POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – After leading the Manhattan College softball team to within one game of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament, all three of the Jaspers' “Killer B's” were recognized by the conference's nine head coaches with All-MAAC selections. Junior infielder Kate Bowen (Newtown, Conn.) and freshman utility player Elena Bowman (San Mateo, Calif.) were named to the All-MAAC First Team, while senior infielder Amanda Babcock (Haverstraw, N.Y.) earned a place on the All-MAAC Second Team, it was announced on Thursday night at the Marist College Cabaret.
Bowen, who was a First Team All-Northeast Region and Second Team All-MAAC choice in 2012, started all 46 games this season at either second base or pitcher and finished second in the MAAC with 61 hits and tied for second in the league with 12 doubles. She also paced the Jaspers in batting average (.367) and runs scored (34), while ranking second on the squad in home runs (4) and RBIs (33). Bowen was named Manhattan's Female Student-Athlete of the Year, as well as earning a Capital One Academic All-District selection.
Bowman also started every game this season, seeing time at catcher, third base and designated player. She finished second in the MAAC with 12 home runs, the second-highest single-season total in program history, and also led the Jaspers with 36 RBIs. Bowman ranked second on the squad with 48 hits and a .358 batting average, and was third on the team with 24 runs scored. In addition, she placed fourth in the league in both slugging percentage (.672) and on-base percentage (.491). Bowman was named MAAC Rookie of the Week three times and MAAC Player of the Week on March 12.
Babcock is a first-time All-MAAC selection. She started every game at shortstop for the second consecutive season and was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Team. Babcock placed third on the team in batting average (.326), home runs (4) and RBIs (26), and she ended the season on an 11-game hitting streak. She also scored 29 runs, belted eight doubles and drew 24 walks, second-most in the MAAC.
In addition, nine Jaspers were honored for their success in the classroom with MAAC All-Academic Team selections. Babcock and Bowen earned All-Academic nods along with seniors Anna Gallacher (New Fairfield, Conn.), Jen Keller (Woodridge, N.J.) and Kelsi Redding (Tucson, Ariz.), as well as sophomores Amy Bright (Manlius, N.Y.), Amanda Paxson (Cedar Grove, N.J.), Mickayla Romero (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Sydney Weedon (Santa Ana, Calif.). To be named to the MAAC All-Academic Team, student-athletes must have completed two or more semesters at their institution and boast a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher.
