Nicole Kumro (left) catches a pop-out at first while Katie Yudin looks for another hit during a home game this season vs. Geneseo (photo by Ron Szot).
Two Fredonia State players made the 2021 SUNYAC Softball all-conference team
Graduate student Katie Yudin was named First Team utility player and junior Nicole Kumro Second Team first baseman in a vote of conference coaches.
It's the second time Yudin has been named First Team utility player. The first came in 2018, her freshman season. In 2021, the right-handed pitcher was 5-3 with a 3.16 earned run average. She struck out 32 batters in 57 2/3 innings. At the plate, she led the Blue Devils team with a .375 batting average and five doubles. She is second in innings pitched (358 2/3), third in wins (23), tied for sixth in homer (6), and 11th in batting average (.319), hits (108), and doubles (23) on Fredonia State career lists. "Katie is a player every coach wants to coach," said Head Coach Tony Ciccarello, a 20-year coaching veteran. "She has high expectations for herself and her teammates. She leaves it all out on the field and steps up bigger in bigger games."
It was the second award of the spring for Yudin. She was selected Third Team Northeast Region utility player-pitcher by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association last week.
It's the first All SUNYAC selection for Kumro. She batted .362 with five doubles and two home runs in 2021 and finished the season on a nine-game hitting streak. She hit .464 (13 for 28) over that span with a homer, four doubles, and seven RBI. In addition to the nine-gamer, she hit safely in 12 of her final 13 games. "Nicole started at first base since her freshman year," Coach Ciccarello said. "She's always looking for ways to improve her game, is very coachable, and always had a smile on her face. I'm glad we have at least one more year with her."
The Blue Devils finished 9-11 overall and 9-7 in the SUNYAC. They fell one win short of qualifying for the SUNYAC Tournament, which was reduced from six teams to four teams this spring.
