softball all conference 2022

Softball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Four Golden Knights Earn All-PSAC West Honors

Kristina DeMatteis, Bush Earn First Team Honors, Kennedy DeMatteis and Sidare on Second Team

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference today announced the 2022 PSAC Softball All-Conference Teams, with four Gannon players receiving recognition. Nicole Bush (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and Kristina DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) were accorded first team honors while Kennedy DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) and Katie Sidare (Rochester, N.Y./Victor Central) earned spots on the second team.

Gannon finished the season this past week in the PSAC Tournament. Head coach Michelle Wiley's Golden Knights ended the year with a 19-18 record and was the number four seed in the PSAC West with a 10-6 record.

Seton Hill's Jenna Osikowicz was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year, while Caleigh Rister of Cal was voted both the Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Mercyhurst's Leanne Baker was selected the Coach of the Year.

Sisters Kristina DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) and Kennedy DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) are now three-time All-PSAC honorees, while Bush and Sidare were recognized for the first time.   

Kristina DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) was the first-team selection at third base after being named to the first team as a catcher a year ago. The graduate student from Boyers, Pa. was also an All-PSAC honoree in 2019. She led the Golden Knights in virtually every offensive category including batting average (.371), runs (23), hits (43), RBIs (25), doubles (10), and home runs (6). She added 9 stolen bases in 10 attempts, good for second on the team. She also made just two errors in 133 chances, a .985 fielding percentage while mainly playing the hot corner but also seeing time at shortstop and catcher.

DeMatteis departs as one of the top offensive performers all-time at Gannon. While playing in 179 games with 173 starts, she ranks 13th in games played, tied for fourth in home runs (27), sixth in doubles (36), tied for ninth in at bats (523), 11th in RBIs (107), 12th in stolen bases (29), 17th in runs (104), and 22nd in hits (155).   

Bush enjoyed a career-year as a redshirt senior while playing second base. The native of Painesville, Ohio ranked second on the team with a .321 average while joining DeMatteis as the only players to start all 37 contests. She was second on the team in hits with 36 and toed for second in runs with 17. Bush stole a team-high 18 bases in 19 attempts, a figure which ranks eighth in a season. She was also a standout in the field with a .977 fielding percentage, committing just four errors in 172 chances. Bush concluded her career playing in 142 games with 95 starts.

Kennedy DeMatteis (Boyers, Pa./Moniteau) etched her name among the pitching greats at Gannon. She was a first-team All-PSAC West selection a year ago and also earned all-conference honors in 2019. The graduate student from Boyers, Pa. ended the year with a 9-9 record with a 2.40 ERA. She appeared in 20 games, all starts, with 13 complete games and a pair of shutouts. DeMatteis threw a team-high 122.2 innings, allowing 90 hits and 72 walks with a team-high 98 strikeouts. She threw six no-hit innings a in PSAC playoff win over Cal, plus a one-hitter and two-hitters.

DeMatteis concludes her career ranked ninth in victories (49), along with tied for 14th in ERA (2.48), fifth in innings pitched (567), and sixth in strikeouts (405). She also ranks fourth in appearances (101), tied for fourth in games started (88), sixth in complete games (59), and seventh in shutouts (10).

Sidare became a key performer as the year went on for the Golden Knights while seeing action at several positions to earn a spot on the All-PSAC West second team as a utility / non-pitcher. The sophomore from Rochester, N.Y. played in and started 26 games hitting .278. She finished second on the team in RBIs with 17, was fourth in runs with 14, long with second in home runs (3) and tied for third with 5 doubles. Sidare provided the most memorable moment of the season for the Golden Knights with a walk-off game-winning, two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-4 win over Indiana(Pa.).  
 
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Players Mentioned

Nicole Bush

#8 Nicole Bush

2B/SS/OF
5' 4"
Senior
R/R
Kennedy DeMatteis

#16 Kennedy DeMatteis

P
5' 7"
Senior
L/R
Kristina DeMatteis

#5 Kristina DeMatteis

3B/UTL
5' 7"
Senior
R/R
Katie Sidare

#00 Katie Sidare

P
5' 10"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Nicole Bush

#8 Nicole Bush

5' 4"
Senior
R/R
2B/SS/OF
Kennedy DeMatteis

#16 Kennedy DeMatteis

5' 7"
Senior
L/R
P
Kristina DeMatteis

#5 Kristina DeMatteis

5' 7"
Senior
R/R
3B/UTL
Katie Sidare

#00 Katie Sidare

5' 10"
Freshman
R/R
P