Kent State's Brownfield and Scali Highlight Historic MAC Postseason Awards
5/7/2019 12:40:00 PM | Softball
CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the first time in Mid-American Conference history, a player from the same team has won the conference's player, pitcher and freshman of the year awards. Kent State sophomore Brenna Brownfield took home MAC Player of the Year honors and redshirt freshman pitcher Andrea Scali was selected as both the Pitcher and Freshman of the Year. Scali and Brownfield were tabbed to the All-MAC First Team with senior Bailey Brownfield and junior Maria Cegledy selected to the All-MAC Second Team. Scali and first baseman Megan Turner were chosen to the MAC All-Freshman Team.
Kent State became the first school in MAC history to have three different players claim the MAC Player of the Year honors in consecutive seasons (Holly Speers 2018, Maddy Grimm 2017). Brenna Brownfield is the first underclassman to claim the hardware since Ball State's Jennifer Gilbert in 2012. Scali follows in the strong lineage of Kent State fireballers and became the Golden Flashes seventh pitcher of the year, which is the most in conference history. She is the first player to win the Freshman and Pitcher of the Year Award in the same season since Kent State's Kylie Reynolds in 2007.
"Having three different MAC Player of the Year recipients in three straight years, and our second Pitcher of the Year since 2015, illustrates the depth, consistency, and tradition of Kent State softball," said Kent State head coach Eric Oakley. "I feel comfortable speaking for everyone on the team and staff when we say we feel honored to be part of the Kent state softball family."
Brenna Brownfield erupted during the middle part of the season and never looked back. During conference play the Thornville, Ohio native led the MAC in batting average (.488) and ranked third in on-base percentage (.542), OPS (1.333), RBIs per at bat (.325) and fourth in slugging percentage (.791). The sophomore tallied eight multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games. She began league play with an extra-base hit in five of her first six games. She was instrumental in Kent State earning series victories on the road at Toledo and Western Michigan, going 9-for-17 with seven RBIs and five extra-base hits.
"Brenna really came on strong the last two months of the season, and that encompassed our MAC schedule. She is able to hit for power, of course, but also showed that she can hit for average, which was critical throughout our MAC season," remarked Oakley. "Winning this award as a sophomore is quite a compliment to Brenna. We're grateful that the MAC coaches recognized her for this honor."
Scali was sensational in her redshirt freshman season, leading the MAC in conference-only games in ERA (1.00), wins (9), shutouts (4), opponent batting average (.182) and WHIP (0.94), while ranking second in total strikeouts (98) and strikeouts per seven innings (8.52). The Parma, Ohio native was chosen MAC Pitcher of the Week a league-best six times during the season and took home two national player-pitcher of the week awards from USA Softball and the NFCA. Scali achieved the first seven-inning perfect game in a Kent State uniform in 36 years when she fanned a career-best 14 in a 4-0 win over Bowling Green. She also threw no-hitters against Youngstown State and Robert Morris, becoming the first MAC freshman to fire a no-hitter since 2012. Her three no-hitters in a single season are the most in Kent State history. Overall, she ranks eighth in the NCAA in shutouts (10), ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (9.8), 15th in total strikeouts (227) and fourth in total strikeouts among freshman.
"Andrea has been worth the wait. Watching her in her first collegiate game, we knew right away that this was going to be a special year. She did a great job of fighting through adversity early in the year, and really gathering herself together to become one of the top pitchers in the conference," said Oakley. "It's been fun to watch her hit milestones and break records along the way. The sky is the limit to what she can achieve in her career. She continues a great tradition here at Kent State of strong pitching, and it's great that she's received this award as part of that tradition."
"We're thrilled for Andrea and Brenna and both are well-deserved," said Oakley. "Also, well-deserved recognition for Bailey, Maria and Megan."
