Six Brandywine Softball Players Honored With All-United East Awards

MEDIA, Pa. -- The United East Conference champion Penn State Brandywine softball team saw six student-athletes selected to the all-conference teams on Tuesday. Senior April Lewandowski (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) led the way with All-United East First Team recognition, while classmates Lexi Bussenger (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) and  Kaylee Mushinski (Allentown, N.J./Allentown), sophomores Madie Culbertson (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) and Emma McElroy (Mountainside, N.J./Governor Livingston) and freshman Ava Rodgers (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City) received second team recognition.

Lewandowski won the final 16 starts of her career to finish her senior season with a 17-2 record, the second-highest win total in the United East. She ranked third in the league with 116 strikeouts, a Brandywine single-season record, while posting a 2.38 earned run average and 16 complete games in 21 starts. Lewandowski was 3-0 with a 1.10 ERA and 14 strikeouts in three postseason starts, helping Brandywine capture its second-straight United East crown.

Against conference foes, Lewandowski posted a record of 11-0 in 11 games with a 1.48 ERA. All five of her complete-game shutouts came against United East opponents, including a no-hitter at Cedar Crest on April 15, when she fanned a season-high 11 hitters, and the second perfect game in program history against Cedar Crest in the opening round of the conference tournament on May 1.

Lewandowski completed her four-year career as Brandywine's all-time leader in wins with a 62-9 record. She also owns team records for strikeouts (338), innings pitched (443.1) and shutouts (19) and is second all-time in complete games (47) and ERA (2.24).

Bussenger tied for seventh in the United East with 56 hits, while sporting a .427 batting average. For the second-straight year, she led the conference in stolen bases, swiping 40 bags in 43 attempts. Bussenger was also second in runs scored with 52, while adding 13 RBI.

Bussenger hit safely in 35-of-41 games and scored at least one run 32 times. She had at least one hit and one run scored in 13-of-16 United East contests and was not thrown out attempting to steal in 16 tries against league foes. Bussenger tallied 18 multi-hit efforts, including a trio of three-hit games.

She produced one of those three-hit efforts during the final game of her career, Brandywine's conference championship victory over Penn College on Saturday. Bussenger, who played in 173 games, more than any other Brandywine softball player in team history, set program records for hits (243), runs scored (227), stolen bases (189) and batting average (.466).

Mushinski was the top power threat in the United East, leading the league in home runs (9) and RBI (57), while playing all 41 games at first base. She hit more home runs than all but three of the United East's 12 teams and collected nine more RBI than her closest competitor. Twenty-one of Mushinski's 58 hits went for extra bases. She also scored 45 runs, fifth-most in the conference.

In 16 games against United East opponents, Mushinski recorded five home runs and 27 RBI. She posted a season-high four hits and four runs scored, while driving in six runs in a win at Penn College on Apr. 12.

Mushinski, who was named Most Valuable Player of the conference tournament, hit safely in all five of Brandywine's postseason games, including a walk-off single in the conference title tilt against Penn College on Saturday.

Mushinski set Brandywine's single-game and career home run record with a three-home run, seven-RBI game against Immaculata on Apr. 20. She completed her 164-game career with 28 home runs. Mushinski also holds team records for RBI (226), doubles (53), triples (16) and total bases (395). She is one of four players in program history with more than 200 hits, collecting 226 knocks during her career.

Culbertson appeared in all 41 games as Brandywine's starting shortstop. She hit .350 with 42 hits, including 13 for extra bases. Culbertson tied for seventh in the league and third on the team with four home runs and posted 31 RBI, tied for 11th-most in the United East.

Twenty-three of Culbertson's hits came in United East games as she batted .479 in 16 conference contests. She hit safely in Brandywine's final nine games, including a 7-for-15 mark during the conference tournament. Culbertson registered 15 multi-hit games, with three-hit efforts in wins at Washington College, Penn State Berks and Gwynedd Mercy.

Culbertson is a .366 hitter with 33 extra-base hits and 58 RBI in 83 games during her two seasons at Brandywine.

McElroy, one of two Lions to start all 41 games, led Brandywine in hits with 60, the fourth-highest total in the conference. McElroy was also the league's leader in runs scored with 56 and ranked third in the league in both stolen bases (28) and home runs (5).

A .484 hitter, good for second in the United East, McElroy hit safely in 38-of-41 games, including a 15-game hitting streak from Apr. 9-21. She had four three-hit games and 18 games with at least two knocks overall. McElroy posted 23 hits and scored 27 runs in 16 games against conference opponents.

For the second-straight season, McElroy was one of the toughest players in the league to strikeout, fanning just five times in 124 at-bats. She has struck out only 12 times through 272 at-bats during her career.

McElroy tallied 100th hit of her career in her 64th game during a win over Notre Dame MD on Apr. 10 and owns 129 knocks through two seasons at Brandywine. She has also scored 100 runs, while driving in 84 and stealing 58 bases.

Rodgers was one of the top rookies in the United East as she batted .414 with 46 hits, while playing in 40 games at third base this spring. She produced the eighth-most RBI in the conference, knocking in 35 runs, while scoring 17 times. Rodgers was also difficult batter to strikeout as she fanned just six times in 111 at-bats.

Rodgers hit safely during the first nine games of her career and 30 times overall. She debuted with a three-hit game against Widener on Mar. 1, one of a trio of three-hit games, and collected a season-high four hits in a win at Penn College on Apr. 12.

Brandywine captured its second-straight United East championship with a 3-2 victory over Penn College on Saturday. The Lions finished the season with 27-straight wins, posting a 34-7 overall record.