BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Boston University Terriers softball team received four Patriot League softball major awards when the League office announced postseason honors on Tuesday. Colgate earned one major award.
Terriers' senior outfielder Lauren Keleher was named the 2024 Patriot League Softball Player of the Year, while teammate graduate student shortstop Caitlin Coker was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. BU sophomore pitcher Kasey Ricard claimed Patriot League Pitcher of the Year honors.
BU head coach Ashley Waters earned Patriot League Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive season.
Colgate freshman outfielder Kiley Shelton rounded out the major awards as the rookie of the year.
Six of the seven League programs were represented on the two All-League teams consisting of 26 members. Boston University received eight selections, followed by Lehigh, who had six members on the two teams. Colgate (5), Bucknell (4), Army West Point (2) and Holy Cross (1) rounded out the two All-League squads.
The Major Awards and All-League teams were voted on by the seven Patriot League head coaches who could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2024 Patriot League Softball Player of the Year
Lauren Keleher, Boston University, Sr., OF, Abington, Mass./Abington
* Keleher, the two-time Patriot League Player of the Week, recorded a .415 batting average and a .672 slugging percentage in 54 starts this season.
* The two-time NFCA All-Region First Team member heads into the postseason with 76 hits, 41 RBIs, a team-leading 51 runs scored, and eight home runs.
* Her 76 hits are tied for seventh in NCAA DI this season.
2024 Patriot League Softball Defensive Player of the Year
Caitlin Coker, Boston University, Gr., 3B, Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown STEM Academy
* Coker, the two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, finished the regular season with 53 putouts and 70 assists.
* The senior recorded a .976 fielding percentage and four double plays.
* The two-time NFCA All-Region First Team honoree scored 48 runs to go along with a .418 batting average this season.
* In her five seasons at Boston, she has 169 putouts and 392 assists.
* In 2023, she was named the Patriot League Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Patriot League Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
2024 Patriot League Softball Pitcher of the Year
Kasey Ricard, Boston University, So., P, Littleton, Mass./Littleton
* Ricard went 24-3 this season with a League-leading 1.26 ERA, the 10th-best mark in the nation.
* Ricard, the 2023 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, leads all of NCAA DI with 14 shutouts.
* The five-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Week threw 189.0 innings and struck out 241 batters. Her 241 strikeouts rank sixth at BU and third in the nation.
* She was named the ECAC Rookie of the Year in 2023 and earned a spot on the NFCA All-Region First Team.
2024 Patriot League Softball Rookie of the Year
Kiley Shelton, Colgate, Fr., OF, Lexington, S.C./Lexington
* Shelton registered a team-leading .333 batting average and a .546 slugging percentage.
* The freshman ended the regular season with 38 runs scored, 52 hits, 38 RBIs and eight home runs.
* On defense, she recorded 48 putouts to go with a .944 fielding percentage.
* Shelton was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week two times this year.
2024 Patriot League Softball Coach of the Year
Ashley Waters, Boston University
* For the sixth consecutive year, Waters led the Terriers to the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Softball Championship.
* In her ninth year as the BU head coach, she guided the team to their first perfect League-play mark (18-0) since joining the League in the summer of 2013.
* Waters led BU to become just the third team in Patriot League softball history to finish the season undefeated in League play (18-0).
* Waters, the five-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, has five Patriot League postseason titles under her belt (2016, '18, '19, '21, '23).
* The Terriers enter the postseason ranked No. 22 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.
2024 Softball All-Patriot League and Major Awards
Player of the Year: Lauren Keleher, Boston University, Sr., OF
Pitcher of the Year: Kasey Ricard, Boston University, So., P
Defensive Player of the Year: Caitlin Coker, Boston University, Gr., 3B
Rookie of the Year: Kiley Shelton, Colgate, Fr., OF
Coach of the Year: Ashley Waters, Boston University
All-Patriot League First Team
1B – Ashton White, Army West Point, So.
2B – Brooke Deppiesse, Boston University, So.
3B – Caitlin Coker, Boston University, Gr.
SS – Kayla Roncin, Boston University, Sr.
C – Quinn Livesay, Colgate, Jr.
DP – Lizzy Avery, Boston University, Gr.
OF – Kayla Edwards, Army West Point, Sr.
OF – Lauren Keleher, Boston University, Sr.
OF – Emily Cimino, Lehigh, Gr.
P – Allison Boaz, Boston University, Gr.
P – Kasey Ricard, Boston University, So.
At-large – Savannah Jones, Bucknell, Jr., P
All-Patriot League Second Team*
1B – Makenzie Hilling, Bucknell, Jr.
1B – Rory Dudley, Lehigh, Jr.
2B – Jillian Herbst, Colgate, Jr.
3B – Holly Lovett, Lehigh, Fy.
SS – Peyton Sward, Lehigh, Fy.
SS – Rachel Carney, Colgate, 5
th
C – Zoie Smith, Bucknell, Jr.
DP – Adrienne Nardone, Colgate, Gr.
OF – Kylie Doherty, Boston University, Fr.
OF – Kiley Shelton, Colgate, Fr.
OF – Josie Charles, Lehigh, Gr.
P – Madison Roukey, Bucknell, So.
P – Katelyn Young, Lehigh, Sr.
At-large – Ali Sniegocki, Holy Cross, So., OF
* Due to a tie in voting, there are two first basemen and two shortstops on the second team.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.