MANSFIELD, Mass. - NE10 Player of the Year Jessica Perucki, NE10 Pitcher of the Year Gisselle Garcia and 2023 National Pitcher of the Year Lindsey Hibbs all capped their 2024 seasons by earning All-America honors this week, as announced by the NFCA and D2CCA.
Garcia, Pace's ace this season and DII's leader in no-hitters pitched with five, earned acknowledgement from both organizations. The Californian righty was selected to the D2CCA Second Team, the second selection from the Setters since 2007. Garcia was voted Third Team by the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association).
Garcia finished the year with a 20-5 record, 1.10 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 260 strikeouts, and a .143 opponent batting average throughout 165.0 innings. Her eye-opening year included five no-hitters, 19 complete games, 10 shutouts, and 16 double-digit strikeout performances. Garcia produced a career-best in ERA, strikeouts, and wins during her junior year. She finished ninth throughout the NCAA DII in ERA (1.10), second in hits per seven innings (3.54), seventh for total shutouts (10), and fifth in strikeouts per seven innings (11.0). In March, Garcia broke the record for career strikeouts at Pace University, surpassing the previous mark of 480 (a record that stood for nearly 20 years).
Perucki led Southern Connecticut State in the circle and at the plate this year, leading to her NE10 Player of the Year selection. The right-hander was chosen at-large for the NFCA's All-America Third Team. Perucki is the fifth All-American in Owls history and the first pitcher.
Through the regular-season, Perucki was 9-9 with 129 strikeouts in 138 1/3 innings pitched while completing the regular season with a 0.94 ERA with five shutouts. At the plate, Perucki batted .347 (26-75) with five home runs and 19 RBI. For her career, she was 34-39 witih a 1.96 ERA in 518 innings pitched. She had 59 complete games and six saves and ranks among the SCSU all-time leaders in all categories, while her 515 career strikeouts rank second all-time.
Adelphi's Hibbs repeats as an All-American for the third straight season, being chosen for the All-America Second Team by the NFCA. Hibbs approached the doorstep of 1,000 career strikeouts this season and surpassed Adelphi's career strikeout record in the process -- a record that stood for over 35 years. Hibbs finished as the NE10's career strikeout leader as well and joins Brenna Martini as the only three-time NFCA All-Americans in school history.
This spring, Hibbs went 22-13 record with a 1.38 earned-run average and 260 strikeouts. Her 30 complete games were the second-most of any pitcher in NCAA Division II.
- Adelphi, Pace and SCSU Athletics contributed to this report -
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