LATHAM, N.Y. - The United East has announced its 2025 Softball All-Conference Teams and Major Award winners. Each of the three All-Conference teams are made up of a catcher, 1st base, 2nd base, shortstop, 3rd base, three outfielders, two pitchers, a designated player, a utility player and four at-large selections. Also awarded was the Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Major Award Winners
Player of the Year - Josilynn Garcia (Saint Elizabeth University)
Pitcher of the Year - Mackenzie Weaver (Penn College)
Rookie of the Year - Emma McElroy (Penn State Brandywine)
Coach of the Year - Donna Ference (Penn State Berks)
Garcia’s offense was undeniable this season as she topped the conference in numerous statistical categories. The sophomore maintained a batting average of .496 which not only led the conference but was also the 14th best in Division III. Her 63 hits rank second in the United East and her 20 doubles rank fifth in the nation. This season, Garcia registered a hit in 33 of her 40 games played while tallying multiple hits in 19 games. One of her top performances came in a non-conference win over NJCU in which she went 4-for-4 with four RBI. This year, the Northridge, Calif. native was also tabbed the United East Player of the Week twice.
A staple in the United East since she got here, Weaver collects her second Pitcher of the Year award of her career (first in 2023). The senior led the conference in innings pitched (142.2) while simultaneously also leading the conference, and ranking 26th in the country, in ERA (1.26). Her efforts led to a league-leading 15 wins in the circle and 127 punchouts. One of her top outings came early in the year as they defeated SUNY Canton, allowing just a single hit while striking out 12 in a 5.0 inning CG effort. This year, Weaver has collected United East Pitcher of the Week honors four times. Impressively, she also led the league in RBI with 44, posting a batting average of .383 with 57 hits.
It was quite the rookie season for McElroy as she played an instrumental role in Brandywine raising the 2025 Softball Championship trophy over the weekend. This season, the outfielder cranked out 69 hits to lead all players in the conference. She also posted the third-best batting average with a .466. McElroy was consistently driving runs in as well, ranking third in the conference with 41 RBI. One of her best outings came in a win over Penn College during the regular season as she went 4-for-4 with three RBI.
Donna Ference entered her 12th season as the head coach at Berks and showed no signs of fatigue as she guided her squad to a perfect 16-0 record in conference action. Defense played a large role in the Berks success this season as a 1.75 ERA as a team ranked 12th in the nation. That pitching led to 14 shutouts, which was also the 12 best in the country. This year, Ference guided six players to All-Conference accolades.
Find the All-Conference Teams below:
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Position |
Student-Athlete |
Institution |
| Catcher |
Shelby DeCillis |
Penn State Brandywine |
| First Base*** |
Josilynn Garcia |
Saint Elizabeth University |
| First Base*** |
Lauren Ziegler |
Penn State Berks |
| Second Base |
Lexi Bussinger |
Penn State Brandywine |
| Shortstop |
Phoebe Clemens |
Lancaster Bible College |
| Third Base |
Jordan DuBois |
Penn State Brandywine |
| Outfield |
Emma McElroy |
Penn State Brandywine |
| Outfield |
Hailey Gamble |
Penn State Abington |
| Outfield |
Ava Craddock |
Penn State Brandywine |
| Pitcher |
Mackenzie Weaver |
Penn College |
| Pitcher |
Iabella Hurta |
Penn State Brandywine |
| Designated Player |
Caitlyn Smith |
Gallaudet University |
| Utility |
Kara Reyes |
Saint Elizabeth University |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Lacey Drolsbaugh |
Gallaudet University |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Bethani Newbold |
Notre Dame of Maryland |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Madison Herriman |
Penn College |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Payton Kendall |
Wilson College |
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Position |
Student-Athlete |
Institution |
| Catcher |
Payton Crawford |
Penn College |
| First Base |
Carleigh Magers |
Wilson College |
| Second Base |
Kayla Talbert |
Wilson College |
| Shortstop |
Madelyn Lehigh |
Penn State Harrisburg |
| Third Base |
Kiara Taylor |
Keystone College |
| Outfield |
Kylie Krauss |
Penn State Berks |
| Outfield |
Maddie Minney |
Penn State Harrisburg |
| Outfield |
Isabella Hanos |
Saint Elizabeth University |
| Pitcher |
Kylee Miller |
Penn State Harrisburg |
| Pitcher |
Mackenzi Tice |
Penn College |
| Designated Player |
Sydney Hartle |
Wilson College |
| Utility |
Quinn Rosario |
Penn State Brandywine |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Isabella Benitez |
Keystone College |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Maddie Atkins |
Lancaster Bible College |
| At-Large (Pitcher) |
Paige Brightwell |
Penn State Berks |
| At-Large (Pitcher) |
Julia Wilkes |
Wilson College |
THIRD TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
| Position |
Student-Athlete |
Institution |
| Catcher |
Jenna Weaver |
Wilson College |
| First Base |
Lainey Scotese |
Penn State Abington |
| Second Base*** |
Mac Fisher |
Penn State Harrisburg |
| Second Base*** |
Naomi Fay |
Penn State Berks |
| Shortstop |
Katelyn Keller |
Wilson College |
| Third Base |
Peyton Vivan |
Penn State Berks |
| Outfield |
Grace Lorson |
Penn College |
| Outfield |
Hanna Brown |
Saint Elizabeth University |
| Outfield |
Kylie Mastillo |
Cedar Crest College |
| Pitcher |
Mallory Duff |
Penn State Berks |
| Pitcher |
Kami DeGaetani |
Saint Elizabeth University |
| Designated Player |
Olivia Herncane |
Penn State Harrisburg |
| Utility |
Julianna Leatherwood |
Notre Dame of Maryland |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Natalie Hasert |
Cedar Crest College |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Samantha Hemhauser |
Saint Elizabeth University |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Alyssa Taylor |
Lancaster Bible College |
| At-Large (Outfield) |
Candace Forgach-Aguilar |
Notre Dame of Maryland |
*** - denotes two players earning the same position as vote totals were exactly the same
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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, Gallaudet University, Keystone College, Lancaster Bible College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, 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.