FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 9, 2006

Eight Rhode Island College Softball Players Earn All-Little East Recognition
Head Coach Maria Morin Named Co-Coach of the Year
Christie Lotti Named Player of the Year
Nicole Riley Named Pitcher of the Year

Providence, RI— Eight members of Rhode Island College’s softball team were named to the 2006 All-Little East Conference Softball teams. In addition, Head Coach Maria Morin was named the Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Eastern Connecticut Head Softball Coach Diana Pepin.

Morin, who was named the Little East Conference Softball Coach of the Year twice before (2005, 2003), has led the team to a remarkable season that is still going strong. The Anchorwomen are currently 33-8-1 overall and finished the regular season with an 11-2-1 (First Place) mark in the Little East Conference. RIC was the Little East Conference Softball Regular Season Champion for the second consecutive year. The Anchorwomen defeated seventh-seeded UMass Dartmouth, 7-1, in opening round action of the LEC Tournament on May 4, then downed fourth-seeded Western Connecticut, 6-4, and seventh-seeded Southern Maine, 5-2, on May 5, before facing the Huskies once again in the Championship Game.

The team captured the 2006 Little East Conference Softball Tournament Championship for the first time in school history with a 2-1 victory over fifth-seeded Southern Maine on Saturday, May 6. The Anchorwomen advance to the NCAA Div. III Softball Regional Tournament, hosted by Babson, on Thursday-Sunday, May 11-14. The seven-team bracket features top-seeded Williams, second-seeded RIC, third-seeded Western New England, fourth-seeded Babson, fifth-seeded Endicott, sixth-seeded Bridgewater State and seventh-seeded Saint Joseph’s of Long Island. The double elimination tournament will feature four games on Thursday, four games on Friday, three on Saturday and three on Sunday. The Anchorwomen will open play at 2 p.m. on Thursday against seventh-seeded Saint Joseph’s of Long Island.

Senior pitcher Nicole Riley (North Providence, RI) was named the Little East Conference Softball Pitcher of the Year and also garnered First Team All-Conference honors. Riley has appeared in 32 games, starting 25 of them, on the season. She is currently 24-2, a new school record for wins in a season, and has not lost a game since Mar. 17. Riley owns an ERA of 1.36 with 21 complete games, five shutouts, two saves and has struck out 154 batters in 175.1 innings pitched. She was named the team’s MVP as well. Riley has been named the Little East Conference’s Pitcher of the Week three times on the season.

Sophomore first baseman Christie Lotti (Waterford, CT) was named the Little East Conference Softball Player of the Year and also garnered First Team All-Conference honors. Lotti was a First Team All-LEC selection and was named the LEC’s Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2005. She has played in 42 games, starting all of them. She is batting .401 (57-for-142) with 37 runs, seven doubles, ten triples, four home runs, 26 RBI and eight stolen bases. Lotti leads the team in batting, hits, runs, triples, home runs, stolen bases and is tied for second on the club in RBI. Lotti hit an RBI triple in the second inning to plate what proved to be the game-winning run in the Championship Game of the LEC Tournament.

Senior left fielder Katie Benevides (North Dighton, MA) was named First Team All-Little East Conference. She has played in 42 games, starting all of them. She is batting .387 (53-for-137) with 35 runs, five doubles, one triple, 14 RBI and five stolen bases. She is second on the team in both runs and hits.

Senior right fielder Andree Sitnik (Lincoln, RI) was named First Team All-Little East Conference. Sitnik was also named the Little East Conference Softball Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. She batted .357 (5-for-14) with two runs scored, three RBI, one triple and played flawless defense in right field, over four games in the tourney. She has played in 42 games, starting all of them, on the season. She is batting .318 (41-for-129), 117 points higher than her career average coming into the season, with 41 hits, 24 runs, eight doubles, four triples, two home runs and 26 RBI. Both of her home runs were walk-off game-winners.

Senior second baseman Casie Lyons (Hudson, MA) was named Second Team All-Little East Conference. Lyons has played in 41 games, starting all of them. She is batting .368 (39-for-106) with 21 runs scored, 12 doubles, three triples, 17 RBI and two stolen bases. The squad’s number-nine batter leads the team in doubles and is third in batting average.

Senior center fielder Megan Ponte (Wakefield, RI) was named Second Team All-Little East Conference for the second consecutive season. She was a First Team All-LEC selection as a sophomore in 2004. Ponte has played in 42 games, starting all of them. She is batting .260 (32-for-123) with 14 runs scored, two doubles, four triples, two home runs, 14 RBI and six stolen bases. Ponte made a key play in the LEC Tournament Championship game vs. Southern Maine, throwing out the potential tying run at the plate after catching a fly ball in the third inning.

Junior catcher/designated player Kristyn Alexander (East Wareham, MA) was named Second Team All-Little East Conference for the second consecutive season. She was named the LEC’s Rookie of the Year and garnered First Team All-Conference honors as a freshman in 2004. Alexander has played in 42 games, starting all of them. She is batting .344 (43-for-125) with 14 runs, ten doubles and a team-high 27 RBI.

Sophomore third baseman/catcher Krystal Bilek (Fitchburg, MA) was named Second Team All-Little East Conference for the second consecutive season. Bilek has played in 42 games, starting all of them. She is batting .299 (35-for-117) with 22 runs, 11 doubles, two triples, one home run and 18 RBI. She leads the team with 24 walks and is second in doubles.

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