Five Terriers Tabbed NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes
October 2, 2014 | Softball
Oct. 2, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Five members of the 2014 Patriot League champion Boston University softball team have earned All-America Scholar-Athlete accolades, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced Thursday afternoon.
Recent graduates Brittany Clendenny, Amy Ekart, Chelsea Kehr and Jayme Mask were joined by senior Mandy Fernandez for posting a GPA of 3.5 or greater during the 2013-14 academic year.
Setting a school record with 53 RBIs in a season this past spring, Clendenny batted .314 and swiped a career-high nine bags. Named a Scholar-Athlete for the second consecutive year, the shortstop hit a pair of homers against Lafayette to finish with five RBIs and later crushed a two-run blast against LSU in the NCAA Regionals.
Ekart earned her first NFCA award after starting all 57 games as the catcher. She batted .252 with 25 RBIs and four homers while also earning a .986 fielding percentage. In one memorable highlight, she caught a seven-inning perfect game from then-sophomore Melanie Russell against Bucknell during the regular season. In the PL title game against the Bison, she tallied two RBIs and a run scored behind two doubles.
Fernandez also earned her first award after batting a personal-best .256 in a career-high 57 starts in the outfield. She contributed 23 RBIs and tallied a pair of hits during the NCAAs against both Arizona and Louisville. In another memorable performance, she tied a career high with four RBIs while going 2-of-2 at the plate to help the Terriers beat Michigan State.
Kehr was named an NFCA Scholar-Athlete for the second consecutive year after batting .284 with 40 RBIs. The first baseman had a fantastic finish to her collegiate career, belting two critical homers during the Patriot League tournament to claim Tournament MVP honors after failing to hit one during the regular season. In the opening game of the NCAAs against Arizona, she crushed a grand slam in front of a national audience on ESPNU.
Named a CoSIDA Academic All-American over the summer, Mask received her third straight NFCA Scholar-Athlete award. The ECAC All-Star and PL First Team honoree batted a personal-best .402 and swiped 34 stolen bases. During the season, she set a school and conference record with five stolen bases. She tied for first all-time at BU in hits (264) while also finishing second all-time in batting average (.380), tied-for-fourth in triples (14) and seventh in walks (74).
All five Terriers along with four other teammates were placed on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll this past summer for recording a GPA of 3.2 or higher.
