POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- Sophomore Sarah Minice earned the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Pitcher of the Year award and received a berth on the All-MAAC first team as the conference announced its annual awards this morning.

Minice finished the regular season with an 18-10 record, winning 11 of her last 14 decisions to help the Fairfield University softball team earn the top-seed in this weekend's MAAC tournament. She was responsible for 18 of the team's 21 wins, and was in the pitching circle for all 11 MAAC victories. The right hander finished the regular season with five shutouts and 149 strikeouts in 186.2 innings pitched.

Kayla Marth, Kristie Trifiolis, and Kristina Lingo joined Minice on the All-MAAC first team, while Meghan Borst gained an All-MAAC second team nod. Lisa Meringer, Jessica Stand, and Minice were honored for their work in the classroom as members of the MAAC All-Academic team.

Marth, a freshman catcher, collected two MAAC Rookie of the Week awards during the season. She batted .319 against MAAC opponents, and .266 on the season. She posted two home runs and 24 RBI in 45 games.

Trifiolis placed third on the team with a .278 batting average while her 37 hits was second highest on the squad. She enjoyed a team-best 11-game hitting streak. Her 12 extra base hits (nine doubles, one triple, two homers) were second on the team. She was the team's top hitter against MAAC foes with a .333 hitting percentage.

Lingo enters the tournament as the Stags' top hitter with a .295 batting average. Lingo had at least one hit in 23 games, and posted a six-game hitting streak. The outfielder tallied seven doubles and one triple in 38 games.

Borst contributed to the Stags cause both as a hitter and as a pitcher. She ranked second among her teammates with a .284 batting average with a team-high 11 doubles and a team-best four home runs. Her 29 RBI also rank first among her teammates. As a pitcher, she picked up a couple of wins in 92 innings with a 4.87 ERA.

Meringer, a biology major, appeared in 29 games and posted a .258 batting average with two stolen bases. Stand, a management major, appeared in all 47 games and was second on the team with 10 stolen bases (11 attempts). She also picked up three doubles, a triple, and a home run.

The Fairfield University softball team, under head coach Julie Brzezinski, takes on fourth-seeded Niagara University at 3 pm this afternoon. With a win, the Stags would play the winner of second-seeded Manhattan and third-seeded Canisius at 11 am on Friday. With a loss, the Stags would play the loser of the Manhattan-Canisius game at 1 pm. All games are being played on the campus of Marist College.