Fanty, Yard Earn NJAC Weekly Rookie Honors

PITMAN, N.J. (5/7/12) – Freshmen Jess Fanty and Courtney Yard closed out their 2012 softball season named New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie Player and Rookie Pitcher of the Week, respectively.

Fanty (pictured left) becomes the second Cougars to earn Rookie Player of the Week honors after hitting .375 (3-of-8) during three NJAC tournament games last week.  In the first postseason game of her career, Fanty was 1-of-3 in Kean’s 3-0 win over second-seeded The College of New Jersey.  She followed that up with a 2-of-4 performance against eventually champion Rowan University, before closing out the season with a walk in the season-ending 3-0 loss to TCNJ.

In 20 games this season, Fanty made 15 starts and produced a .302 batting average.

Yard earned her seventh NJAC Rookie Pitcher of the Week honor after producing a 1.91 earned run average during the NJAC tournament for the Cougars.  In her postseason debut, Yard allowed just two hits and no walks in Kean’s 4-0 win over second-seeded The College of New Jersey.  Three days laters, she allowed just three earned runs in eight inning of work during the 3-2 extra-inning defeat to eventual champion Rowan University.  She wrapped up her freshman season by scattering just four hits and no runs over the final six innings of the game in Kean’s season-ending 3-0 loss to TCNJ.

The NJAC Rookie of the Year, Yard currently leads the conference in games started (29).