BEVERLY, Mass. – After making their third straight trip to the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament, the Wentworth Institute of Technology softball team had a handful of Leopards earn postseason accolades, as announced by the league office Wednesday morning. Among the Black & Gold's honorees were three major award winners; graduate outfielder Kaitlin Pettenger (Budd Lake, N.J.), who was named CCC Player of the Year and CCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, freshman outfielder Brianna Miller (West Haven, Conn.), who was named CCC Rookie of the Year, and head coach Erica Castro, who was named CCC Coach of the Year.
Joining the trio as postseason honorees are sophomore catcher Kyla Igawa (Long Beach, Calif.), junior infielder and pitcher Jess Rowe (Yardley, Pa.), and sophomore pitcher Julie Schriver (Moscow, Pa.). Igawa and Rowe earned respective spots on the All-CCC First Team alongside Pettenger and Miller while Schriver represented Wentworth on the third team.
Pettenger etched her name further into the program's record books in her fifth season, being named CCC Player of the Year while currently batting .424 at the plate with 53 hits, including nine doubles and two triples, and holding a .576 slugging percentage and a .523 on base percentage which ranks second conference-wide. Her 45 runs scored and 24 stolen bases both rank first in the CCC.
Pettenger was named CCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, completing her Master's degree in Architecture with a 3.72 grade-point-average. The graduate student's major award comes after being named one of the CCC's five nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year last summer.
Pettenger ranks arguably at the top among all-time Leopards per her career, ranking first in the following statistics: games played (146), runs scored (139), hits (192), triples (19), total bases (285), and stolen bases (54 - set in 2024). Her .392 batting average and .473 on base percentage each rank second. In addition to this season's accolades, the outfielder was named an NFCA All-Region honoree a season ago and has been named to the All-CCC First Team each of the last two seasons prior to 2024 after being named to the second team as a freshman.
Miller is making a statement in her rookie campaign, currently batting .377 with a slugging percentage of .549 and an on base percentage of .433. Of her 46 hits, ten are doubles while four are triples, with both totals the second highest team-wide. Miller also reps ten RBI and one home run this season.
Castro, holding a career coaching record of 94-86-1, earns her second coach of the year accolade in the last three seasons after guiding the Leopards to their third straight 20+ win season and CCC Tournament berth. In 2024, Wentworth currently totals their second-most wins in program history with 25 after the team racked up a program-high 28 in 2023.
Igawa earns her first all-conference nod after an efficient season, currently batting .426 with 34 RBI that rank second and third in the league, respectively. The sophomore's breakout season also includes a team-high 14 doubles and a .444 on base percentage.
Across her career, Igawa bats .341 with a .468 slugging percentage, notching 21 doubles, 54 RBI, and three home runs. Her seven sacrifice flies tie for first in the program's all-time ranks.
Rowe was named first team all-conference as Wentworth's dynamo on both offense and defense, leading the team with a .622 slugging percentage, seven triples, and five home runs while also chipping in 11 wins in the circle and 67 total strikeouts. Her seven triples trail only Pettenger (8) as the most recorded in a single season.
After reaching the 100-career hits plateau at the tail end of the regular season, Rowe currently bats .308 across her career with a .506 slugging percentage that includes 21 doubles, 8 home runs, and 10 triples that rank third in the team's all-time ranks. In the circle, the junior holds a 17-8 record with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.
Schriver headlines the Leopards' crew in the circle en route to her first conference honor, pitching the most innings in the league while leading the team with 13 wins, two saves, a 2.26 ERA, and a 1.24 WHIP. In Wentworth's season-opening win over Bluffton, the sophomore set a program record with 15 strikeouts, setting the tone for the rest of her campaign.
For her career, Schriver holds a 27-13 record with her 27 wins sitting second all-time in program history. Her 2.23 ERA currently sits first in the program's all-time ranks as does her opponent's batting average of .230. The sophomore also holds a 1.22 WHIP and 190 total strikeouts.
Wentworth is in the midst of their third straight postseason appearance, holding a 25-17 overall record as the team battles Western New England on Friday with a 2-0 playoff mark.
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