PSAC Release

LOCK HAVEN, PA – Hannah Mercer (Hollidaysburg/Hollidaysburg Area) was named the 2014 Freshman of the Year while four other Crimson Hawks earned All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division honors, as the league announced its postseason awards Wednesday afternoon.
 
Jasa Mitchell (Snow Shoe/Bald Eagle Area) and Alexa Campbell (Manheim/Manheim Central ) earned first team nods, while Mercer, Stefanie McCoy (New Paris/Chestnut Ridge) and Meghan Carney (Corry/Corry) each landed on the second team.
 
It's the fifth-ever freshman of the year award for IUP and first since Stef Poates (Yorktown, VA/Grafton) in 2010. The five all-conference picks were second most in the West, with California (PA) bringing in a total of nine.
 
Mercer took over right field and leadoff duties for the Crimson Hawks in her first season and is currently second on the team with seven homeruns and third with a .298 batting average. She's started all 47 games and has 51 hits, 40 runs scored, nine doubles and 25 RBI. She's also stolen 10 bases in 11 attempts and has a .485 slugging percentage.
 
The rookie hit .354 in PSAC West play with five doubles, five homers and 17 RBI in 99 at bats. She also had 13 multi-hit and six multi-RBI games during the season with a .959 fielding percentage.
 
Mitchell earns her first career PSAC postseason award as one of the most feared hitters in the conference. She set IUP single-season and career homerun records, recording 15 bombs on the season and 28 total for her career. She shattered the previous single-season record of nine set by Jodie Swavely in 2006, and tied the career total of 28 from Sarah White (2003-06).  
 
She led the Crimson Hawks in nearly every offensive category, with a .388 average, 44 runs scored, 59 hits, three triples, 15 homers, 123 total bases and a .809 slugging percentage. Mitchell led the conference in homeruns and slugging percentage, was eighth in average and did not commit an error in centerfield all season.
 
A three-year member of the team, Mitchell will wrap up her career with the Crimson Hawks with her hand in a multitude of records. She currently sits in a tie for first in career homeruns (28), is first in slugging percentage (.635), second in doubles (35), fifth in total bases (263), seventh in RBI (95), 10^th in average (.329), 10^th in runs scored (90), 15^th in hits (136) and 17^th in at bats (414).
 
This season she set individual marks for homeruns (15), runs (44), total bases (123) and currently holds the slugging percentage mark (.809). She finished this season tied for third in single-season doubles (13) and sixth in single season batting average (.388) and RBI (39).
 
The No. 1 pitcher for the Crimson Hawks, this is also Campbell's first all-conference honor. The junior was second in the West with a 2.01 ERA and a 15-9 record. Getting the start in 25 of her 28 appearances, she tossed 21 complete games, including five shutouts.
 
She finished third in the West with 84 strikeouts, surrendering just 37 walks. In her 167.0 innings of work, she gave up just 156 hits. Only seven pitchers in the conference pitched at least 150.0 innings; of those, she gave up the fourth lowest hit total.
 
Finishing the regular season and conference tournament with a PSAC-leading 41 RBI earned McCoy second-team honors. The shortstop got the start in all 47 games for the Crimson Hawks, batting a majority of the time in the cleanup role.
 
She finished the season with a .371 average, good for 15^th in the conference. The junior led the team and was fourth in the PSAC with 16 doubles while adding one triple, three homers and a .550 slugging percentage. Her 56 hits were good fourth in the PSAC just behind teammate Mitchell. She was also a perfect 11-of-11 in stolen bases.
 
McCoy dominated in conference play, leading the team with a .409 average. She recorded a team-leading 36 hits in 88 at bats, including 12 doubles, one triple and two homeruns. Her 29 RBI in conference action were good for fourth in the West.
 
Getting the start in 28 games, sharing the catching duties with Angela Devereaux (Oakdale/West Allegheny), Carney also earns her first all-conference honors. The junior was fourth on the team in average (.298), with 10 runs scored, 25 hits, seven doubles, one triple, one homer and 14 RBI. She was fifth on the team with a .440 slugging percentage and seventh with a .344 on base percentage.
 
In conference play, she led the team with a .425 average. In 40 at bats, she recorded 17 hits, five doubles, one triple, one homerun and eight RBI, while scoring nine runs. Her .675 conference slugging percentage was good for second on the team.
 
Though the Crimson Hawks fell to eventual PSAC champion California (PA) in the conference tournament, the team will get the chance to continue their season, heading to Shippensburg for the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament. The sixth seed, IUP will square off with host and third-seeded Shippensburg in the first round of action which is slated to get underway Friday at 2:30 p.m.
 
The double elimination tournament will continue through May 11, with a winner coming out of each of the 16 regionals. The finals will be held May 22-26 in Salem, Va.