EASTON, Mass. (May 8, 2024) – Freshman Harper Sullivan (Glendale, Ariz.) of the Stonehill College Softball team was named to the Northeast Conference All-Rookie team, the conference announced on Wednesday.
Sullivan marks the first Skyhawk to win an NEC yearly award for the Stonehill softball program in its second season at the division I level. The freshman hurler and utility player did it all for the Skyhawks this spring, making 14 appearances in the circle while playing in 48 games as a two-way player.
"As a coaching staff, we could not be prouder of Harper for being our first-ever Division I NEC award winner," said head coach Ali Maloof. "To be named to the All-Rookie team is very deserving and shows her character and play. Harper is not only a great all-around player but she is a great teammate. She is everything we look for in a student-athlete and we cannot express how happy we are to have her as a Skyhawk. This is an extraordinary moment for the program and there is no one better to represent our team!" 
In the batter's box, Sullivan led Stonehill with a .343 batting average while ranking second in hits (37), doubles (5), RBI (16), on-base percentage (.388), and slugging percentage (.417). She also added one home run and 10 runs scored throughout the 2024 campaign.
The newcomer from Glendale, Ariz. established herself as one of the best hitters in the NEC this season as her .343 BA ranks seventh overall and first among freshmen in the conference.
Sullivan started at first base for the Skyhawks when she wasn't pitching, holding a top-20 fielding percentage in the conference at a .983 clip, committing just two errors in the field in 120 choices with 108 putouts and 10 assists. She was also a part of five double plays this season, tied for the eighth most in the NEC.
As a two-way player, Sullivan made 10 starts in the circle, throwing 47.0 innings and two complete games, tabbing a 2-6 record. Sullivan had a dominant stretch of pitching in April, throwing back-to-back stellar performances against Merrimack College and Brown University.
Against the Warriors, Sullivan threw 5.2 IP, allowing two hits and just one run in a no-decision where she threw a career-high three strikeouts. The Skyhawks eventually lost the game, 3-1, in a ten-inning NEC battle. Sullivan's best start of the season came on the road at Brown where she threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout to defeat the Bears 1-0.
Stonehill softball improved its record by 10 wins in its second season in the NEC, capping off the 2024 campaign with a 14-37 record thanks in large part to its strong freshman class. The Skyhawks return to action in 2025 for its third Division I campaign in the Northeast Conference.
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