Barjaktarovich Named Defensive Player of the Year; One of Four Named All-League
5/12/2021 11:01:00 AM | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Junior Carley Barjaktarovich was named Defensive Player of the Year, leading the way as one of four Mountain Hawks who received postseason recognition as the Patriot League announced its all-league softball teams and major award winners on Wednesday. In addition to her major award, Bajraktarovich was one of four Lehigh players named to All-Patriot League teams with her selection as the second team shortstop. Juniors Jaelynn Chesson and Gabriella Nori earned first team honors, while junior Karsen O'Rourke joins Barjaktarovich on the second team.
The All-Patriot League teams and major award winners are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Barjaktarovich has started all 30 games for the Mountain Hawks at shortstop and also serves as Lehigh's leadoff hitter. She made just three errors and boasts a .974 fielding percentage, while accounting for 39 putouts and 74 assists. Barjaktarovich is the second Lehigh player to win the Defensive Player of the Year award since it was introduced in 2014, joining Alexis Watanabe, who won the award in 2014 and 2016.
Offensively, Barjaktarovich established herself as one of the top table-setters in the league. She leads the Patriot League with 48 hits and 19 stolen bases and ranks second in the league with a .440 batting average and 33 runs scored.
Chesson earns her second career first team all-league honor as she is in the midst of a monster season that has her ranking among the NCAA's top run-producers. A .426 hitter, Chesson leads the Patriot League with 16 doubles, eight home runs and has 50 RBIs in just 30 games. She leads the NCAA in RBI per game (1.67) and ranks fourth nationally in doubles per game (0.53). Chesson is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Week after going 7-for-11 with three home runs and 11 RBI in a four-game sweep of Lafayette. She owns a quartet of five-RBI games this season including both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against the Leopards.
With 50 RBIs, Chesson ranks second on Lehigh's single-season list, behind Kim Miller, who drove in 56 in 50 games in 1995. Chesson's offensive production has also been impactful to Lehigh's success as she drove in the tying or eventual winning run in eight of Lehigh's 16 victories in 2021.
Nori earns all-league honors for the first time as the veteran presence on a young pitching staff. She went 7-5 during the regular season with a 2.16 ERA. Six of those wins came in Patriot League play, where Nori pitched to a 1.72 ERA in league games. Overall, Nori struck out 77 in 84.1 innings and hurled the first two compete game shutouts of her career, blanking Bucknell on five hits on April 25 and Lafayette on one hit on April 9. Nori also combined with freshman Katelyn Young on a two-hit shutout at Holy Cross on April 9.
O'Rourke was recognized as the second team second baseman. She made 22 of her 30 appearances at second base, hitting .301 with five doubles and 14 runs batted in. O'Rourke hit .323 with 12 RBIs in 22 Patriot League games, to rank fourth on the Mountain Hawks in batting during league play. She also posted a .988 fielding percentage and had a hand in five of the 13 double plays turned by the Mountain Hawks.
Patriot League regular season champion Boston University claimed the remaining major awards.
Lehigh will be the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and will open tournament play against No. 3 Colgate, Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at BU Softball Field in Boston. Top seed Boston University will host No. 4 Army West Point in the tournament's first game at noon. Friday's second day of tournament play will feature games at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., with the championship round set for Saturday at noon. All Patriot League Tournament action will be broadcast on ESPN+.
2021 Softball All-Patriot League and Major Awards
Player of the Year: Caitlin Coker, Boston University, So., 3B
Pitcher of the Year: Ali Dubois, Boston University, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year: Carley Barjaktarovich, Lehigh, Jr., SS
Rookie of the Year: Lauren Keleher, Boston University, Fr., OF
Coach of the Year: Ashley Waters, Boston University
First team
1B – Nicole Amodio, Boston University, Jr.
2B – Angelina Bebek, Army West Point, So.
3B – Caitlin Coker, Boston University, So.
SS – Ally Snelling, Army West Point, Sr.
C – Taylor Wolfgang, Bucknell, Sr.
DP – Marina Sylvestri, Boston University, Sr.
OF – Jen Horita, Boston University, Sr.
OF – Lauren Keleher, Boston University, Fr.
OF – Jaelynn Chesson, Lehigh, Jr.
P – Ali DuBois, Boston University, Sr.
P – Gabriella Nori, Lehigh, Jr.
At-large – Emily Gant, Boston University, Jr.
Second team
1B – Kara Fusco, Colgate, Fr.
2B – Karsen O'Rourke, Lehigh, Jr.
3B – Morgan Farrah, Colgate, Jr.
SS – Carley Barjaktarovich, Lehigh, Jr.
C – Lauren Nett, Boston University, Fr.
DP – Adrienne Nardone, Colgate, So.
OF – Taylor Drayton, Army West Point, So.
