CRESSON, Pa. -- On Thursday, the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference released their annual Softball All-Conference Awards. Five different Mounties made the list, with Whitney Cole earning First Team honors to go with being the AMCC Newcomer of the Year.

Fr. Whitney Cole (McDonald, Pa. / South Fayette) was named the AMCC Newcomer of the Year, in addition to being named to the All-AMCC First Team at Second Base. Cole made a major impact to the Mountie lineup, registering the second-highest number of at-bats on the team. She led the Mounties in hitting, batting .432 on the season and .462 in conference play. The freshman also ranked highly in the AMCC, finishing fourth in hits, fifth in batting average, and ninth in on-base percentage. Cole had five different multi-hit games in conference play, including two different, four hit games. Her biggest game came in a 12-11 loss to Penn State Behrend, where she went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Cole is the first Newcomer of the Year for Mount Aloysius, since current P/OF, Emily Cochran, back in 2019.

Fr. Traci Hauser (Cherry Tree, Pa. / Harmony) joined Cole on the First Team, being selected as one of the top two pitchers. Hauser had an impressive first year in Cresson, quickly becoming the ace for the Mounties and finishing in the top five in multiple conference leaderboards. Overall she produced a 7-3 record, going 5-2 in AMCC play, to go with a conference-low, 1.94 ERA. She finished third in the AMCC in total strikeouts, but led the league in strikeouts per game (7.98). She won multiple AMCC Pitcher of the Week Awards and was also named to the All-Tournament team at last week's AMCC Tournament. She had double-digit strikeouts in a game, twice on the season, and threw one shutout in a 1-0 victory against Pitt-Bradford.

So. Tawnya Holben (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Fox Chapel) was the third Mountie to be named to the All-AMCC First Team, making it at third base. 2022 is her first All-AMCC selection. Holben modeled consistency in the Mountie lineup, playing in all 16 conference games and hitting .400. While the majority of her appearances were at third base, she also filled in as a catcher when needed. She finished the season tied with Cole for the team lead in RBIs (13), during conference play, and second on the team in slugging percentage (.540) among Mountie regulars.

In the outfield, both Ella Pearson and Lilley Vereshack were selected to the Third Team, giving the Mounties four freshman on the All-Conference List.

Fr. Ella Pearson (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone) joined the Third Team after batting leadoff for Mount Aloysius, much of the year. She made an impact, finishing first in the AMCC in stolen bases, with 13. Pearson also finished in the AMCC top five in Runs Scored, Total Bases, and Homeruns. She was just outside the top five in in hits, finishing seventh with 22.

Fr. Lilley Vereshack (Smokerun, Pa. / Glendale) rounds out the All-Conference Awards for the Mounties, earning the Third Team nod. Vereshack also found a regular spot in the Mountie lineup, posting a .429 batting average, which ranked her ninth overall. She slugged a team-high, .619, which was the seventh best mark in the AMCC. Vereshack registered five multi-hit games in AMCC play.

Mount Aloysius finished up their season over the weekend, falling in the AMCC Tournament. They finished the year with a 19-14 record, including a 10-6 record in AMCC play. They earned the #3 seed in the AMCC Tournament.

To read the full AMCC All-Conference Softball Release, click here.