LATHAM, N.Y. - The United East Conference has announced its 2024 Softball - Skye Division All-Conference Teams. The All-Conference Teams are made up of twelve student-athletes on each team with three separate All-Conference teams for this season. Four major awards have been handed out including Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year.
Eight out of the nine Skye Division institutions that sponsor Softball were represented across the three All-Conference teams and major awards. Wilson College led the way with ten individuals on the All-Conference teams, including Coach of the Year, after winning the regular season championship.
Keystone College had seven individuals named All-Conference whale Rosemont College had five individuals across all three teams. Notre Dame of Maryland University and Saint Elizabeth University were each represented by four individuals on the All-Conference teams, respectively, including the Player and Pitcher of the Year from Notre Dame.
Clarks Summit University was represented by three individuals while Cedar Crest College had two individuals across the three teams. University of Valley Forge and Cairn University each had one award winner, with Cairn earning Rookie of the Year.
Major Award Winners
Player of the Year - Jessie Leatherwood (Notre Dame of Maryland University)
Pitcher of the Year - Jessie Leatherwood (Notre Dame of Maryland University)
Rookie of the Year - Evelyn Johnson (Cairn University)
Coach of the Year - Brett Cline (Wilson University)
Jessie Leatherwood (Gr. / Towson, Md.) has been named the 2024 United East Player of the Year - Skye Division and Pitcher of the Year - Skye Division. The graduate student from Notre Dame of Maryland University was on the leaderboards in all major offensive categories, after hitting .438 on the season and setting new career-highs with eight doubles and a .675 Slugging Percentage. Across the league, Leatherwood was in the Top 10 for Batting Average, Slugging Percentage, On Base Percentage, OPS (On Base + Slugging Percentage), Triples and Walks.
In the circle, Leatherwood was a mainstay for the Gators, picking up eight victories and posting a 2.55 ERA: both new career bests. Across the league, Leatherwood is second in Opposing Batting Average, holding opponents to a .208 average while striking out 47 batters in Skye Division games. Nationally, Leatherwood ranks 20th with 8.8 Strikeouts per Seven Innings.
Leatherwood was a First Team All-Conference player in 2023, Second Team in 2022 and 2021 and won Player or Pitcher of the Week three times this season.
Evelyn Johnson (FY / Yardley, Pa.) has been named the 2024 United East Rookie of the Year - Skye Division after an impressive debut season for the Cairn Highlanders where the first year started and played in all 32 games. In the pitching circle, Johnson led the entire United East with 75.1 Innings Pitched in league games, striking out 42 batters in the process. Across the whole season, Johnson made 28 total appearances, starting 20 games, with 18 complete games, throwing 146.0 total innings and punching out 99 batters. At the plate, Johnson hit .322 on the season with 5 doubles, a triple, and 11 RBI over 90 At-Bats.
Brett Cline guided the Wilson Phoenix to a 13-3 record in Skye Division play and a 24-10 regular season record, winning the Skye Division regular season championship in the process. Ten individuals were named All-Conference in 2024. This is the first Coach of the Year award for Cline in the United East and fifth overall. Cline was named Coach of the Year in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) in 2010, 2012, and 2014 and earned the award in 2019 while playing under the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) banner.
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
THIRD TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
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The United East boasts 17 NCAA Division III full member institutions which include: Bryn Athyn College, Cairn University, Cedar Crest College, Clarks Summit University, Gallaudet University, Keystone College, Lancaster Bible College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Harrisburg, Rosemont College, Saint Elizabeth University, St. Mary's College of Maryland, University of Valley Forge, and Wilson College. For more information, please visit gounitedeast.com.