GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season champion Virginia Tech earned three end-of-season awards, while Florida State and Notre Dame claimed one each to headline the 2022 All-ACC Softball honors announced Wednesday.
Virginia Tech’s Keely Rochard was named ACC Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season, while teammate Emma Lemley was selected Freshman of the Year and Pete D’Amour is the Coach of the Year. Notre Dame’s Karina Gaskins was voted the Player of the Year and for the third straight season, Florida State’s Sydney Sherrill was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year. All four players also earned a spot on the All-ACC First Team.
The awards and All-ACC Teams were selected following a vote of the league’s 13 head coaches.
After leading the conference and ranking among the nation’s top 20 during the regular season with a .433 batting average, Gaskins becomes the third Notre Dame student-athlete to earn Player of the Year honors joining Cait Brooks (2019) and Emilee Koerner (2015). The sophomore first baseman leads the ACC with 57 RBI, which ranks 12th nationally. Gaskins’ .562 on-base percentage is ninth in the country, and she has also belted 12 home runs. The Edison, New Jersey, native hit .482 against conference competition with seven of her homers against ACC teams.
With Rochard securing her second consecutive Pitcher of the Year accolade, Virginia Tech pitchers have claimed each of the last three such honors (also Carrie Eberle in 2019). A senior from Williamsburg, Virginia, Rochard compiled a 22-2 record in the circle with a 1.76 earned run average (ERA). She struck out 283 batters in just 171 innings pitched to pace the conference and rank fifth nationally in strikeouts. The First-Team All-ACC Selection has tallied 10 or more strikeouts 14 times this season, headlined by a season-high 17 in a nine-inning game against Ohio State. Rochard threw a no-hitter against 22nd-ranked UCF with 14 strikeouts and had a perfect game until the sixth inning. She is one of just four players to claim ACC Pitcher of the Year honors more than once. Rochard is a top-10 finalist for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Sherrill’s stellar play at third base continued for another season and she earned her third straight Defensive Player of the Year accolade. She leads a stout Florida State defense that leads the nation in fielding percentage with a .983 clip. Sherrill has made numerous highlight plays at third and has been featured on SportsCenter’s top-10 plays several times this year. Her 118 assists are the most of any player in the conference, and she has been a part of 10 double plays with only four errors to record a .977 fielding percentage. As a team, Florida State has committed just 27 errors, the fewest in the ACC and has tallied 18 shutouts to rank fourth nationally and lead the league.
Lemley has enjoyed a special debut season for the Hokies, as she and Rochard have formed one of the nation’s top pitching duos. The freshman owns a 15-4 record to go along with a 1.64 ERA. Lemley has allowed the fewest hits per seven innings of any pitcher in the league (3.97) and that mark ranks 15th nationally. Lemley has struck out 187 batters in 111 innings pitched and her 11.8 strikeouts per seven innings mark is the best in the conference. The Forest, Virginia, native is a top 25 finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Award.
D'Amour guided Virginia Tech (40-6, 21-2 ACC) to the No. 1 seed in the 2022 ACC Softball Championship and his second regular-season title in his four seasons in Blacksburg. Picked third in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Hokies are currently ranked second nationally in the D1Softball, NFCA and USA Softball Polls - the highest ranking in program history. Entering the season, VT had never been ranked higher than No. 8 in the polls. D’Amour earns his second ACC Coach of the Year honor in the last three seasons and the Hokies have earned eight wins against ranked opponents this season.
Virginia Tech led all schools with 11 All-ACC selections, while Florida State had eight honorees. Notre Dame had seven, followed by Duke and Clemson with six and four, respectively. On the All-Freshman Team, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech had two selections each to highlight the team.
The 2022 ACC Softball Championship begins today at Vartabedian Field in Pittsburgh. Syracuse and Louisville will kick off the championship with a 1 p.m. start on Wednesday, followed by No. 10 NC State vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech at 3:30 p.m. ACC Network will carry the first three rounds, with the championship game set for Saturday at noon on ESPN2.
