STANDISH, Maine – The 2026 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball postseason awards have been released, and three Saint Joseph's College players have earned accolades.
Junior third baseman Kryslin Stearns (Concord, N.H.) earned First Team All-Conference honors, while seniors Chantelle Bouchard (Biddeford, Maine) and Sadie Tirrell (Naples, Maine) were named to the Second Team.
Stearns collected the first All-Conference honor of her career after hitting .373 (38-102) with 14 runs, eight doubles, two triples, one home run, and 18 RBI in 36 games this spring. She led the team in batting average and ranked second on the squad in OBP (.431) and triples while placing third in hits (38) and walks (12).
Bouchard, a two-time First Team All-GNAC selection, earned Second Team honors after batting .372 (45-121) with 34 runs, 14 doubles, two triples, four home runs, and 45 RBI during her senior season. She led the Monks in doubles, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage (.620), OBP (.439), and walks (15).
Bouchard concluded her collegiate career with a .393 (154-392) batting average along with 96 runs, 41 doubles, 23 home runs, 124 RBI, a .684 slugging percentage, and a .444 OBP in 123 games over essentially three seasons after appearing in only eight contests as a freshman due to injury. She ranks second in program history in home runs and slugging percentage (.684), third in OPS (1.128), fifth in RBI, sixth in doubles and extra-base hits (66), and seventh in total bases (262).
Tirrell, a two-time Second Team All-GNAC honoree, finished her senior season hitting .368 (49-133) with 35 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, one home run, 32 RBI, a .519 slugging percentage, a .427 OBP, and seven stolen bases in as many attempts. She led the team in runs and hits while ranking second in doubles and RBI.
For her career, Tirrell hit .360 (170-472) with 115 runs, 30 doubles, nine triples, four home runs, 84 RBI, and 27 stolen bases in 148 games. She closes her career ranked ninth in program history in hits and stolen bases, 10th in total bases (230), and 11th in doubles and extra-base hits (43).
Under the direction of 29th-year Head Coach Jamie Smyth '92, Saint Joseph's posted a 19-22 overall record with an 11-7 mark in GNAC play en route to earning the No. 2 seed in the conference's North Division. In tournament play, the Monks suffered a 4-2 setback to Rivier University before defeating Lasell University, 12-0, in an elimination game. Saint Joseph's then fell to eventual GNAC Champion Albertus Magnus College, 7-6, in 10 innings, ending the team's 2026 season.
MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year: Madison DeCota, Norwich
Pitcher of the Year: Piper Kinney, Simmons
Rookie of the Year: Gracie Browne, USJ
Coach of the Year: Lou Bunosso, Albertus Magnus
Institutional Sportsmanship: Elms College
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
P - Piper Kinney, Simmons
P - Annabelle Jabs, Albertus Magnus
C - Emma Lopez, New England College
1B - Reilly Austin, Albertus Magnus
2B - Mikaela Schwippert, Albertus Magnus
3B - Kryslin Stearns, SJC (Me.)
SS - Madison DeCota, Norwich
OF - Karla Carangelo, Albertus Magnus
OF - Lorynes Suriel, USJ
OF - Olivia Couto, Rivier
DP - Mekayla Poisson, Emmanuel
UTIL - Abigail Fortin, Lasell
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
P - Olivia DeCicco, Mitchell
P - Hailey Berube, Rivier
C - Emery Kreidel-Reimer, Simmons
1B - Abigail Grimes, New England College
2B - Jennifer Antonowicz, USJ
3B - Sydnee Ramos, Dean
SS - Kylee Caetano, Rivier
OF - Zoe Soule, Simmons
OF - Zoe Battersby, Mitchell
OF - Sadie Tirrell, SJC
DP - Chantelle Bouchard, SJC
UTIL - Piper Kinney, Simmons
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
P - Kate Julian, Regis
P - Abigail Fortin, Lasell
C - Sadie Girgasky, USJ
1B - Kaylee Scott, Colby-Sawyer
2B - Emma Politz, Rivier
3B - Mel Rees, Regis
SS - Mia Fernandes, Emmanuel
OF - Teagan Buckley, Simmons
OF - Grace Giesler, New England College
OF - Rachel Brewer-Karimi, USJ
DP - Liv Harnish, Rivier
UTIL - Hayley Rapgalia, Rivier
