TORONTO - Durham College's Grace Hearns (Napenee) is the 2023 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Softball Player of the Year.
The third-year student-athlete was among the top offensive players during the regular season, leading the OCAA with 46 hits, 10 triples and 26 stolen bases without being caught. Hearns had an impressive slash line of .529/.548/.874, 76 total bases, and scored 40 times while driving in 27 RBI, helping lead the Lords to the regular season championship. Hearns also headlines the OCAA League First-Team All-Stars.
Shade Hansen (Etobicoke) of Humber College is the OCAA Rookie of the Year. The right-hander threw 73 2/3 innings in a dozen appearances, striking out 127 while limiting batters to a league-low .123 batting average. Hansen had a 10-1 record, threw a league-best nine complete games and six shutouts. Also named OCAA Pitcher of the Year, Hansen is also an OCAA League First-Team All-Star and headlines the OCAA All-Rookie Team.
Humber's Duaine Bowles is the OCAA Coach of the Year. The Hawks finished the regular season with a 19-5 record, and at one time reeled off 10 straight victories. Humber led the league with 10 shutouts and an opponent's batting average of .197.
Amy Claydon (Cambridge) of St. Clair College is the OCAA Batting Champion. The fifth-year first baseman had a slash line of .551/.607/.846 and led all players with 11 doubles. Clayton was third in total hits with 43.
Joining Hearns and Hansen as OCAA First-Team All-Stars are Emily Glendinning (Plattsville) of Durham; Rilee Devries (Cambridge), Alexis Ferreira (Mississauga) and Shea Hilpert (Waterloo) of Humber; and Sierra Baltzer (LaSalle), Bryanna Kressler (Kitchener), Shae-Lyn Murphy (Windsor) and Ashley Ventura (Fergus) of St. Clair.
OCAA League Second-Team All-Stars include Jessica Greene (Stratford), Chelsea Oke (Brooklin), Morgan Salter (Battersea) and Jocelyn Shelton (Aylmer) of Durham; Michaela Tuck (Mississauga) of Humber; Danika Millen (Milton) of Mohawk College; Mckenna Copley (Dover Centre), Judy Lafleur (Essex) and Jacklyn Yewchyn (Windsor), of St. Clair; and River Johnston (North York) of Seneca College.
In addition to Hansen, members of the OCAA All-Rookie team include Greene and Oke of Durham; Reese Velocci (Rexdale) of Humber; and Ventura of St. Clair.
2023 OCAA WOMEN'S SOFTBALL AWARDS
OCAA Women's Softball Player of the Year
Grace Hearns, Durham
OCAA Women's Softball Rookie of the Year
Shade Hansen, Humber
OCAA Women's Softball Coach of the Year
Duaine Bowles, Humber
OCAA Women's Softball Pitcher of the Year
Shade Hansen, Humber
OCAA Women's Softball Batting Champion
Amy Claydon, St. Clair
OCAA Women's Softball League Champion
Durham Lords
OCAA Women's Softball First-Team All-Stars
Sierra Baltzer, St. Clair
Rilee Devries, Humber
Alexis Ferreira, Humber
Emily Glendinning, Durham
Shade Hansen, Humber
Grace Hearns, Durham
Shea Hilpert, Humber
Bryanna Kressler, St. Clair
Shae-Lyn Murphy, St. Clair
Ashley Ventura, St. Clair
OCAA Women's Softball Second-Team All-Stars
Mckenna Copley, St. Clair
Jessica Greene, Durham
River Johnston, Seneca
Judy Lafleur, St. Clair
Danika Millen, Mohawk
Chelsea Oke, Durham
Morgan Salter, Durham
Jocelyn Shelton, Durham
Michaela Tuck, Humber
Jacklyn Yewchyn, St. Clair
OCAA Women's Softball All-Rookie Team
Jessica Greene, Durham
Shade Hansen, Humber
Chelsea Oke, Durham
Reese Velocci, Humber
Ashley Ventura, St. Clair
- OCAA -
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