BALDERAS NAMED ECC CO-PLAYER OF THE YEAR AS ONE OF FIVE DOLPHINS ON SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

5/3/2024 8:00:00 AM

Staten Island, NY - It was announced yesterday that Aileen Balderas has been named the East Coast Conference Co Player of the Year and was one of five Dolphins who have received All-Conference honors. Balderas was joined on the All-Conference First Team by freshman Olivia Wanser, and Anissa Acosta, Mariah Carcano, and Amanda Stalker were all named to the All-Conference Second Team.

Stalker joined the Dolphins this season and made an immediate impact in her freshman season. After coming off the bench to start the season, she quickly worked her way into the Dolphins starting lineup and ultimately into the middle of the Dolphins batting order. Stalker was fourth on the team in hitting this year at .344 and was one of four Dolphins, also including Balderas, Acosta, and Wanser, to post an on-base percentage and slugging percentage of over .400.

SB32524_POST — **Stalker hit .344 as a freshman playing 30 games and starting 29**

In her third season with the Dolphins, Mariah Carcano enjoyed an offensive resurgence during the final weeks of the regular season. Consistently factoring in with her glove in center field, Carcano finished the season hitting .310. Despite hitting neat the bottom of the order, Carcano put together six multi-hit games during the final three weeks of the regular season to move to fifth on the team in batting.

SB41924_POST — **Carcano factored in both with her glove and with her bat down the stretch of the 2024 season**

Delivering another highly productive season at the plate, Anissa Acosta makes another appearance on the ECC All-Conference Second Team. Another .344 hitter who starter in all but two games and appeared in all but one, the junior continues to move up the rankings for numerous program records, most notably home runs. She finished tied for a share of the team lead in that category with four and is three shy of setting a new program record next season.

SB41624_PRE — **Currently sitting at 15 home runs for her career, Anissa Acosta is four home runs away from setting a CSI program record**

Wanser posted one of the best seasons in the Division II history of the CSI Softball program as a freshman and was among the conference leaders in a host of offensive categories. She led the Dolphins in doubles and trailed only Balderas in most other offensive categories. Throughout the season, she consistently delivered in clutch situations and finished the year 39 RBI, good for third in the ECC.

SB42024_PRE — **Wanser finished the season with 39 RBI to lead the Dolphins and rank 3rd in the ECC**

Balderas posted what was arguably the best season in the Division II history of the CSI Softball program as she led the Dolphins in many of the major offensive categories. Hitting .411, Balderas also posted a 28-game hitting streak out of the leadoff spot in the Dolphins lineup. She also consistently made an impact with her glove at shortstop and reached 100 career hits in just her second collegiate season.

SB4524_PRE — **Balderas earns ECC Co-Player of the Year honors behind a .411 batting average, 28-game hitting streak, and 67-hit season**

The Dolphins fell one game short of the ECC playoffs this season as they lost their final game against Mercy University. The Dolphins did however take a step forward following a difficult 2023 season, and there are plenty of reasons to believe that the team can break through into the postseason next year. 2025 also is set to see the potential for many program records to fall as the team's All-Conference honorees move deeper in their respective careers.

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