Bailey Brownfield earned her third appearance on an All-MAC Team with a nod to the All-MAC Second Team. She has been a consistent bat throughout her career and this year is hitting .360 in conference play with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs. She is currently in third place in the school's record books in career-hits (201), second in doubles (45) and seventh in RBIs (113). Her 18 doubles this year are tied for the second most in a single season and her four multi-double games are tied for the most in the NCAA. She collected four doubles in a doubleheader at Lehigh (March 27) and drove in two runs in at No. 6 Arizona (March 2).
Cegledy makes her second consecutive All-MAC Second Team appearance and has been consistent this season, hitting .319 in conference games and .325 overall. She is third on the team behind both Brownfield sisters with a .373 on-base percentage. The Pataskala, Ohio native has been one of the league's best centerfielders and is the only Golden Flash this year to start all 47 games and has not commited an error. She slugged her only homer of the year against Miami (April 13) when Kent State was down to its final strike to force extra innings.
Turner earned a starting role during conference play and ran away with the opportunity, clobbering MAC pitching to the tune of a .351 average. She finished the year second in MAC-only games among rookies in batting average and third in slugging percentage (.541). In the month of April, the Warren, Ohio product hit a homer in four games during a six-game stretch including a grand slam at rival Akron. She had great success at the dish in a three-game series with eventual MAC regular season champion Miami, going 8-for-12, including a four-hit game.
The Golden Flashes closed the year winning three of four MAC games to finish 11-5 in league play and will enter the MAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed. Kent State will play seventh-seeded Toledo in the opening round of the tournament at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8th. The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will be played at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
Player of the Year: Brenna Brownfield, Kent State
Pitcher of the Year: Andrea Scali, Kent State
Freshman of the Year: Andrea Scali, Kent State
Coach of the Year: Clarisa Crowell, Miami
Nan Harvey Award Winner: Michaela Dorsey, Ohio
All-MAC First Team
Kaitlyn Bergman, Catcher, Toledo
Kira Mickelson, Catcher, Northern Illinois
Erika Underwood, First Base, Central Michigan
Katie Keller, First Base, Northern Illinois* Â
Morgan Lott, Outfield, Miami
Jenny Van Geertry, Outfield, Northern Illinois
Anna Aguon, Outfield, Buffalo
Andrea Scali, Pitcher, Kent State
Courtney Vierstra, Pitcher, Miami
Jenelle Martinez, Second Base, Buffalo
Rachel Viera, Second Base, Central Michigan*
Katie Yun, Shortstop, Ohio
Alex Day, Third Base, Ohio
Stacy Payton, Third Base, Ball State*
Brenna Brownfield, Utility-Player, Kent State
Sydney Stefanick, Utility-Pitcher, Western Michigan
All-MAC Second Team
Kara Leckinger, Catcher, Miami
Johniann Wahl, First Base, Miami
Kaylen Glenfield, Outfield, Western Michigan
Alex Sorgi, Outfield, Bowling Green
Lily Wilmot, Outfield, Miami
Maria Cegledy, Outfield, Kent State*
Sara Hansen, Outfield, Central Michigan*
Tieghan Morio, Pitcher, Ball State
Erin Hunt, Pitcher, Toledo
Mackenzie Bryan, Pitcher, Northern Illinois
Megan Choate, Second Base, Toledo
Sam Schmidt, Shortstop, Northern Illinois
Bailey Brownfield, Third Base, Kent State
Katie Cozy, Third Base, Toledo*
Sydney Jascoe, Utility-Player, Akron
Morgan Geno, Utility-Player, Ohio*
Ashton Slone, Utility-Player, Miami*
*At Large Selection
MAC All-Freshman Team
Trinity Eckerty, Outfield Ball State
Tieghan Morio, Pitcher, Ball State
Alexis Matheney, Outfield, Buffalo
Kaitlyn Bean, Pitcher, Central Michigan
Andrea Scali, Pitcher, Kent State
Megan Turner, First Base, Kent State
Brianna Pratt, Pitcher, Miami
Katie Keller, First Base, Northern Illinois
Kara Apato, Outfield, Northern Illinois
Aubrey Reed, Utility, Toledo
