University of Connecticut Athletics
Marcelino Named to All-Rookie Team
5/9/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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TAMPA, Fla. - Freshman infielder Briana Marcelino, the UConn softball team leader in batting average, has earned special recognition by being placed on the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team, as announced by the league on Wednesday afternoon.
Marcelino (Easton, Conn.), an alum of Joel Barlow High School, becomes the second UConn player in the past two seasons to earn All-Rookie honors - following sophomore infielder Carli Cutler (Rocklin, Calif.) in 2017.
The first-year shortstop joins six other players on the All-Rookie Team, which is headlined by Georgina Corrick, USF pitcher and Rookie of the Year. Seven different programs are represented in the selection of the team.
"She's had an unbelievable freshman year," said head coach Jen McIntyre. "She's seen the ball well on both halves of the plate and she gets in and swings hard. She's knows the pitches that she is looking for and I'm really proud of her."
Most notably, Marcelino's offensive ability this season has propelled her to receiving this conference award. Heading into the start of the AAC Tournament on Thursday, she leads the entire league in doubles (13), including 11 in conference play.
4âÆ'£9âÆ'£ days ago, this happened. 💪 #TBT pic.twitter.com/MVfUCOZWjN
- UConn Softball (@UConnSoftball) May 3, 2018
This season, she leads UConn in batting average, doubles and slugging percentage, while ranking third in hits and fourth in runs scored. She started in each of the team's 21 conference games, recording 18 hits and scoring 11 runs.
As a freshman, Marcelino has started in 41 of 54 games - including the final 38 games of the season at shortstop. She has seven multi-hit games and is tied for first among all UConn players this season with a seven-game hitting streak from Feb. 24 to March 3.
Marcelino's big moment came in a season-defining upset win over No. 7 Texas A&M on March 15 in College Station, as she smacked a grand slam off pitcher Maddie MacGrandle in the third inning as part of UConn's 6-1 victory over the Aggies.
She becomes the second player to earn All-Rookie honors since UConn joined the American in 2013, but the seventh player in program history to be selected All-Rookie overall - with five players earning Big East recognition from 1999-2003.
The Huskies, playing as the eight-seed in the AAC Tournament, will take on top-seeded USF in the quarterfinals on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on the American Digital Network.
