Worcester State's Despres and Rich Headline MASCAC Softball Weekly Awards

WORCESTER, Mass. – After a 4-0 week for the Worcester State softball team, the Lancers not only were named the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season Champions, but they headlined the MASCAC softball weekly awards as sophomore Sydney Despres (Sterling, Mass.) and pitcher Meghan Rich (Chelmsford, Mass.) were named player of the week and rookie of the week, respectively, for the week of Apr. 25- May 1.

Despres batted .667 with a double, two home runs, five RBI and four scored with a .714 on base percentage and a 1.250 slugging percentage in the four games. She went 4-for-6 with a double, home run, two runs scored and three RBI in a doubleheader sweep of Fitchburg State. She then went 4-for-6 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in the doubleheader sweep of MCLA.

“Our team goal this week was to get on the board early and Sydney had a hand in us scoring in the first inning in most of the games this week,” commented head coach Michelle Cote.  “She is an explosive batter that can change the tone of an inning/game with one swing.”

“Most importantly Sydney just has fun while she is playing and I think that attitude has been adopted by many of her teammates who are also seeing positive results with just having fun on the field,” added Cote.

Despres currently leads not only her team in numerous batting categories, but also is ranked nationally in numerous offensive categories. She currently stands second in the nation with 12 home runs, and fourth in slugging percentage with .975. She and teammate, Taylor Daniels (Norco, Calif.) stand in the top 20 in batting average nationally (Division III).

Senior pitcher, Rich, went 2-0 with two complete game shutouts, scattering seven hits and tallying eight strikeouts for the Lancers this past week to claim the regular season title and the top seed in the MASCAC Tournament.

Rich only allowed four hits in the 5-0 complete game shutout against Fitchburg State while striking out five and then registered another complete-game shutout against MCLA, only giving up three hits and retiring three at the plate.

“Meg's work ethic is impeccable,” stated assistant coach Katie Roy.  “Her leadership inside and outside of the circle shows her unwavering desire to help her team advance to the next level of play.”

“Meg is very motivated through each batter and used a variety of pitches to gain the wins she has,” added Roy.

This upcoming weekend, the Blue and Gold look to host the MASCAC Softball Tournament at Rockwood Park.

Honor Roll

Tyler Barrie (Oxford, Mass.) went 1-0 on the mound this week for the Lancers, as he registered a 1.13 ERA and four strikeouts, including a complete game one run effort in the 4-1 win over MCLA.

Mike Powers (Weymouth, Mass.) batted .538 with four RBI and two runs scored in a 3-3 week for the Lancers. He went 5-for-5 with a run scored in the 10-9 win over Becker College and then 4-for-4 with an RBI in the 13-0 shutout over MCLA.

Senior midfielder, Jackie Connors (Ashland, Mass.) scored five goals and added six assists for a combined 11 points with six ground balls, eight draw controls, and one caused turnover in a 1-1 week for the Lancers. She tallied four goals and four assists in the win over Mass. Maritime.

Senior Duy Truong (Worcester, Mass.) placed first in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.08 to earn conference honors at the 2016 MASCAC/New England Alliance Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Champions.

Junior Sam Weeks (Methuen, Mass.) was named the MASCAC Champion in the shot put (15.28m), discus (45.03m), and hammer throw (51.32m) at the 2016 MASCAC/Alliance Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions. He was not only a three-time MASCAC Champion, but a two-time Alliance Champion as well.

Senior Dalena Le (Worcester, Mass.) took home a MASCAC Championship in the 400 Meter Hurdles with a time of 1:06.17 at the 2016 MASCAC/Alliance Women’s Outdoor Track & field Championships.

Freshman Stephanie McFadries (Burlington, Mass.) finished first in the javelin with a top throw of 41.29m at the 2016 MASCAC/New England Alliance Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships.