University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hens Take Home Three Major Awards, Six Earn All-CAA Honors
5/9/2023 10:30:00 AM | Softball
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware softball team took home a lot of hardware on Tuesday morning when the CAA announced its postseason awards as the Blue Hens claimed three major awards and had six student-athletes on All-CAA Teams.
Emily Winburn earned CAA Pitcher of the Year honors, becoming the first Blue Hens to ever earn the award. Kiara Mills became Delaware's second-consecutive CAA Defensive Player of the Year recipient after Hanna Garber earned the award last year. Jen Steele and her coaching staff earned their second-straight CAA Coach of the Year honor.
Emily Winburn – CAA Pitcher of the Year, All-CAA First Team
Winburn has put together one of the best seasons in the circle in program history, as she enters the CAA Tournament with a league-leading 17 wins including a 12-3 record in league play. The senior ranks fourth in the CAA with a 2.16 ERA while posting a 1.20 earned run average in 15 appearances against conference opponents. The five-time CAA Pitcher of the Week is also fourth in the league with 100 strikeouts and fifth with a career-high 142.2 innings pitched. Winburn has 14 complete-game efforts with seven shutouts, all of which came against CAA opponents, and recorded her first career no-hitter last weekend against Hampton.
Hanna Garber – All-CAA First Team
Garber earns her fourth career All-CAA honor and her third-straight selection to the first team as she put together another remarkable season for the Blue Hens. She led the squad with a .373 batting average while leading the way with 59 hits, 32 runs scored, 13 doubles and four triples as well as a .544 slugging percentage and .422 on-base percentage. In the second-to-last weekend of the season, Garber broke the program record for runs scored as she currently sits at 161. She is just 11 hits shy of breaking the school record for career base hits (239).
Kiara Mills – CAA Defensive Player of the Year; All-CAA Second Team
Mills is the second straight CAA Defensive Player of the Year for the Blue Hens after being nearly perfect at first base this season. The grad transfer has a .995 fielding percentage and committed just two errors in 413 chances with 408 putouts and three assists. In addition to her stellar defense, Mills has made an impact in the middle of the lineup as she leads UD with three home runs and is tied for the team lead with 26 RBI. She is hitting .309 this season with a .409 on-base percentage. Mills has 42 hits, 26 RBIs, and 26 runs scored this season.
Julz Garber – All-CAA Second Team
Garber earns her third postseason honor after being named to the All-CAA Second Team in 2022 and the CAA All-Rookie Team in 2021. Garber has been a dynamic force at the top of the UD lineup, batting .371 with 56 base hits and a .415 on-base percentage. She leads the team with 17 stolen bases and eight sacrifice bunts. She is also tops on the Blue Hens with 19 multi-hit games, including the team's only four-hit performance.
Taylor Wroten – All-CAA Second Team
Wroten made an immediate impact in her first season with the Blue & Gold, pitching to the tune of an 8-3 record with a team-leading 1.90 ERA in 125 innings. She struck out 70 while holding opponents to a .188 batting average. In 14 appearances in CAA play, Wroten's numbers improved to a 6-1 record with a 1.08 ERA and .162 batting average against in 65.0 innings. She fired three shutouts and registered two of her three saves against league opponents.
Katie Scheivert – CAA All-Rookie Team
Scheivert has had an amazing freshman campaign for the Blue Hens, ranking near the top of the offense in multiple categories. The four-time CAA Rookie of the Week is batting .317 with a .344 mark in conference play. She is third on the team with 44 hits and 26 runs scored while her 20 RBI is tied for third. Her 14 stolen bases is also second on the team. In her first season in the outfield, Scheivert has started all 47 games in left field and has not made an error in 48 chances.
Jen Steele – CAA Coach of the Year
Steele and her staff earn their second-straight CAA Coach of the Year award after leading the Blue Hens to its second-straight CAA Regular Season Championship. For the second-consecutive year, Delaware has won 29 games and its 18-5 conference record is both a program high for CAA wins and CAA winning percentage.
The Blue Hens will be the No. 1 seed at this week's CAA Tournament, which will be hosted by Hofstra. Delaware earned a two-day bye and will open play on Thursday, May 11 at 12 p.m.
For the latest on the Delaware softball program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @Delaware_SB and Instagram @delaware_sb and like "Delaware Softball" on Facebook.
