LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced the 373 student-athletes from 174 schools who comprise the 2023 NFCA Division III All-Region teams.
Russell Sage College's softball team had two players named to the NCAA Division III Region III First Team, graduate player and centerfielder Arianna Papas (Castleton, NY/Maple Hill) as well as pitcher/utility player Taylor Dicranian (Bennington, VT/Mt. Anthony Union).
Head RSC Softball Coach Erica Li remarked, "Congratulations to Arianna and Taylor on another NFCA All-Region appointment." She added, "I am proud to see that they both landed on Region III First Team. These two were major contributors to our program's success this year. Time and time again they would find themselves in clutch moments and rise to the occasion."
Papas, who was also named the 2023 Empire 8 Softball Player of the Year earlier this week while also earning a spot on the 2023 Empire 8 Softball All-Tournament Team, adds to her extensive resume as 2023 marks her third straight all-region first team selection.
She also became the first Gator to earn back-to-back citations from the Empire 8 for the award after she starred for the Gators this season. The Gators' centerfielder added 160 career hits, with 40 career doubles, 12 triples, and 14 home runs. Voted the 2022 Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year, she also earned first-team All-E8 honors and also tapped as the E8 Conference Player of the Week on two occasions last year and also saluted this spring twice. She was also named to the 2023 Empire 8 First Team and capped her career
On the 2023 season, she led the Gators with her .467 batting average, while connecting for a team-best 64 hits on 17 doubles, with five triples and six home runs. She also added a team-leading 36 RBI's with 109 total bases and a .796 slugging percentage having also swiped 12 stolen bases on 14 attempts. As of May 15, she is Empire 8 leader in batting average, runs scored, doubles, OPS (1.400), on-base percentage (.526) and was second in triples, doubles and fourth in home runs.
She was also named to the NFCA Watch List for Division III this spring. A starter in 41 games in 2023, she added 18 multiple-hit games in 2023 and tied the single-season hit record as well. She caps her time in a Gator uniform having batted a career-best .488 in 100 career games played (No. 31). Her 328 career at-bats is 12th best, while her 160 career hits is sixth highest. She added 40 doubles, which is tied for fifth best, while her 12 career triples is second best. Her 14 career homeruns is fifth best and her 107 career runs scored is fourth highest. She drove in 82 runs (No. 10), drew 31 walks (No. 16), and had 21 stolen bases (No. 12).
For the 2023 Empire 8 Tournament, she batted .471 with eight hits, including two doubles and a triple. She added a .706 slugging percentage with 12 total bases.
Dicranian, who was honored as a 2023 Empire 8 First Team pick and a member of the league's all-tournament team, was named to the Region III Third Team a year ago.
Dicranian, who worked all 32.0 innings of the 2023 Empire 8 tournament for the Gators, had five complete games in the Empire 8 Tournament with a 3-2 record and a 2.62 ERA as well. She added 146 career hits in 132 career games played. She ranks eighth in games played and hits, while her 400 career at-bats stands eighth as well. She set the school career record with 51 doubles and added eight career home runs (No. 12), 80 runs scored (No. 10)85 RBI's (No. 7) and a .365 career batting average. As impressive as her batting statistics are, her pitching numbers are just as strong.
She set the program's career doubles record with 51 and capped her year off with a .323 batting average, while also adding a 13-10 record in the circle in 25 appearances. She also had 12 multi-hit games along the way. She ranked first in wins and innings pitched in the league this spring, while ranking 25th in batting average and third in doubles.
She closes her career first in appearances with 94, first in innings pitched 447.1, second in wins (37), fourth in complete games (42), and 14th with her 94 career strikeouts. She ranks 14th all-time with a career 4.04 ERA.
The awards honor student-athletes from the Association's 10 regions with selection to one of three teams. NFCA member head coaches nominate and then vote for the winners in their respective region.
All honorees move forward to be considered for selection for the three NFCA Division III All-America squads, which will be announced May 31 online and on-site at the NCAA Division III Finals banquet in Marshall, Texas.
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