ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Alfred University softball team earned major individual praise from the Empire 8 this Wednesday. Graduate pitcher Jessica Wilcox (Forestville, N.Y./Pine Valley) was named the Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year, first year infielder Mya Wells (San Ramon, Calif./California) was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, and 10 Saxons earned Empire 8 postseason honors as the conference announced its end of season awards.
 
Along with the major award winners, Wilcox and Wells were also named to the All-Empire 8 First Team along with junior shortstop Ashley Lugo (Hesperia, Calif./Oak Hills) and junior second baseman Allison O'Toole (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley). Highlighting the All-Empire 8 Second Team are graduate first baseman Elena Ceja (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Beach Union), junior third baseman Tatiana Mejia (North Hills, Calif./John F. Kennedy), and junior outfielder Alyssa Guitron (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon). On the third team are senior outfielder Sydney Saucedo (Whittier, Calif./La Serna) and first-year pitcher Megan Bennett (Athens, Pa./Athens Area). Finally, senior utility Moreta Dyke (Milesburg, Pa./Bald Eagle Area) is honored as the Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year. The nine Saxons honored with all-conference awards are tied for the most Empire 8 selections for AU in program history, joining the 2014 squad.
 
Wilcox is the first Saxon in program history to earn Pitcher of the Year honors from the Empire 8. A three-time all-conference selection, Wilcox saved her best stuff for her final season, sporting an impressive 16-3 record in 21 appearances, a 1.26 earned run average, 0.72 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched), 15 complete games, six shutouts, and an AU record-219 strikeouts to go with just 11 walks in 127 1/3 innings pitched. She has struck out double-digit batters in 15 occasions this year, including a school-record 15 in a victory against Ithaca on April 10. At the plate, Wilcox is batting .308, driving in two RBI. She is among the NCAA Division III leaders in strikeouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio and strikeouts per seven innings.
 
Wilcox sports a career 52-27 in her career with a program-record 615 strikeouts in 499.1 innings. She also holds the season strikeout, season shutout, career shutout, and career wins record, and her 16 wins this year are fifth all-time in program history.
 
Wells is continuing a fine rookie season, as she is the second Saxon to earn Rookie of the Year honors and first since Emily Fenton did so in the 2010 season. Splitting time between the designated player and catcher roles, Wells is batting .380 with a .484 slugging percentage and a 1.044 OPS (on-base plus slugging) in 36 games. She leads the Empire with 17 walks and leads the team with 30 runs batted in, tallying 13 extra base hits including 10 doubles, one triple, and two home runs. Wells is 5-of-7 in stolen base attempts this season and holds a .984 fielding percentage as a catcher, throwing out a team-best four would-be base stealers.
 
Lugo is one of the more electric players in the Empire 8, as she earns her second all-conference and first first-team honor. Lugo is batting a team-best .417 (among NCAA requirements of two plate appearances per game and 75 percent of team games played), adding a .490 on base percentage and a team-leading 1.104 OPS. Lugo is second in the NCAA in stolen bases, swiping an AU and Empire 8-record 49 bags in 52 chances, and is already the program and Empire 8's all-time leader in stolen bases with 86. She also leads the team and the Empire 8 with 53 hits and four triples.
 
O'Toole joined the team a third of the way through the 2021 season and hit the ground running, sporting an impressive .460 batting average, .540 slugging percentage, and a 1.025 OPS in 23 games played. Earning a spot on the all-conference team for the first time, O'Toole hit safely in 15 of 20 contests (she appeared in three as a defensive substitute), she has five doubles, 17 RBI, 10 runs scored, and is a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base opportunities.
 
Ceja is having a career year in 2021 and is rewarded with her first all-conference honor. Ceja currently holds a batting slash line of .343/.390/.495 (batting/on-base/slugging percentages) with an .885 OPS, playing in all 37 contests. She leads the team with three home runs and has scored 17 runs while driving in 20, all career highs. She has 10 walks and is 3-for-4 in stolen base attempts and has a .976 fielding percentage in 167 chances at first base.
 
Ceja tallied her 100^th career hit in Tuesday's Empire 8 Tournament victory over Sage and has 68 RBI and 49 runs scored in 149 games played in her career.
 
Mejia earns her second all-conference honor in her career after landing on the second team as a rookie in 2019. Mejia started 35 of 36 games at third base, sporting a .336/.420/.460 batting slash line with an .880 OPS in 113 at bats. She has 10 extra base hits including eight doubles and two home runs and is second on the team with 11 stolen bases, 15 drawn walks and 32 runs scored.
 
Like Mejia, Guitron also earns her second all-conference honor after earning second-team honors as a rookie in 2019. The junior outfielder finished second among qualifying Saxons with a .410 batting average, sporting a batting slash line of .410/.457/.530 in 117 at bats. Guitron leads the Empire 8 with seven sacrifice bunts and is second in the league with 48 hits and third with 29 runs batted in. She has 12 extra base hits, including a team-leading 11 doubles and the first home run of her career in Tuesday's victory against Sage.
 
Saucedo, like Ceja, broke out in her final season to earn all-conference honors for the first time. The senior sports a slash line of .319/.398/.374 and is third on the team with 10 stolen bases and fourth on the team with 27 runs scored. Playing mostly in center field, Saucedo sports a .929 fielding percentage in 28 chances.
 
Saucedo has played in 118 career games in her career, tallying 94 career hits, eight doubles, two triples, and 64 runs scored.
 
Bennett's first season as a member of the Purple and Gold results in her first all-conference honor. Bennett sports a 7-2 record in 15 appearances and nine starts, holding a 2.57 earned run average, 1.28 WHIP, two complete games, one shutout, and 47 strikeouts to just seven walks in 51 2/3 innings pitched. During a five-game stretch against Houghton, Elmira, Keuka, and two Nazareth contests, Bennett didn't allow an earned run in 22 innings pitched.
 
Dyke is Alfred's selection for the Softball Sportswoman of the Year team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. Dyke has distinguished herself, consistently exhibiting the critical traits as an outstanding sportswoman.
 
On the field, Dyke tallied three hits in 11 appearances this season, driving in a run and scoring two others, while also walking four times. In the circle, Dyke has pitched one inning of relief, allowing just one hit in a victory vs. Nazareth. She sports a career 4-6 record in 28 appearances in the circle, with two saves, three complete games, and 23 strikeouts in 75 innings pitched. At the plate, Dyke has eight hits in 31 at bats, good for a .259 career batting average, with two RBI and three runs scored.
 
The Saxons (29-8) are currently vying for the second Empire 8 Tournament championship in school history and will book a ticket to the championship round with a victory on Thursday. The Saxons will take on 12^th-ranked and top seed St. John Fisher College at noon.