UB's Kaira Ramon And Kaite Burawski Plus Head Coach Dawn Stearns Headline 2021 ECC Softball All-Conference Awards

West Babylon, N.Y. - Bridgeport standouts Kaira Ramon (Stamford, Conn.) and Kaite Burawski (Hartley, Del.) headlined the East Coast Conference Softball All-Conference awards announced on Monday afternoon. Ramon was named the Player of the Year, while Burawski takes home the Pitcher of the Year honor. In addition, Molloy's Chrissie Huhn (Croydon, Pa.) was named the ECC Rookie of the Year.

Ramon was one of the top offensive players in the ECC this season. The three-time All-Conference First Team selection ranked fourth in the league with a .420 batting average while adding two homeruns and 18 runs batted in. Ramon was also among the league leaders with eight doubles (6th) and a .481 on-base percentage (5th). Additionally, Ramon constantly put pressure on opposing defenses by being one of the toughest players to strike out in all of Division II. She only went down on strikes once in 69 at-bats, for a ratio of 69-to-1, good for sixth in the nation

Burawski was dominant in the circle for the Purple Knights during her sophomore campaign. In 14 regular season appearances, she finished with an 11-2 record to go along with 145 strikeouts, just 50 hits allowed, and a 0.74 earned run average over 94.1 innings pitched. Her strikeout and ERA marks were tops in the ECC, while her wins total ranked third. Her numbers also put her among Division II's leaders, as well. She ranked in the top-10 in the nation in ERA (8th), hits allowed per seven innings (3.71 - 7th), strikeouts per seven innings (10.8 - 7th), and walks/hits per innings pitched (0.80 - 10th). Burawski also etched her name in the NCAA and ECC record books with a 23 strikeout performance in a 15 inning outing against Mercy. It set a new ECC single-game record and was the fifth-highest single-game total in Division II history.

Huhn earns the Rookie of the Year award after claiming five of the conference's Rookie of the Week honors during the regular season. The freshman utility player's name was littered throughout the ECC statistical leader board. She led the ECC with 63 hits, 33 runs scored, 14 doubles, and 23 stolen bases, and also ranked in the top-five in the conference in batting average (.432), RBI (25), and a .481 on-base percentage.

The final major award, the Coach of the Year accolade, was shared by Bridgeport's Dawn Stearns and Molloy's Susan Cassidy-Lyke. Stearns was honored by her peers for the first time in her career. She helped lead the Purple Knights to the first ECC Regular Season Championship in the program's history with a record of 18-6.

Cassidy-Lyke wins the award for the fifth time in her career and first since 2012. The Lions ended the regular season as the hottest team in the league, winning their final 12 games to finish with a 28-12 record and a rainout away from possibly earning a share of the ECC Regular Season Championship. Cassidy-Lyke has also guided Molloy to the cusp of the program's seventh NCAA Championship appearance, with a No. 3 ranking in the latest East Region poll.

Ramon, Burawski, and Huhn are joined by Alexis Crawford (C, Mercy), Mikaela Tribby (1B, Molloy), Maddy Pepke (2B, D'Youville), Danielle Burgo (SS, Mercy), Samantha MacPherson (3B, Staten Island), Emma Bachman (OF, Molloy), Melissa Sadler (OF, St. Thomas Aquinas), Sydney Johnston (DP, Mercy), Courtney Green (UTL-P, Molloy), and Carissa Della Vecchia (P, St. Thomas Aquinas) on the ECC All-Conference First Team.

Second Team honorees include Taylor Yates (C, Bridgeport), Samantha Franck (1B, Mercy), Ava Miller (1B, D'Youville), Amanda Castro (2B, St. Thomas Aquinas), Hannah Mueller (2B, Mercy), Karsyn Eaton (SS, Molloy), Ylannah Bowman (3B, Mercy), Meg McFarland (OF, Bridgeport), Mikaela Milleville (OF, D'Youville), Grace Rende (OF, Molloy), Rachel Colan (UTL, D'Youville), Emily Koerick (P, Staten Island), Katelyn Shephard (P, Mercy), and Paige Toothaker (P, St. Thomas Aquinas).

2021 ECC Softball All-Conference
First Team
C - Alexis Crawford, Mercy
1B - Mikaela Tribby, Molloy
2B - Maddy Pepke, D'Youville
SS - Danielle Burgos, Mercy
3B - Samantha MacPherson, Staten Island
OF - Emma Bachman, Molloy
OF - Kaira Ramon, Bridgeport
OF - Melissa Sadler, St. Thomas Aquinas
DP - Sydney Johnston, Mercy
UTL - Chrissie Huhn, Molloy
UTL-P - Courtney Greene, Molloy
P - Kaite Burawski, Bridgeport
P - Carissa Della Vecchia, St. Thomas Aquinas

Second Team
C - Taylor Yates, Bridgeport
1B - Samantha Franck, Mercy
1B - Ava Miller, D'Youville
2B - Amanda Castro, St. Thomas Aquinas
2B - Hannah Mueller, Mercy
SS - Karsyn Eaton, Molloy
3B - Ylannah Bowman, Mercy
OF - Meg McFarland, Bridgeport
OF - Mikaela Milleville, D'Youville
OF - Grace Rende, Molloy
UTL - Rachel Colan, D'Youville
P - Emily Koerick, Staten Island
P - Katelyn Shephard, Mercy
P - Paige Toothaker, St. Thomas Aquinas

Player of the Year: Kaira Ramon, Sr., OF, Bridgeport
Pitcher of the Year: Kaite Burawski, So., Bridgeport
Rookie of the Year: Chrissie Huhn, Fr., UTL, Molloy
Co-Coach of the Year: Dawn Stearns, Bridgeport
Co-Coach of the Year: Susan Cassidy-Lyke, Molloy