DAYTON - The University of Dayton softball team has wrapped up another great season, culminating in the program's fifth-consecutive appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship. The Flyers were 29-27 overall and 13-10 in league action in 2017.
Head coach Cara LaPlaca recently announced the 2017 team awards, capping off a season of accolades for the Flyers.
One of the most accomplished players in Dayton history, senior Gabrielle Snyder was named both the team's MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. Snyder, the 2017 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and 2017 NFCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team member, is a seven-time member of the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and was named to the 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America® First Team. She is the only Flyer to have been recognized on a NFCA All-Region team four consecutive seasons and is also a four-time A-10 All-Conference honoree. Snyder is the Dayton career record holder for hits (222), doubles (58) and batting average (.399) and also holds the Dayton single-season records for batting average (.429 - 2017) and doubles (20 - 2015). She led Dayton this season with a .429 average (23rd NCAA), 78 hits (16th NCAA), 17 doubles (25th NCAA), four triples, seven home runs and 43 runs scored.
Sophomore Kyle Davidson was stalwart behind the plate for UD, earning her the team's Defensive Player of the Year award. Davidson joined Snyder on the A-10 All-Conference First Team after catching 22 base runners stealing to lead the league. She also ranked third in the A-10 with 323 putouts. Davidson was not just a defensive threat but also excelled at the plate offensively. She was second on the team and fifth in the A-10 with 13 doubles while also collecting the third-most hits on the team (52).
Sophomore Lisa Tassi nabbed the A-10's final Player of the Week honor on her way to being named the team's Most Improved Player. She closed out the season hitting above .300 with 39 hits in 124 at-bats (.315) and recorded 90 putouts and 54 assists playing primarily at second base.
The team's Rookie of the Year award went to freshman Mallory Kimmell. She stepped up to fill a need at shortstop and became a staple in the starting lineup. For the season, Kimmell tallied 16 hits, batted in six runs and scored 16 runs for the Flyers.
Additionally, junior Manda Cash was named to the A-10 Second Team, A-10 All-Academic Team and the CoSIDA All-District® 5 Second Team. She set a new program single-season strikeouts record with 204, which ranked 28th in the NCAA, and her 8.9 Ks/seven innings was 14th nationally.
Speaking of records, it was a record-breaking year for the Flyers. The pitching staff combined for 355 strikeouts, besting the previous single-season record of 353 set in 2015, and allowed only six triples (7, 2016). Offensively, the team posted a .300 batting average (.291, 2015) and batted 95 doubles (90, 2014) while only striking out 184 times (194, 2016). Additionally, with its .518 winning percentage, the 2017 squad recorded its third-consecutive season above .500.
