Outfielders Johnson, Katzenberger Receive Year-End Awards From Empire 8

2019 May 10

Senior outfielders Maddy Johnson '19 and Rachel Katzenberger '19 of the Elmira College softball team were included on the Empire 8 Conference's year-end awards list, as Johnson was named an E8 All-Conference Honorable Mention and Katzenberger was chosen as EC's representative on the Sportswoman of the Year Team.

A three-time Empire 8 All-Conference honoree, Johnson was recognized after once again leading the Soaring Eagles at the plate. The lead-off lefty, who started all 24 contests, hit a team-high .342 with 26 hits, 14 runs, and six RBIs. Two of her hits went for extra bases, including her second career home run in a 12-4 win over The Sage Colleges on April 14. Johnson produced seven multi-hit games and pieced together a season-long seven-game hit streak from April 14-27. In center field, she was perfect on defense, posting an unblemished 1.000 fielding percentage.

Johnson, who will graduate as the program's all-time leader in career batting average (.406) and on-base percentage (.449), climbed several other charts in the record books during her senior season. She trails only Jaime Bressler '98 and Rachel DeGroff '99 on the leaderboard for most career hits with 121 in just 94 games. The Rome, Pennsylvania, native also moved into second place behind Bressler in stolen bases with 35. With 64 runs scored across four seasons donning the Purple and Gold, Johnson sits in sixth place.

In right field, Katzenberger started all 24 games as a senior. A team captain, she logged 13 hits with three multi-hit games to go along with six RBIs and seven runs scored. The High Bridge, New Jersey, native also laid down six sacrifice bunts and was a perfect 2-for-2 in stolen bases. Katzenberger played a key role in Elmira's six-game win streak in late March, as the fourth-year outfielder combined for seven hits, four runs, and RBIs in that span.

Each institution is represented by one student-athlete on the Sportswoman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. For Katzenberger, the designation is the third of her collegiate career, as she was also honored for displaying outstanding sportsmanship with the softball team in 2016 and as a member of the women's volleyball team in 2018.