Moon Township, Pa. – A quartet of
Robert Morris University softball student-athletes earned Northeast Conference plaudits Wednesday in a vote of league head coaches, including a pair that were named to the 2019 All-NEC Second Team and two that were tabbed to the 2019 All-NEC Rookie Team.
Senior
Abrielle McCartney and junior
Natalie Higgins each earned a spot on the 2019 All-NEC Second Team, while freshmen
Kristýna Malá and
Dana Vatakis were selected to the 2019 All-NEC Rookie Team.
McCartney appeared in 50 games for the Colonials in 2019, each as a member of the starting lineup, and paced the Colonials in batting average (.323), runs (28), doubles (12), RBI (23) and stolen bases (8). She fashioned hitting streaks of eight and seven games during the campaign, each of which came in the second half of the season.
Against league opposition, McCartney hit .333 (16-for-48) and led RMU in runs (11) and home runs (4). In home games at the North Athletic Complex, the senior from McDonald, Pa., hit a team-high .383 (18-for-47) and capped it with arguably the most clutch hit of her career. Trailing LIU Brooklyn, 10-6, in game one of a doubleheader April 27, McCartney came up with the bases full and promptly connected for a grand slam to tie the contest, 10-10, and send the game to extra innings.
McCartney concluded her career with a .301 batting average (162-for-538) in 180 contests. She also compiled career totals of 81 runs, 26 doubles, 11 home runs and 83 RBI. She ranks 10th all-time at RMU in career RBI and 11th in hits.
Despite missing time due to injury in 2019, Higgins hit .303 (40-for-132) overall in 2019 in 42 games and tied for the team lead in both home runs (7) and RBI (23). She posted the longest hitting streak of the year, hitting safely in 11 consecutive games in April and May. During that stretch she hit .405 (15-for-37) with seven runs, eight RBI, a pair of doubles and two home runs.
In three seasons at Robert Morris, Higgins has compiled a .312 (130-for-417) career batting average to go along with 62 runs, 29 doubles, 13 home runs and 74 RBI. She will enter her final season of eligibility in 2020 looking to crack the top 10 in a number of categories.
Malá came on strong for the Colonials in NEC play, hitting a team-high .417 (10-for-24) to go along with eight runs scored. Overall on the 2019 season she hit .250 (18-for-72), smacking three doubles, scoring 10 runs and driving in four.
Vatakis established herself in the pitching circle in first year with the Colonials in 2019, finishing 9-14 overall in 29 appearances, including 21 starts. She posted 12 complete games, logging 131 innings and striking out 52.
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