WEXFORD, Pa. – Bethany College senior 3B Andrea Thomas (Toronto, Ohio) was selected as the Player of the Year and head coach Jan Forsty was tabbed as the Coach of the Year to highlight a big day for the Bison with the announcement of the All-PAC Softball teams.
In addition to Forsty and Thomas being honored, senior 2B Chelsea Butler (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview), sophomore pitcher Emily Jump (Milford, Del../Polytech) and sophomore OF Maria Vallone (Rochester, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) were picked for First Team All-PAC accolades and senior OF Cortney Lax (Orrville, Ohio) received Second Team distinction.
This is the first Coach of the Year award for Forsty since 2005 and comes after the Bison have completed their most successful two-year run in her 24-year tenure. After winning a school-record 35 games last year, BC went 29-14 this season, including a 14-2 mark in the conference, and won the program’s 13th league championship. Bethany’s 64 wins in the last two seasons in the most in the program’s history and Forsty now has 635 career victories to her credit, with 555 of those coming at Bethany.
This marks the second consecutive season Thomas has earned First Team All-PAC and she is the first Bison player to win PAC Player of the Year since 2005. She batted .452 this season, which included 61 hits, and led the team with a .667 slugging percentage and, boosted by 14 walks, a .507 on-base percentage. Thomas clubbed 17 doubles, four home runs and had a team-leading 36 RBIs.
Now a three-time All-PAC honoree, Thomas’ big season put her at or near the top in several career categories at Bethany, as she is ranked first in career walks with 57, second with 40 doubles and 185 hits and third overall with 105 RBIs.
A physical education major, Andrea is the daughter of Ron & Ginger Thomas of Toronto, Ohio.
Butler is also a three-time All-PAC selection after earning First Team laurels this year. The Bison leadoff hitter continued to set the table for the rest of the line-up, hitting .342 with 32 runs scored and stealing a team-high seven bases. She was also named the PAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after her two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning accounted for the only run in Bethany’s 1-0 victory over Thomas More in the PAC Tournament title game.
A steady, consistent four years at Bethany have also put Butler high in the record books. In addition to being first in career at-bats with 585, she is the all-time leader in hits with 188 and her 118 runs scored places her second on the career list.
A physical education major, Chelsea is the daughter of Sue & Rick Butler of Cortland, Ohio.
Jump is a First Team selection for the second consecutive season after she posted a 17-6 record this year. She peaked down the stretch for the Bison, winning 11 of her last 12 decisions, and finished with a 2.90 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 157 innings of work. A two-time PAC Pitcher of the Week choice during the season, Jump also secured a spot on the All-Tournament team after throwing complete game gems in a 1-0 win over Waynesburg and a 2-1 victory over Thomas More to send the Bison into the PAC title game.
In addition to her work in the circle, Jump also hit .256 this season with 10 runs scored and nine RBIs. It was her leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh that started the winning rally in the championship game against Thomas More.
Although she is just a sophomore, Jump is climbing the records list at Bethany very quickly. Her 40-16 record has her tied for fifth in program history in wins and she is also fifth with 179 career strikeouts.
A physical education major, Emily is the daughter of Gary & Cindy Ingram and Jonathan & Karen Jump.
Vallone joins Jump with two First Team All-PAC awards in their first two seasons at Bethany. The sophomore right fielder, who was named PAC Hitter of the Week twice during the campaign and to the All-Tournament team, led the PAC with a .459 batting average. Her 62 hits not only led the conference, but also tied her own single-season record set last year. Vallone led the team with 22 multi-hit games and finished the regular season with a 17-game hit streak, while also posting a team-best 33 runs scored and matched Thomas with 14 walks.
Although Butler and Thomas now rank 1-2 in career hits at Bethany, Vallone will be in hot pursuit of that record with two years left in her time. She already has 124 hits and her .441 career average is the highest in Bethany history.
A physical education major, Maria is the daughter of Robert & Lesley Vallone of Rochester, N.Y.
For Lax, this is the first All-PAC award she has received and comes after she posted career-highs in nearly every category. She batted .295 for the season, including a .313 mark in conference games, and has one home run, four doubles, 14 RBIs and 10 runs scored. Lax had a big hand in Bethany’s first PAC Tournament win over Thomas More, going 2-for-3 and driving in a key run that proved to be the difference in a 2-1 triumph.
A social work major, Cortney is the daughter of Jason Lax and Michelle Lax of Orrville, Ohio.
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