Connect Bridgeport Sports: Bridgeport High School Alumna Emily Riggs Named to All-Mountain East Conference Softball Second Team

Bridgeport High School Alumna Emily Riggs Named to All-Mountain East Conference Softball Second Team

By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on May 07, 2021 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

West Liberty's Kat Donzella, Makenzie Amend and Herb Minch, along with West Virginia State's Autumn Thompson, earned top honors

from the Mountain East Conference on Thursday in softball as the league announced its annual awards and all-conference teams.

Bridgeport High School Alumna Emily Rigg was named to the second as a third baseman. The former all-state standout for the Indians is a member of the Fairmont State University program.

Donzella was named Player of the Year, Amend was tabbed as the Pitcher of the Year, Minch was voted as the Coach of the Year and Thompson was selected as the Freshman of the Year.

Donzella, a junior from Wheeling, W.Va., led the league with a .467 batting average this season. She ranked first in the league in hits (63), home runs (9) and total bases (107), second in runs (40) and fourth in RBI (30).

Amend, a junior from Wheeling, W.Va., went 9-1 with a 1.41 ERA in the circle for the Hilltoppers this season. She had the lowest ERA in the conference allowing just 12 earned runs in 76.2 innings worked. Her 128 strikeouts rank third in the conference.

Thompson, a native of Seth, W.Va., was a dual-threat in her first season with the Yellow Jackets. In addition to being 11-3 with a 2.98 ERA as a pitcher, she also hit .434 at the plate for WVSU. She hit seven doubles, scored 12 times and also drove in 12.

Minch is the MEC Coach of the Year again after receiving the honor in 2019. He helped lead West Liberty to 30-14 overall record, including a 23-9 mark in the MEC. Minch directed the Hilltoppers to a second consecutive North Division title.

In addition to the award winners, the MEC also announced its all-conference teams. The all-conference teams and individual awards are arselected by a vote of the league's coaches.

All-MEC First Team
Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
C	Kat Donzella	West Liberty	Jr.	Wheeling, W.Va.
1B	Kennedy Cowart	W.Va. Wesleyan	Sr.	Houston, Texas
2B	Kendal Marshall	Charleston	Jr.	Charleston, W.Va.
2B	Grace Smith	W.Va. Wesleyan	So.	Charleston, W.Va.
SS	Jenna Witt	Concord	Sr.	Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
3B	Karli Pinkerton	Charleston	Sr.	Sissonville, W.Va.
DP/Util	Kiley Turner	W.Va. Wesleyan	Jr.	Leesburg, Va.
OF	Katie Beeman	West Liberty	Jr.	Ridgeley, W.Va.
OF	Lauryn King	W.Va. Wesleyan	Sr.	Chester, Va.
OF	Hannah Rose	Charleston	Fr.	New Haven, W.Va.
OF	Laura Thompson	Concord	Jr.	Prince George, Va.
P	Makenzie Amend	West Liberty	Jr.	Wheeling, W.Va.
P	Dani Bauer	Charleston	So.	Tallahassee, Fla.
P	Annie Paterson	West Liberty	So.	Salem, Ohio
P	Abigail O'Shields	W.Va. Wesleyan	So.	Dagsboro, Del.

All-MEC Second Team
Pos.	Name	School	Cl.	Hometown
C	Andie Baughman	Fairmont State	Sr.	Aliquippa, Pa.
C	Madee Rafuson	W.Va. State	Sr.	Lakewood, Calif.
1B	Emma Ruth	W.Va. State	Jr.	Visalia, Calif.
2B	Catherine Pelfrey	Glenville State	Jr.	Marion, Ohio
SS	Lilly Saucedo	Davis & Elkins	Fr.	Chandler, Ariz.
SS	Courtney Worcester	Fairmont State	Sr.	Bloomingdale, Ill.
3B	Emily Riggs	Fairmont State	Fr.	Bridgeport, W.Va.
3B	Sarah Thompson	Concord	Jr.	Prince George, Va.
DP/Util	Courtney Moyer	Fairmont State	Fr.	Apollo, Pa.
OF	Haley McDaniel	Fairmont State	Jr.	Fredericksburg, Va.
OF	Paige Scruggs	W.Va. State	Sr.	Hurricane, W.Va.
OF	Kat Treff	Frostburg State	Sr.	Harwood, Md.
P	Caitlyn Kassay	Fairmont State	So.	Fairview, W.Va.
P	Shawna Leonard	Frostburg State	So.	Meyersdale, Pa.
P	Autumn Thompson	W.Va. State	Fr.	Seth, W.Va.

Top Honors
Player of the Year: Kat Donzella (West Liberty) Pitcher of the Year: Makenzie Amend (West Liberty) Freshman of the Year: Autumn Thompson (W.Va. State) Coach of the Year: Herb Minch (West Liberty)