PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Syracuse softball freshman Jenna Caira and senior Amy Kelley were named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll the conference announced Monday. The pair helped the Orange to a 2-2 weekend as the team finished out the regular season.
The softball team has earned eight weekly league honors this season. Previously, Caira earned pitcher of the week honors, as did junior Brittany Gardner on two occasions. Freshman Stephanie Watts and senior Nicole Miller have also both been named to the honor roll.
Caira pitched 17.1 innings in doubleheaders against Colgate and Rutgers. She threw her team-best sixth shutout in game one against the Raiders and is now 16-10 overall on the season. She struck out 12 batters, allowed only three earned runs and finished with a 1.21 era.
Heading into the BIG EAST Tournament, the Richmond Hill, Ontario native is second on the team with a 2.25 era after pitching a team-high 177.1 innings. Caira leads the team with 183 strikeouts, which ranks third in the SU Freshman record book.
Kelley led the team in the four games after batting .500 and earning an on base percentage of .538. She finished 5-for-10 with one run and an RBI, including a 2-for-2 performance in SU’s 6-0 victory against Colgate. Against Rutgers, she picked off her second runner of the season and hit a sac fly in game two to plate teammate Lindsay Wasek for an early 1-0 lead.
The Bend, Ore. native is third on the team with a .338 batting average and is one of only three players to have started all 50 games. Kelley is tied for the team lead with seven home runs and ranks second with 300 putouts.
Kelley, Caira and the rest of the Orange softball team (30-20, 12-10) travel to Louisville, Ky. this week for the 2009 BIG EAST Tournament. Fourth-seeded Syracuse faces No. 5 USF at 10 a.m. on May 7 at UofL’s Ulmer Stadium.