May 5, 2010

Complete Northeast-10 Conference Release

UMass Lowell’s sophomore P/DP Elyssa Boris (Gardner, MA) was named to the Northeast-10 All-Conference Second Team, while freshman 2B Krista MacKenzie (Ipswich, MA) was tabbed to the All-Rookie Team, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday. The two helped lead the River Hawks to a 23-27 season and a 2010 NE-10 Conference Tournament berth.

Boris’ season was highlighted by breaking the program’s single season homerun record by tallying 12 on the year, surpassing the nine-homer benchmark that was set in 2006 by Stacey Lajoie. The 12 homeruns tie her for first in the conference this season.

Additionally, she threw a no-hitter against Minnesota-Crookston in March 16, as the River Hawks won 7-0 in Cocoa Beach, FL. Boris was named NE-10 Player of the Week on April 26 and tabbed to the Conference’s Weekly Honor Roll once.

The pitcher and designated player finished the year with a .333 batting average and a team-best 21 extra-base hits. Her 32 RBI were tied for best on the squad, while her 87 total bases tie her for ninth in the conference and .707 slugging percentage ranked her first among the River Hawks.

On the mound, she amassed a team-best 2.93 ERA and finished the year with a 10-12 record. She made 38 pitching appearances through 50 games for the River Hawks, including 21 starts on the year. She threw nine complete games and struck out a team-best 93 batters on the year, which places her eighth in the NE-10. Boris also held opponents to a .269 batting average.

“I think Elyssa was one of the best sticks in the conference this year,” Head Coach Sean Cotter said. “Her bat led one of the top offensive teams in program history, so this honor was well-deserved.”

An Exercise Physiology major, she is the daughter of Jayne and Charles Boris of Gardner, MA.

MacKenzie appeared and started in 39 games for the River Hawks, leading the squad with a .413 batting average, which is fifth in the NE-10. The freshman infielder was named NE-10 Freshman of the Week on April 26, as well.

She tallied 23 RBI and seven doubles on the year, scoring 31 times, best on the team. She enjoyed a .452 on base percentage and .947 fielding percentage, making only seven errors on the year.

MacKenzie was the conference’s best leadoff hitter, reaching base 75.0% of the time when she batted in the top of the order. She averaged 1.28 hits per game, ranking her fourth in the conference.

“Krista was certainly a sparkplug in our lineup,” Cotter said. “We struggled when she was out of the lineup and it’s no coincidence that we went on a winning streak when she was healthy. I’m looking forward to great things out of her over the next three years.”

The daughter of John and Deborah MacKenzie of Ipswich, MA, she is enrolled in the College of Management.