UNCW’s Gamache & Delaware’s Winburn Headline 2023 CAA Softball Year-End Honors
Hunter Peters
RICHMOND, Va. (May 9, 2023) – UNCW graduate utility player
Janel Gamache was named CAA Player of the Year, and Delaware senior Emily Winburn was selected as the CAA Pitcher of the Year to headline the 2023 CAA Softball year-end honors as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
Delaware claimed three major awards as Kiara Mills earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year accolades, and Jen Steele was pegged as the CAA Coach of the Year by her peers. In addition, Charleston freshman pitcher Caroline Conner received CAA Rookie of the Year recognition.
Gamache is the second CAA Player of the Year in UNCW program history, joining Carley Hughes, who won the award in 2007. The Exeter, R.I. native leads the conference in earned run average and ranks sixth in the league in batting average. In the circle, the right-hander has a 1.50 ERA in 70.0 innings pitched. She has allowed just 15 earned runs while striking out 50 en route to a 6-4 record and one save. At the plate, Gamache is hitting .360 and ranks top-10 in the CAA with 49 hits. In addition, the graduate student boasts a .418 on-base percentage with 26 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
Winburn is 17-8 in the circle with a 12-3 record in league play. The senior right-hander ranks fourth in the CAA with a 2.16 ERA while posting a 1.20 earned run average in 15 appearances against conference opponents. Winburn is also fourth in the league with 100 strikeouts and fifth with 142.2 innings pitched, which is a career-high. The senior for Fort Lauderdale, Fla. has 14 complete-game efforts, seven complete-game shutouts, and recorded her first career no-hitter this season. Winburn makes history by becoming the first CAA Pitcher of the Year in Delaware program history.
Mills is the second straight CAA Defensive Player of the Year for the Blue Hens after stepping into a void at first base and being nearly perfect in the field. The grad transfer has a .995 fielding percentage, committing just two errors in 413 chances this season. Mills has recorded 408 putouts and three assists in her opportunities. In addition to her stellar defense, Mills makes an impact at the plate. She is hitting .309 this season with a .409 on-base percentage. Mills has 42 hits, 26 RBIs, and 26 runs scored this season.
Conner is the first CAA Rookie of the Year in Charleston program history and the second-ever major award winner, joining Lizzy Vaughn, the 2014 CAA Defensive Player of the Year. The freshman right-hander posted a 9-8 record in the circle while going 7-4 in conference play. She is seventh in the CAA with a 2.93 ERA and bettered the mark to 1.73 in league competition. In addition, Connor is fifth in the conference with 99 strikeouts. She has tossed 119.1 innings this spring and has 11 complete-game efforts in 20 starts.
Steele earns CAA Coach of the Year honors for the second straight season after leading Delaware to back-to-back CAA Regular Season titles. Under her guidance, Delaware went 29-16 overall and 18-5 in league play. The 18 CAA wins are the most for the Blue Hens, and the .783 conference winning percentage is their best since the league began playing softball in 2002. In addition, their .617 overall winning percentage is the best for the program since 2006.
Six teams had representation on the 2023 Softball First Team All-CAA. The infield consists of Claudia Penny at first base, Hofstra second baseman Kasey Collins, Towson shortstop Mackenzie Lake and Delaware’s Hanna Garber at third base for the second straight season. The outfield is comprised of Stony Brook’s Alyssa Costello, UNCW’s Arial Pearce, and Hofstra’s Chelsea Manto, who earned back-to-back First Team All-CAA nods. Addie Ferguson from Towson was the selection at the designated play/utility, and Gamache was tabbed as the utility/pitcher. The battery features Towson catcher Madyson Peters, with UNCW’s Kara Hammock and Winburn as pitchers.
2023 Softball First Team All-CAA
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Madyson Peters |
Towson |
Jr. |
C |
Chandler, Ariz. |
| Claudia Penny |
Elon |
Sr. |
1B |
Apex, N.C. |
| Kasey Collins |
Hofstra |
Gr. |
2B |
West Chester, Pa. |
| Hanna Garber |
Delaware |
Fifth |
3B |
Lancaster, Pa. |
| Mackenzie Lake |
Towson |
Jr. |
SS |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| Alyssa Costello |
Stony Brook |
So. |
OF |
Lanoka Harbor, N.J. |
| Chelsea Manto |
Hofstra |
Sr. |
OF |
Robbinsville, N.J. |
| Arial Pearce |
UNCW |
So. |
OF |
Pine Level, N.C. |
| Addie Ferguson |
Towson |
Fr. |
DP/UTL |
Valencia, Calif. |
| Janel Gamache |
UNCW |
Gr. |
UTL/P |
Exeter, R.I. |
| Kara Hammock |
UNCW |
So. |
P |
Mechanicsville, Va. |
| Emily Winburn |
Delaware |
Sr. |
P |
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
2023 Softball Second Team All-CAA
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Carley Davis |
Elon |
Sr. |
C |
Bridgewater, Va. |
| Kiara Mills |
Delaware |
Gr. |
1B |
West Covina, Calif. |
| Tayler Vitola |
UNCW |
Jr. |
2B |
Middletown, Del. |
| Karlee Hughes |
Charleston |
Fr. |
3B |
Saint Leonard, Md. |
| Meghan Giordano |
Hofstra |
Gr. |
SS |
Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. |
| Jai Deese |
North Carolina A&T |
Sr. |
OF |
Maxton, N.C. |
| Julz Garber |
Delaware |
Jr. |
OF |
Lancaster, Pa. |
| Briana Ramirez |
Towson |
Sr. |
OF |
Lake Elsinore, Calif. |
| Kaitlyn Wells |
Elon |
So. |
DP/UTL |
Roswell, Ga. |
| Megan Ellis |
North Carolina A&T |
Fr. |
UTL/P |
Creedmoor, N.C. |
| Caroline Conner |
Charleston |
Fr. |
P |
Social Circle, Ga. |
| Taylor Wroten |
Delaware |
Gr. |
P |
Greenwood, Del. |
Player of the Year: Janel Gamache, UNCW
Pitcher of the Year: Emily Winburn, Delaware
Defensive Player of the Year: Kiara Mills, Delaware
Rookie of the Year: Caroline Conner, Charleston
Coach of the Year: Jen Steele, Delaware
2023 Softball All-Rookie Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Naiah Ackerman |
Stony Brook |
Fr. |
SS |
Parker, Colo. |
| Mackenzie Bloss |
Monmouth |
Fr. |
OF |
Fords. N.J. |
| Cara Bohner |
Towson |
Fr. |
OF |
Danville, Pa. |
| Caroline Conner |
Charleston |
Fr. |
P |
Social Circle, Ga. |
| Addie Ferguson |
Towson |
Fr. |
DP/UTL |
Valencia, Calif. |
| Karlee Hughes |
Charleston |
Fr. |
3B |
Saint Leonard, Md. |
| Taylor Ivey |
Hampton |
Fr. |
3B |
Bowie, Md. |
| Alanna Morse |
Hofstra |
Fr. |
3B |
North Bellmore, N.Y. |
| Katie Scheivert |
Delaware |
Fr. |
OF |
Leesburg, Va. |
| Kristin Toland |
Towson |
R-Fr. |
1B |
Sparrows Point, Md. |
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