Saint Joseph's Alden and Dionne Named to NFCA All-Region Teams
PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's softball's junior Ashley Alden and sophomore Hannah Dionne have been named to National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region Teams, organization officials announced on Thursday. The Hawks' starting first baseman, Alden was selected to the All-Northeast Region Second Team, while Dionne was a Third Team honoree at catcher.
Joining the Hawks this year after spending the previous two at Rutgers, Alden helped Saint Joseph's to its seventh-straight Atlantic 10 Championship appearance and earned A-10 All-Conference Second Team honors along the way. Starting all 42 games, she finished the year with a career-high .345 batting average and led the team in hits (39), home runs (six), RBI (23) and slugging percentage (.584). Providing power in the middle of the SJU lineup, Alden made an impressive showing in her first A-10 Championship, finishing with a team-high eight RBI, two home runs, a .345 batting average and a 1.000 slugging percentage en route to being named to the A-10 All-Championship Team.
Earning the starting spot at catcher, Dionne appeared in a career-high 30 games this season, and made 27 starts. Ranking second on the team in batting average (.359), she set new career-highs for hits (23), runs (six), RBI (15) and stolen bases (two).
The honors are the first for both Alden and Dionne and they are now eligible for All-American honors. They are also the 22nd and 23rd players in Saint Joseph's history to earn the honor. All-Region teams are voted on by coaches of NFCA member institutions.