Coker Named Patriot League Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
June 7, 2023 | Softball, Student-Athlete Academic Support Services, Bloom Family Leadership Initiative
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A stalwart in the classroom and on the field, Boston University softball senior infielder Caitlin Coker has been named the Patriot League Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced Wednesday afternoon.
Previously named 2023 PL Tournament MVP, PL Defensive Player of the Year and PL Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year back in May, Coker is the second Terrier to receive the honor after All-American high jumper Allison Barwise ('14) was recognized in 2014. Coker is also the second softball student-athlete dating back to the award's inception in 1992 to claim the honor with Bucknell's Lauren Wible earning the prize in 2005.
Voting for the award was conducted by the athletics communications staff from each of the League's member institutions. The award is presented annually to one male and one female PL student-athlete with nearly 2,700 women competing in the conference across 13 sports. Earlier this year, the candidates for the two honors were named the scholar-athlete of the year in their respective sports. For the 2022-23 academic year, there were 24 candidates from 24 sports with BU featuring a department record-tying five Terriers: Coker (softball), Rachel Borzymowski (field hockey), Christy Chen (women's golf), Shelly Yaloz (women's tennis) and Aksel Laudon (men's indoor track & field).
The Downingtown, Pennsylvania, native has made an indelible impact on not only her program but also the department and campus. Pursuing a dual degree master's and bachelors in biology, Coker owns a 3.87 cumulative GPA and served this past year as a board member on both the BU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the BU Student-Athletes of Color organization. Last summer, she served as a camp counselor at the Bournelyf Special Camp and will be spending this summer as a primary care provider engagement intern with Commonwealth Care Alliance, taking on numerous responsibilities, including collaborating across departments and engaging with provider partners throughout CCA's not-for-profit health system.
On the field, Coker started all 62 games at third base this past spring to help the Terriers post a program and conference-record 52 victories while also earning their first top 25 national ranking since 1996. Serving as co-team captain, she batted .389 with 48 RBIs and an NCAA-leading 12 triples, four more than the next closest student-athlete. She currently ranks fifth in the PL in career runs (155), tied-for-fifth in triples (19) and 10th in stolen bases (56).
For her accomplishments, Boston University honored her with a Scarlety Key, which is one of the school's highest academic honors that acknowledges the curricular and extracurricular achievements of students who are evaluated on leadership, commitment, representation, tradition and academics. The Athletic Department also recognized her with the John B. Simpson Award for demonstrating enthusiasm and leadership.
Below is a list of all of Coker's honors.
• 2x NFCA All-Region First Team (2021, 23)
• 2022 NFCA All-Region Second Team
• 2023 Patriot League Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
• 2023 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year
• 2021 Patriot League Player of the Year
• 3x All-Patriot League First Team (2021, 22, 23)
• 2023 Patriot League Tournament MVP
• 2023 All-ECAC Team
• 2022 All-ECAC Honorable Mention
• 3x College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team (2021, 22, 23)
• 3x Patriot League All-Academic Team (2021, 22, 23)
• 2023 Scarlet Key Award (Boston University academic honor)
• 2023 John B. Simpson Award (BU Athletic Department honor)
• NFCA National Player of the Week (5/4/21)
• 7x Patriot League Player of the Week (4/6/21, 5/4/21, 4/19/22, 4/26/22, 3/14/23, 4/11/23, 5/2/23)
• 3x Patriot League Academic Honor Roll (2020, 21, 22)
Previously named 2023 PL Tournament MVP, PL Defensive Player of the Year and PL Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year back in May, Coker is the second Terrier to receive the honor after All-American high jumper Allison Barwise ('14) was recognized in 2014. Coker is also the second softball student-athlete dating back to the award's inception in 1992 to claim the honor with Bucknell's Lauren Wible earning the prize in 2005.
Voting for the award was conducted by the athletics communications staff from each of the League's member institutions. The award is presented annually to one male and one female PL student-athlete with nearly 2,700 women competing in the conference across 13 sports. Earlier this year, the candidates for the two honors were named the scholar-athlete of the year in their respective sports. For the 2022-23 academic year, there were 24 candidates from 24 sports with BU featuring a department record-tying five Terriers: Coker (softball), Rachel Borzymowski (field hockey), Christy Chen (women's golf), Shelly Yaloz (women's tennis) and Aksel Laudon (men's indoor track & field).
The Downingtown, Pennsylvania, native has made an indelible impact on not only her program but also the department and campus. Pursuing a dual degree master's and bachelors in biology, Coker owns a 3.87 cumulative GPA and served this past year as a board member on both the BU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the BU Student-Athletes of Color organization. Last summer, she served as a camp counselor at the Bournelyf Special Camp and will be spending this summer as a primary care provider engagement intern with Commonwealth Care Alliance, taking on numerous responsibilities, including collaborating across departments and engaging with provider partners throughout CCA's not-for-profit health system.
On the field, Coker started all 62 games at third base this past spring to help the Terriers post a program and conference-record 52 victories while also earning their first top 25 national ranking since 1996. Serving as co-team captain, she batted .389 with 48 RBIs and an NCAA-leading 12 triples, four more than the next closest student-athlete. She currently ranks fifth in the PL in career runs (155), tied-for-fifth in triples (19) and 10th in stolen bases (56).
For her accomplishments, Boston University honored her with a Scarlety Key, which is one of the school's highest academic honors that acknowledges the curricular and extracurricular achievements of students who are evaluated on leadership, commitment, representation, tradition and academics. The Athletic Department also recognized her with the John B. Simpson Award for demonstrating enthusiasm and leadership.
What a year it's been for @caitlincoker3‼️
— BU Softball (@TerrierSoftball) June 8, 2023
🐾 @PatriotLeague Female & 🥎 Scholar-Athlete of the Year
🐾 @NCAASoftball 3Bs champ
🐾 @NFCAorg All-Region 1st Team
🐾 #PatriotSB DPoY & Tnmt. MVP
🐾 @BU_Tweets Scarlet 🔑
🐾 @BUAthletics John B. Simpson 🥇#ProudToBU #DawgsEat #Slay pic.twitter.com/pCWmhZmZdv
Below is a list of all of Coker's honors.
• 2x NFCA All-Region First Team (2021, 23)
• 2022 NFCA All-Region Second Team
• 2023 Patriot League Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
• 2023 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year
• 2021 Patriot League Player of the Year
• 3x All-Patriot League First Team (2021, 22, 23)
• 2023 Patriot League Tournament MVP
• 2023 All-ECAC Team
• 2022 All-ECAC Honorable Mention
• 3x College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team (2021, 22, 23)
• 3x Patriot League All-Academic Team (2021, 22, 23)
• 2023 Scarlet Key Award (Boston University academic honor)
• 2023 John B. Simpson Award (BU Athletic Department honor)
• NFCA National Player of the Week (5/4/21)
• 7x Patriot League Player of the Week (4/6/21, 5/4/21, 4/19/22, 4/26/22, 3/14/23, 4/11/23, 5/2/23)
• 3x Patriot League Academic Honor Roll (2020, 21, 22)
Players Mentioned
INF
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