May 25, 2010

Softball Announces 2010 Team Awards

BUFFALO, NY- The University at Buffalo softball team announced its team awards for the 2010 season last week. Head coach Jennifer Teague made the following presentations:Kristin Waldron and Alyssa Ward were selected as the Most Valuable Offensive and Defensive players, respectively; Kate Kraus was selected as the Most Improved; Terese Diaz was selected as the Ace in the Circle and the True Blue Award went to Sharon Barr.

The Most Valuable Player Award is given to the student-athlete who makes the most significant contribution to the accomplishments of the team through her skills and leadership. Sophomore Kristin Waldron earned the award for the second consecutive year as she led the Bulls offensively with 60 hits, 34 RBIs and a .330 batting average. She also finished the season with a new school record for most triples in a career, with 10. Freshman Alyssa Ward was a standout third baseman, who also spent time in the catcher's spot. She was one of only two players to start all 55 games for the Bulls, while knocking in 40 hits and 22 RBIs. Defensively, Ward tallied 116 putouts and led the team in assists with 106, while maintaining a .974 fielding percentage.

The Most Improved Player Award is presented to the student-athlete who has made the greatest stride or improvement in her performance from the previous season or from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. Junior transfer Kate Kraus saw significant strides in her first year with the Bulls. She appeared in six games on the mound for Buffalo, making her first Division-I appearance on March 19, versus Coastal Carolina. She struck out seven batters, in 14 innings pitched throughout the season. The Ace in the Circle Award is presented to the team's most outstanding pitcher. Sophomore Terese Diaz was presented the award for the second consecutive year, after earning seven wins on the mound. Diaz struck out 152 batters, in 147.1 innings pitched, in 2010. After two seasons, Diaz already ranks third all-time for strike outs (354) and wins (21). 
The coaches present the True Blue Award to the student-athlete who gives 110% every day on the field and shows outstanding commitment to the team, on and off the field. Senior Sharon Barr was presented with this year's award. Barr was an intricate part of the Buffalo offense and defense as a four year starter and has left her mark in the UB record books collecting a number of all-time pitching records, including the all-time leader for appearances and games started. In addition to being an all-around player and team leader, Barr appeared in a record number of 43 games, starting 28 of them in 2010. 

 

The Bulls finish their 2010 campaign with a record of 21-34 ( 9-15 MAC) after making their second ever appearance in MAC post-season play.