SOMERSET, N.J. – Fairleigh Dickinson University freshman softball player, Loren Stavrou (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson Classical High School), was named Second Team All-Northeast Conference as announced by the NEC on Thursday, May 9. 

Stavrou held the best earned run average among the league's pitchers this season with a mark of 1.41 in 22 appearances.  In conference action, Stavrou held opponents to 1.59 earned runs per game, fewer than all pitchers besides NEC Pitcher of the Year, Nicole Sleith of Robert Morris. 

With a record of 8-5 in 22 appearances, Stavrou struck out 65 batters in 99 innings in her rookie season.  She held opponents to a .216 average at the plate and walked just 25, while allowing only 20 earned runs on 81 hits.

Stavrou led the Knights in wins, ERA, appearances, complete games, innings pitched and strikeouts this season.  The Long Beach, Calif. native helped the Knights to one of the most successful seasons in program history, with an overall record of 23-21 and a Northeast Conference mark of 10-10.

In addition to Stavrou, the Knights will return 11 players for the 2013-14 season.

After finishing the 2013 NEC Softball season in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, Robert Morris and Central Connecticut swept the major All-Conference awards. The Blue Devils' Kat Malcolm was named NEC Player of the Year and Most Improved Player, while also being named to the First Team as an outfielder, while the team's coaching staff led by Jeff Franquet was named Coaching Staff of the Year.  Robert Morris' Nicole Sleith and Samantha Santillo found themselves in familiar territory, earning Pitcher of the Year and the Golden Glove Award, respectively, for the second year in a row, while teammate Ashley Gerhart won Rookie of the Year.

The NEC postseason tournament begins Thursday, May 9 in Moon Twp., Pa.  Robert Morris and Central Connecticut are joined by Monmouth and LIU Brooklyn in the double-elimination tournament.