OF – Aliyah Huerta-Leipner, Boston University, Jr.
OF – Steph Jacoby, Colgate, So.
P – Jolie Duong, Army West Point, Jr.
P – Kelly Nelson, Holy Cross, Jr.
At-large – Bella Jankowski, Holy Cross, Sr.
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
The All-Patriot League teams and major award winners are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Barjaktarovich has started all 30 games for the Mountain Hawks at shortstop and also serves as Lehigh's leadoff hitter. She made just three errors and boasts a .974 fielding percentage, while accounting for 39 putouts and 74 assists. Barjaktarovich is the second Lehigh player to win the Defensive Player of the Year award since it was introduced in 2014, joining Alexis Watanabe, who won the award in 2014 and 2016.
Offensively, Barjaktarovich established herself as one of the top table-setters in the league. She leads the Patriot League with 48 hits and 19 stolen bases and ranks second in the league with a .440 batting average and 33 runs scored.
Chesson earns her second career first team all-league honor as she is in the midst of a monster season that has her ranking among the NCAA's top run-producers. A .426 hitter, Chesson leads the Patriot League with 16 doubles, eight home runs and has 50 RBIs in just 30 games. She leads the NCAA in RBI per game (1.67) and ranks fourth nationally in doubles per game (0.53). Chesson is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Week after going 7-for-11 with three home runs and 11 RBI in a four-game sweep of Lafayette. She owns a quartet of five-RBI games this season including both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against the Leopards.
With 50 RBIs, Chesson ranks second on Lehigh's single-season list, behind Kim Miller, who drove in 56 in 50 games in 1995. Chesson's offensive production has also been impactful to Lehigh's success as she drove in the tying or eventual winning run in eight of Lehigh's 16 victories in 2021.
Nori earns all-league honors for the first time as the veteran presence on a young pitching staff. She went 7-5 during the regular season with a 2.16 ERA. Six of those wins came in Patriot League play, where Nori pitched to a 1.72 ERA in league games. Overall, Nori struck out 77 in 84.1 innings and hurled the first two compete game shutouts of her career, blanking Bucknell on five hits on April 25 and Lafayette on one hit on April 9. Nori also combined with freshman Katelyn Young on a two-hit shutout at Holy Cross on April 9.
O'Rourke was recognized as the second team second baseman. She made 22 of her 30 appearances at second base, hitting .301 with five doubles and 14 runs batted in. O'Rourke hit .323 with 12 RBIs in 22 Patriot League games, to rank fourth on the Mountain Hawks in batting during league play. She also posted a .988 fielding percentage and had a hand in five of the 13 double plays turned by the Mountain Hawks.
Patriot League regular season champion Boston University claimed the remaining major awards.
Lehigh will be the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and will open tournament play against No. 3 Colgate, Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at BU Softball Field in Boston. Top seed Boston University will host No. 4 Army West Point in the tournament's first game at noon. Friday's second day of tournament play will feature games at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., with the championship round set for Saturday at noon. All Patriot League Tournament action will be broadcast on ESPN+.
2021 Softball All-Patriot League and Major Awards
Player of the Year: Caitlin Coker, Boston University, So., 3B
Pitcher of the Year: Ali Dubois, Boston University, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year: Carley Barjaktarovich, Lehigh, Jr., SS
Rookie of the Year: Lauren Keleher, Boston University, Fr., OF
Coach of the Year: Ashley Waters, Boston University
First team
1B – Nicole Amodio, Boston University, Jr.
2B – Angelina Bebek, Army West Point, So.
3B – Caitlin Coker, Boston University, So.
SS – Ally Snelling, Army West Point, Sr.
C – Taylor Wolfgang, Bucknell, Sr.
DP – Marina Sylvestri, Boston University, Sr.
OF – Jen Horita, Boston University, Sr.
OF – Lauren Keleher, Boston University, Fr.
OF – Jaelynn Chesson, Lehigh, Jr.
P – Ali DuBois, Boston University, Sr.
P – Gabriella Nori, Lehigh, Jr.
At-large – Emily Gant, Boston University, Jr.
Second team
1B – Kara Fusco, Colgate, Fr.
2B – Karsen O'Rourke, Lehigh, Jr.
3B – Morgan Farrah, Colgate, Jr.
SS – Carley Barjaktarovich, Lehigh, Jr.
C – Lauren Nett, Boston University, Fr.
DP – Adrienne Nardone, Colgate, So.
OF – Taylor Drayton, Army West Point, So.
OF – Aliyah Huerta-Leipner, Boston University, Jr.
OF – Steph Jacoby, Colgate, So.
P – Jolie Duong, Army West Point, Jr.
P – Kelly Nelson, Holy Cross, Jr.
At-large – Bella Jankowski, Holy Cross, Sr.
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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