University of Delaware Athletics
Garber, Steele Earn Major Awards; Five Blue Hens Named All-CAA
5/11/2022 2:04:00 PM | Softball
NEWARK, Del. – The CAA Championship starts on Thursday, but the University of Delaware softball team received plenty of hardware on Wednesday when the league office announced the all-conference teams and major award winners. Hanna Garber was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and Head Coach Jen Steele was selected as the CAA Head Coach of the Year.
The Blue Hens had a league-high five players selected to all-conference teams. Hanna Garber was named to the All-CAA First Team for the second-straight year, while Brittney Mendoza and Emily Winburn each received their first selections to the first team. Julz Garber and Graceyn Frost both earned nods to the All-CAA Second Team and Frost was also named to the All-CAA Rookie Team.
Hanna Garber, 3b – All-CAA First Team; CAA Defensive Player of the Year
Garber has put together one of the best seasons in Delaware history, leading the Blue Hens with a .368 batting average and 22 extra-base hits. On the base paths, Garber has 16 stolen bases and she leads the league with 48 runs scored, which is six short of tying the UD record. She is among the top 10 in the conference in 10 other statistical categories. This is Garber's second-straight All-CAA First Team selection and third overall after being named to both the All-CAA Second Team and All-CAA Rookie Team as a freshman.
The Lancaster, Pennsylvania native becomes Delaware's first CAA Defensive Player of the Year in her first season at third base after playing her first three seasons in the outfield. She committed just three errors on the season while starting all 42 games and handling 120 chances. In conference play, she did not commit a single error in 43 chances.
Brittney Mendoza, 2b – All-CAA First Team
Mendoza earns her second all-conference selection after being named to the All-CAA Second Team in 2021. She is batting .336 on the season and has 33 RBI to rank second on the Blue Hens in both categories while leading the squad with 11 doubles. The Chula Vista, California native has hit five home runs to go along with a triple and is a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen bases.
Emily Winburn, P – All-CAA First Team
Winburn also receives her second all-conference nod after earning All-CAA Second Team and All-CAA Rookie Team selections last season. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native has registered a 12-8 record with a 2.75 ERA in a team-high 28 appearances this season. She has struck out 108 batters in 122.1 innings and held opponents to a .233 batting average. In 20 starts, Winburn has fired seven complete games, including two in CAA play where she holds a 5-2 record with a 2.70 ERA.
Julz Garber, OF – All-CAA Second Team
Garber continues her upward trend after earned All-CAA Rookie Team honors as a freshman in 2021. The Lancaster, Pennsylvania native played in 41 of UD's 42 games in the outfield and put together a .252 batting average with a home run, two doubles and 12 RBI. She had a historic game at Lehigh in April where she registered six RBI in a single inning with a two-run double and a grand slam. In 15 conference games, Garber batted at a .353 clip.
Graceyn Frost, P – All-CAA Second Team; All-CAA Rookie Team
Frost has a enjoyed a tremendous first season with the Blue & Gold, registering a 13-4 record to lead the CAA in wins while posting a 2.76 ERA. She has made 25 appearances in the circle with 15 starts, striking out 97 batters in 106.1 innings. She picked up three nonconference victories over Power Five opponents with strong performances against Purdue, NC State and Penn State and she went 6-2 in 10 appearances in CAA play.
Jen Steele – CAA Coach of the Year
Steele and her coaching staff led the Blue & Gold to the program's first-ever CAA Regular Season Championship in 2022 as Delaware finished the regular season with a 28-14 overall record and an 11-4 mark in CAA play. The Blue Hens have clinched their third-straight winning season under Steele and the team is two wins shy of reaching 30 wins in a season for the first time since 2016. Steele recorded her 200th career victory earlier this season in a win over Drexel.
The top-seeded Blue Hens will open play in the 2022 CAA Championship on Thursday afternoon. Delaware will take the field at Elon's Hunt Softball Park at 4 p.m., taking on the winner of a previous game between No. 4 Elon and No. 5 Charleston.
For the latest on the Delaware softball program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @Delaware_SB and Instagram @Delawaresoftball and like "Delaware Softball" on Facebook.
