JMU Claims Four Major CAA Softball Awards, Seven Named All-CAA

RICHMOND, Va. – James Madison claimed four Colonial Athletic Association softball major season awards, as the league announced the 2016 all-conference teams Tuesday afternoon. Four Dukes were also named to the All-CAA First Team while two were placed on the All-CAA Second Team.

For the second year straight season, senior pitcher/utility Jailyn Ford was voted CAA Player of the Year, and sophomore pitcher Megan Good was named the Pitcher of the Year. Senior catcher Erica Field was tabbed the CAA Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season, while Head Coach Mickey Dean followed suit by being recognized as Coach of the Year for the third year running.

Ford earned the league's top player honor after excelling from both the plate and in the circle. A finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, Ford hit .336 this year with 11 home runs, 30 RBIs 37 runs. She led the CAA in on-base percentage (.509) and walks (42), while also ranking second in slugging percentage (.713) and third in homers. Her walks total broke JMU's single-season record and she is the all-time career leader in home runs, with 46.

As a pitcher, Ford went 15-2 in 2016 with a 1.02 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 123.2 innings of work. She ranked second in the conference in ERA, strikeouts, earned runs (18) and opposing batting average (.155), and was third in both total runs allowed (27) and hits allowed (67). The Hot Springs, Va. native broke JMU's single-season record for walks

Good is the nation's leader in wins this season with a 28-2 overall record (14-0 CAA), to go with a 0.91 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 184.0 innings in the circle. The five-time CAA Pitcher of the Week leads the league in wins, ERA, strikeouts, opposing batting average (.151), innings pitched while also ranking third in strikeouts looking (40) and fourth in both in total runs allowed (34) and earned runs allowed (24).

The Mount Sidney, Va. native tossed the program's second perfect game on April 17 at Drexel and produced 16 complete games, nine of which were shutout wins. She also hit .298 from the plate with four homers, 25 RBIs and 21 runs.

Field led the JMU defense, starting all 47 games behind the plate. She held a perfect fielding percentage with 355 putouts and 20 assists. She was one of two CAA players to not commit an error and was second in total putouts. Offensively, the Manassas, Va. native hit .321 with four home runs, 18 RBIs and 29 runs in the lead-off position. This season, Field became JMU's all-time leader in career hits (256).

Dean guided the Dukes to their fourth consecutive 40-win season and third straight regular-season title and No. 1 seed for the CAA Softball Championship. Now in his fourth season at the helm, Dean led JMU to a No. 6 national ranking, the highest in program history.

Ford, Good and Field were all named to the All-CAA First Team and were joined on the squad by junior infielder Madyson Moran.

Moran earned the first all-conference accolade of her career after hitting .318 with four home runs, 27 RBIs and 27 runs. Her batting average more than doubled from her sophomore year. She notched a .978 fielding percentage with 80 putouts and 54 assists, committing just three errors at second base.

Two Dukes were also named to the All-CAA Second Team in sophomore infielder Morgan Tolle and junior outfielder Taylor Newton.

Tolle hit .345 with six home runs, 29 RBIs and a team-best 40 runs, which ranked fourth in the CAA. She also recorded 51 hits, which tied for the team lead. Defensively, Tolle held a .942 fielding percentage, recording 44 putouts and a team-high 85 assists.

Newton wrapped up the regular season with a .299 batting average, to go with seven homers, a team-high 41 RBIs and 23 runs. Her RBI total ranked tied for fourth in the CAA. Starting all 47 games in right field, Newton held a .923 fielding percentage with 22 putouts and two assists.

Sophomore utility Ashley Samuels was named to the CAA All-Academic team for her success on and off the field. Samuels appeared in 12 games behind the plate this season, recording 19 putouts and two assists.

Seventh-ranked James Madison hosts the 2016 CAA Championship, which begins today. The top-seeded Dukes open play on Wednesday, May 11 at 2:30 p.m., facing the winner of the opening game featuring No. 4 Elon and No. 5 Delaware.

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JMU Claims Four Major CAA Softball Awards, Seven Named All-CAA

Players Mentioned

Erica Field

Jailyn Ford

Megan Good

Madyson Moran

Taylor Newton

Ashley Samuels

Morgan Tolle

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