The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has announced its 2013 Softball North Division All-Conference team selections, naming freshman Tiffany Burks (Macedon, N.Y.) and junior Jenna D’Ercole (Highland, N.Y.) to its first and second team, respectively.
Burks earned first team honors at the designated player position, following a stellar freshman campaign for the Mustangs. Appearing in 21 games, she made 56 at bats, posted 19 hits, including four doubles, two triples and four homeruns; scored 11 times and drove in another 10, while boasting a .339 batting average, increasing it from a .275 average just a week ago.
Burks peaked at the end of the season, hitting 4-for-5 in the doubleheader, including a double, a triple and a solo homerun that lifted the Mustangs to a 3-2 victory over the North Division leaders. In the contest she also scored four runs and registered two RBI’s. Her four runs have come off opposing pitchers from Cazenovia, Keuka and Cobleskill. She currently has a .381 batting average in conference play.
She also saw time at pitcher for Morrisville, tallying 19 put outs and 29 assists in 15 mound appearances, starting 13 games, and throwing 12 complete games; threw for a total 76 innings, registered 52 strikeouts and a 7.64 ERA. She threw a best 10 strikeouts against Keuka on April 20, in the 5-6 loss.
The freshman is a graduate of Ganada High and is majoring in liberal arts and science: humanities and social science at Morrisville State. She is the daughter of Michelle Burks of Macedon.
D’Ercole earned second team all-conference honors as pitcher, and was the leader on the mound for the Mustangs. The junior appeared and started in 14 games, throwing 79.1 innings and collecting 86 strikeouts. She boasted a 3.53 ERA and a 5-8 record, as opponents struggled to muster hits at the plate (.275 opponent batting average).
D’Ercole had a best appearance on the mound against Cazenovia on April 17, throwing 7 innings and striking out a season high 10. Eight times this season she has posted seven or more strikeouts.
At the plate, she tallied three hits in 24 at bats, one of which was a double, while driving in three runs. She also recorded 8 put outs and 10 assists.
Her pitching stats this season moved her into the leader position all-time in strikeouts thrown (317) in a career, as she holds three of the top five positions of strikeouts recorded in a single season. D’Ercole also moved into second on the season the leader board in earned run average following the 2013 campaign, posting a 3.44 ERA for the season.
The junior is a graduate of Highland High School and is majoring in nursing at Morrisville State. She is the daughter of Silvia and Mark D’Ercole of Highland.