WATERVILLE, Me. (May 12, 2021) – Four members of the SUNY Delhi softball team made the All-North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Team, as announced by the league today. Outfielder Mackenzie Sparacino (Copake, NY / Taconic Hills) earned the Broncos' highest distinction with a spot on the second team. Catcher Dakota Baker (Bogota, NJ / Bergen County Technical), infielder Shelby Nolan (Ansonia, CT / Notre Dame Catholic), and pitcher/utility player Mel Papuli (Marlboro, NY / Marlboro Central) received honorable mention. Additionally, freshman Jessica Kwasnik (Hicksville, NY / Hicksville) was selected to the NAC Sportsmanship Team.
Under third-year head coach Meagan Stone, the Broncos reached the NAC West Playoffs with a 10-6 conference record and finishing with a 12-8 overall record. It marked not just the winningest season for Coach Stone, but SUNY Delhi's best season since moving to four-year athletics in 2016 and best overall since 2012. Delhi, who entered its first season in the NAC ranked five out of five in the NAC West Preseason Poll, erased any skepticism with a 6-0 start, beginning with a non-conference sweep at Wells and taking four from SUNY Canton in the opening conference series. The Broncos went on to take three of four from SUNY Poly and splitting the regular season series with eventual NAC West champion Cazenovia.
Sparacino played all 20 games as the team's leadoff hitter and baserunning threat, batting .392 (29-for-74) and stealing a team-best nine bases to rank fourth in the NAC. She racked up 12 RBIs and five doubles, and coming across to score on 17 of the Broncos' 91 total runs. Playing both center and left field, Sparacino held a .976 fielding percentage with 38 putouts.
Papuli, a first-year utility player for Delhi who started nine games at pitcher with 12 appearances, ranked fourth in the NAC with 54 strikeouts, including as many as 11 K's in two different games. She held a 5-5 record on the season, posting a 2.57 ERA through 65.1 innings pitched. At the plate she batted .279 (17-for-61) with nine RBIs, two doubles, and a team-high two triples. This led her to scoring 17 runs, including the game-winning run off a wild pitch in Delhi's 5-4 eight-inning victory over SUNY Canton on April 10.
Nolan, a senior who split time at shortstop and third base, batted .333 (22-for-66) with three triples and three RBIs in the second spot in the Broncos' lineup. One the base paths, she totaled three stolen bases and scored 15 runs. Nolan held down the left infield with a .936 field percentage and 40 putouts.
Baker, the team's senior starting catcher, batted .362 (21-for-58), ranking first on the team with eight doubles and second with a .500 slug percentage. She tallied nine RBIs and scored 12 runs. Behind the plate, Baker delivered a .934 fielding percentage with 61 putouts, while throwing out three runners caught stealing.
Kwasnik, the team's standout newcomer at first base, was chosen to represent SUNY Delhi on the NAC Sportsmanship Team, which is reserved for those who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees have positively affected the sport culture and game environment by clearly demonstrating sportsmanship and integrity beyond playing rules and etiquette.
