LOWELL, Mass. – A total of five members of the UMass Lowell softball team (20-27-1, 8-12 AE) have earned 2023 America East All-Conference honors, as announced by the league office on Tuesday. 

Junior Morgan Fisher (Glassboro, N.J.) was the lone River Hawk named to the First Team, giving her the first America East All-Conference honor of her UMass Lowell career. Fellow junior Ellie Frederick (Sunapee, N.H.) and senior Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) were named to the Second Team. Frederick picks up the first of her career, while Tulley makes her second appearance on the list, garnering First Team honors last season as a junior. The final two honorees are freshmen, pitcher Giana LaCedra (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and first baseman Katelyn Fitzgerald (Ambler, Pa.), who were named to the All-Rookie Team. In addition to her First Team honor, Fisher was named to the America East All-Academic Team, with her 3.42 GPA in Criminal Justice.  

Fisher finished her regular season with the team lead in many offensive categories, including batting average (.333), hits (47), doubles (10), RBI (37) and on-base percentage (.377). Of those stats, she is top five in the conference in hits (4th), RBI (2) and doubles (T2), while ranking seventh in batting average. She is also a force behind the plate for the River Hawks, catching a whopping 18 runners stealing, which is tied for fifth in the nation. She also hit the walk off single in a thrilling 11-inning victory over top America East team UMBC on April 7 and earned herself a Best Breakout Athlete nomination at the 2023 Rowdy Awards. 

Frederick also had a huge season this spring for the River Hawks, proving herself as both an offensive and defensive threat in center field. After posting a solid sophomore campaign last year, Frederick boosted her game in a big way, starting every game and tying for the conference lead in home runs (8). She also has the team's second-most hits (41) and total bases (74), while boasting a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen bases. Defensively, she made just four errors for a .946 fielding percentage, with 65 putouts and five assists. 

Resuming her role as a key player for the squad, Tulley utilized her power to make a substantial impact this season. At the plate, she collected a .281 batting average with 39 hits, 35 RBI (3rd in AE) and a tie with Frederick for the team and conference lead in home runs (8). Her .540 slugging percentage leads the River Hawks, as she also proved her plate discipline with 18 walks. As a great defensive left fielder, Tulley held down her territory, posting a .978 fielding percentage with 86 putouts and an assist. 

Speaking of leaving an impact, LaCedra and Fitzgerald both left theirs in their rookie campaigns. LaCedra finished her first collegiate regular season with a 10-6 record from the circle and 17 starts. Of those starts, 10 of them were complete games, while three were shutouts. She also tallied 61 strikeouts on her way to winning the 2023 Rookie of the Year Award at this year's Rowdy Awards. 

Fitzgerald shined for the squad from day one, earning the starting job at first base and performing well offensively. Her regular season ended with a .245 batting average, 27 hits and 12 RBI, while boasting a .336 on-base percentage. She even posted a 12-game hit streak that spanned from April 4 to April 25.