pitchers, she finished the regular season right behind Hammond with a 2.26 ERA. Ranked top-five in the league with nine complete games and four shutouts, she pitched nine wins in 14 starts. Currently studying for her degree in biology, the Hope Valley, R.I. native’s combined academic and athletic accomplishments were good for a spot on the All-Academic Team.

For the full list of America East honorees, click here.

For the America East release, click here.

For more information on the University at Albany softball team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanysb
Instagram - @ualbanysb