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Nicole Farber

Farber named Skyline Conference Softball Player of the Year; Zino earns Pitcher of the Year while Lucas captures Rookie of the Year

Nicole Farber

Farmingdale State College sophomore shortstop Nicole Farber earned Skyline Conference Player of the Year honors after compiling one of the top offensive seasons ever by a conference player. In 40 games, Farber batted .435 while leading all Skyline players with 13 home runs, 43 RBI, 43 runs scored and 108 total bases. She also stole 14 bases in 15 attempts while leading the Rams to their first conference title and NCAA berth.

Farmingdale State College freshman Hope Zino made an immediate impact in her first year with the Rams, earning Skyline Conference Pitcher of the Year honors. Zino compiled a 16-3 record with a 1.78 ERA. She also struck out a Farmingdale single-season record 165 batters in just 121.1 innings pitched. The rookie ranked 16th in the nation in Division III with an average of 9.5 strikeouts per game.

Purchase College, SUNY freshman outfielder Jillian Lucas was selected as the Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year after finishing fifth in the conference with a .438 batting average. In 25 games, Lucas recorded 32 hits, 24 runs, four doubles, three triples, 15 runs batted, and nine steals in 10 attempts in while ranking second on the team with a .575 slugging percentage. She also earned Skyline Rookie of the Week honors on March 23.

Farmingdale State College freshman center fielder Kaitlin Keenan was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the Skyline Conference championship in helping the Rams to their first title. In two games, both wins, Keenan batted a combined 3-for-8 with a triple, home run and six runs batted in. In the first round against Mount Saint Mary, she was 2-for-4 with a triple and 3 RBI. She went 1-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI in a 5-0 win over Old Westbury.

SUNY College at Old Westbury head coach Mary Jo Fazio was selected as Skyline Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Panthers to a 22-14 overall record and a 10-4 mark in conference play - good for a second-place finish. Old Westbury was one of the conference’s most improved teams from 2008 when the squad went 15-16 overall and 5-11 in Skyline play, finishing seventh.

Polytechnic Institute of NYU, led by head coach Jimmy Barrett, was selected as the recipient of the Skyline Conference Team Sportsmanship Award after displaying outstanding sportsmanship throughout the 2009 season.