FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Six Fairfield University softball players earned All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) honors while four Stags collected MAAC All-Academic accolades. The awards were based upon vote of the conference's nine head coaches and were distributed at the MAAC tournament awards brunch.

Seniors Erin Frank and Julia Jacoby as well as freshman Sarah Minice secured a spot on the first team. Senior Riannon Thomas, junior Jenna DiBernardo, and sophomore Kristie Trifiolis received a berth to the second team. Kristen D'Alessandro, Lisa Meringer, Jessica Stand, and Frank were named to the MAAC All-Academic team as well.

Frank stroked 12 doubles and a home run in the regular season, adding 17 RBI to her season statistics. The catcher finished the year by hitting in seven of the team's last 10 games, registering a .346 batting average during that stretch. For the season, Frank hit .259 with 29 base hits. Frank currently ranks first all-time at Fairfield for career home runs (24), doubles (51), total bases (307), RBI (123), and walks (112).

Jacoby averaged a hit per game during the regular season with 48 hits in 48 games. She had at least one hit in 38 of the team's 48 games. The outfielder has 14 extra base hits with 12 doubles, a triple, and a home run. She continues to place among the nation's leaders for toughest to strike out, fanning just seven times in 159 at-bats. She ranks among Fairfield's all-time leaders for career singles (4th with 169), doubles (2nd with 44), triples (2nd with 13), runs scored (2nd with 123), and hits (2nd with 228).

Minice led all Fairfield pitchers with 14 regular-season wins, posting a 2.85 ERA with 127 strikeouts in 157 innings of work. The pitcher tallied 10 or more strikeouts twice, which included a career-best 16 strikeouts against Saint Peter's. She earned the MAAC pitcher of the week award after tossing 15 shutout innings to earn wins in both ends of a doubleheader against Rider. She also received the award on April 7 with a 3-0 record and 13 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched.

Thomas finished the regular-season as the team's hottest hitter, recording a hit in nine of the last 11 regular-season games. She posted a seven-game hit streak from April 19 to 27, during which she hit .391 (11 for 26). For the season, Thomas owns a .294 batting average with 17 RBI, six doubles, one triple, and two home runs. She registered one hit in 31 of her 48 appearances this season.

Trifiolis started all but one game this season, including the last 32 contests. The shortstop posted 10 extra base hits, including seven doubles, one triple, and two homers. She led the team with 13 stolen bases, getting caught just two times. She hit .260 over the final 14 games with just one strike out in 42 at-bats. She finished the regular-season with a .258 batting average.

DiBernardo recorded a .280 batting average with five doubles and a team-best six home runs. The designated player registered 16 RBI. She smacked two of her home runs in a doubleheader against Niagara, hitting one in each game. She registered two doubles in two different games, making the mark against Hartford and Manhattan. She had a hit in seven of the team's last 10 games, including a two-hit performance against Manhattan.

D'Alessandro appeared in 32 games and started 21 of those contests. She tallied a hit in eight different games, including a two-hit performance against Sacred Heart. She tallied a .196 batting average for the year. Meringer spent most of the season as a designated runner, gaining entry to 21 games. She scored eight runs during the year, five of which came as a pinch runner.

Stand started 35 games this season, and posted a .226 batting average with two doubles. The second baseman finished the season in strong fashion by batting .286 over the final seven games, all of which came against MAAC opponents.

The Fairfield University softball team, under head coach Julie Brzezinski, is hosting the MAAC tournament this weekend with the winner of the tourney receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Canisius, Niagara, Marist, and Fairfield will play in the double-elimination tournament on May 8-10 at DeLuca Field in Stratford.