Three ACC teams are ranked among the top seven of the most recent D1Softball Poll - the most of any conference. Virginia Tech leads among league teams at No. 2, followed by No. 3 Florida State, No. 7 Duke, No. 16 Clemson and No. 18 Notre Dame. The conference’s five teams among the top 18 are tied for the most of any league.
2022 ACC Softball Awards
Player of the Year: Karina Gaskins, Notre Dame, So., 1B
Pitcher of the Year: Keely Rochard, Virginia Tech, Sr., P
Defensive Player of the Year: Sydney Sherrill, Florida State, Gr., 3B
Freshman of the Year: Emma Lemley, Virginia Tech, P
Coach of the Year: Pete D’Amour, Virginia Tech
First Team
C – Emma Kauf, Georgia Tech, Jr., C
INF - Jameson Kavel, Duke, Gr., SS
INF - Sydney Sherrill, Florida State, Gr., 3B
INF - Tricia Awald, Georgia Tech, Gr., 1B
INF - Karina Gaskins, Notre Dame, So., 1B
OF - Kaley Mudge, Florida State, Jr., OF
OF - Carmyn Greenwood, Louisville, Gr., OF
OF - Emma Ritter, Virginia Tech, So., OF
P - Peyton St. George, Duke, Gr., P
P - Kathryn Sandercock, Florida State, Sr., P
P - Keely Rochard, Virginia Tech, Sr., P
At-Large - Valerie Cagle, Clemson, R-So., P/UTL
At-Large - Mack Leonard, Florida State, Sr., 1B
At-Large - Meredith Slaw, Virginia Tech, Jr., DP
At-Large - Emma Lemley, Virginia Tech, Fr., P
Second Team
McKenzie Clark, Clemson, So., OF
Kristina Foreman, Duke, Sr., 2B
Michaela Edenfield, Florida State, R-Fr., C
Devyn Flaherty, Florida State, Jr., 2B
Kalei Harding, Florida State, So., OF
Logan Morris, NC State, R-Sr., 3B
Emma Clark, Notre Dame, Sr., OF
Leea Hanks, Notre Dame, Jr., OF
Jane Kronenberger, Notre Dame, Fr., DP
Abby Sweet, Notre Dame, Gr., OF
Payton Tidd, Notre Dame, Sr., P
Cameron Fagan, Virginia Tech, So., 2B
Mackenzie Lawter, Virginia Tech, Sr., C
Morgan Overaitis, Virginia Tech, Jr., OF
Bre Peck, Virginia Tech, Fr., 3B
Third Team
Susannah Anderson, Boston College, Sr., P
Ellie Mataya, Boston College, Sr., OF
Alia Logoleo, Clemson, R-So., SS
Millie Thompson, Clemson, So., P
Rachel Crabtree, Duke, Gr., 1B
Ana Gold, Duke, Fr., 3B
Kamryn Jackson, Duke, Jr., OF
Danielle Watson, Florida State, Gr., P
Taylor Roby, Louisville, R-Sr., P
Sara Jubas, North Carolina, Gr., DP
Shannon Becker, Notre Dame, Fr., P
Yvonne Whaley, Pitt, Sr., SS
Kelsey Bennett, Virginia Tech, Jr., SS
Kelsey Brown, Virginia Tech, Jr., OF
Darby Trull, Virginia Tech, Sr., OF
All-Freshman Team
Hannah Slike, Boston College, C
Aby Vieira, Clemson, C
Ana Gold, Duke, 3B
Auburn Dupree, Georgia Tech, OF
Korbe Otis, Louisville, OF
Jane Kronenberger, Notre Dame, DP
Shannon Becker, Notre Dame, P
Sarah Coon, Virginia, 3B
Emma Lemley, Virginia Tech, P
Bre Peck, Virginia Tech, 3B