LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — California University of Pennsylvania standout Caleigh Rister (Bucyrus, Ohio/Bucyrus) earned two major post-season awards and was part of a trio of players selected to the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Teams which were announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Rister was voted both the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year and PSAC West Freshman of the Year by the league coaches. Senior catcher Brooke Wilson (Coraopolis, Pa./West Allegheny) and Rister were both chosen to the All-PSAC West First-Team, while junior outfielder Mackenzie Carson (Tucson, Ariz./Cienega) was tabbed to the All-PSAC West Second-Team.
A native of Ohio, Rister becomes the first standout in the league to receive multiple post-season awards in the same year since former West Chester pitcher Amanda Houck accomplished the feat in 2015.
Rister paced the team in virtually every offensive and pitching category as a freshman this spring and received All-PSAC West laurels at utility/pitcher. Rister ranked seventh in the PSAC with a .415 average (34-for-82) while finishing second with both an .829 slugging percentage and a .560 on-base percentage.
The 5-foot-4 freshman led the team with five home runs and 36 runs scored, plus totaled 11 doubles and 23 RBI, from the leadoff spot.
Rister finished with a 13-4 record and ranked third in the league with a 1.58 ERA. She logged 102.0 innings pitched over 20 appearances in the circle, recording 11 complete games with five shutouts. Rister posted a 7-0 mark and a 1.53 ERA with five complete games in divisional play.
Wilson garnered All-PSAC West laurels for the fourth time in her career and became the 13th player in program history to receive All-PSAC West First-Team status three times (2018, 2019, 2022). She set a career high and ranked eighth in the league with a .405 average (45-for-111). Wilson finished third in the PSAC with 15 doubles while also ranking sixth with a .667 slugging percentage. The West Allegheny product registered 23 RBI and 21 runs scored this spring.
A first-year starter, Carson ranked third on the team with a .306 average which was more than double her career average entering the season. She also finished third with a .380 on-base percentage while totaling 12 RBI and 15 runs scored.
The Vulcans finished the 2022 season with a 22-13 overall record and tied for first in the PSAC West standings with a 12-4 mark in divisional play. Cal U, which earned the top seed from the division, was eliminated from the PSAC Tournament last week after suffering a pair of one-run losses.
Wilson and Rister were both recently chosen as National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) first-team team all-region honorees.
Rister received all-region accolades at utility/pitcher following a dynamic two-way campaign. She led the team in virtually every hitting and pitching category while a freshman, despite missing six games due to injury.
Wilson earned first-team all-region laurels at catcher from the organization for the second time in her career, as she previously received the honor as a sophomore in 2019. She posted a career-high average while hitting at three different spots in the lineup this season. Wilson reached base safely in each of the last 15 games this spring to close the year with a .465 on-base percentage, also the highest mark of her career.