Couto Headlines Softball All-Conference Honorees

CCC RELEASE

BEVERLY, Mass. — Eight members of the Endicott softball team have earned Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) postseason honors, as announced by the league office on Wednesday morning.

Jaylin Couto (Taunton, Mass.) was the lone Gulls major award-winner, as she was named the 2024 CCC Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season. 

Couto, Chloe Shapleigh (Lynnfield, Mass.), Katie Watts (Swampscott, Mass.), and Christina Nowicki (Chelsea, Mass.) were named to the All-CCC First Team, while Kristen Beebe (Brentwood, N.H.), Elyse Saccoccio (Coventry, R.I.), Mia Mitchell (Medford, Mass.), and Paige Berdos (Plainville, Mass.) earned a spot on the All-CCC Second Team.

CCC PITCHER OF THE YEAR | ALL-CCC FIRST TEAM

JAYLIN COUTO | SR. | P | TAUNTON, MASS.

This is Couto's second consecutive CCC Pitcher of the Year award, and the 11th time in Endicott program history a student-athlete has earned Pitcher of the Year honors.

The senior has appeared in 18 games throughout the season, starting 16 for the Blue and Green. She featured an ERA of 2.44, a WHIP of 1.13, and struck out 97 batters (7.21 K/7) in her 94.2 IP.

Her dominance on the mound earned her a record of 11-6 — her third consecutive season with at least 10 wins. She now sits at 42 career wins, which places her fourth all-time in program history.

Additionally, her ten complete games rank third-most in the CCC this season.

The highlights of her award-winning season included a full seven innings of work against Curry on March 30th, when she limited the Colonels to just one earned run and struck out a career-high 14 batters in the Gulls' 2-1 conference win. 

On April 9th against Gordon, the senior spun another dominant complete-game performance with 10 strikeouts and only two earned runs allowed.

This is Couto's third career All-CCC team honors (First Team 2023; Second Team 2022).

ALL-CCC FIRST TEAM

CHLOE SHAPLEIGH | JR. | 1B | LYNNFIELD, MASS.

Shapleigh has been a vital piece of Endicott's offense and one of the most lethal bats in the CCC throughout the 2024 season.

The junior has slashed .340 AVG / .419 OBP / .680 SLG with eight home runs and 28 RBI in 33 games played for the Blue and Green.

Her totals of eight home runs and .680 SLG rank second, 28 RBI and 10 doubles rank eighth, 68 total bases and .419 OBP rank 10th, and .340 AVG ranks 17th in the CCC (all team-highs).

She managed to set new career-highs in her home run and walk totals despite having missed several games due to injury.

Her power and presence at the plate were on full display in the Gulls' doubleheader sweep of Curry on March 30th. In game one, the Lynnfield native cranked a game-tying third inning solo shot off the rocks and also walked three times, with the Colonels pitchers seemingly avoiding her bat. She stole a base and scored the walk-off run in the bottom of the seventh to secure the game one victory for the Gulls. In game two, she went 2-for-3 with another home run (two-run shot), a walk, and a single to lead the Gulls to an 11-4 win.

This is Shapleigh's second career All-CCC team (Second Team 2023).

ALL-CCC FIRST TEAM

KATIE WATTS | GR. | 2B | SWAMPSCOTT, MASS.

Watts returned to the Gulls for a fifth year in 2024 and turned in a stellar season at the plate and in the field.

The graduate student slashed .316 AVG / .398 OBP / .439 SLG in her 36 games played.

She led the team in runs (31) and hits (36), which also rank her fourth and 19th in the CCC, respectively. 

Watts fills the softball program's career leaderboards, as she places sixth in runs scored (110), seventh in walks (58), T-8th in hits (151), and ninth in doubles (30) and total bases (215).

One of her highlight performances from this season came at Hartford on April 13, as she combined to go four-for-seven with a double, three singles, and an RBI for the Blue and Green in the road doubleheader.

This is Watts' third all-conference honor (2022 All-CCC Second Team; 2021 All-CCC Third Team) in her decorated Endicott career.

ALL-CCC FIRST TEAM

CHRISTINA NOWICKI | SR. | OF | CHELSEA, MASS.

Nowicki was a vital piece of Endicott's offense and defense in the 2024 season.

The senior outfielder slashed .326 AVG / .416 OBP / .516 SLG (all career-highs) in her 37 games played.

Her on base percentage rank 12th in the CCC, while her batting average and slugging percentage rank 14th. Additionally, her four triples on the season place her third in the conference.

She also set new career-bests in doubles (seven) and walks (13).

In a 9-1 home win over Suffolk on April 27, Nowicki paced the Gulls offense with a 3-for-3 afternoon. She legged out two triples and a double while scoring twice and driving in one in Endicott's home conference victory. 

This is Nowicki's first career CCC All-Conference team appearance.

ALL-CCC SECOND TEAM

KRISTEN BEEBE | FR. | P | BRENTWOOD, N.H.

Beebe has been a consistent force from the circle for first-seeded Endicott all season long.

The freshman right-hander features an ERA of 1.83, a WHIP of 1.12, 71 strikeouts, a 6.52 K/7, five complete games, a record of 8-5, and 76.2 innings pitched in her 15 appearances (13 starts) on the year.

She currently ranks second in the conference with four shutouts, third in ERA and opponent batting average (.203), eighth in strikeouts and wins, T-14th in complete games (five), and is 16th in innings pitched.

Perhaps her most impressive start came in her collegiate debut on March 17th, when she limited Amherst to just three hits and no runs in 6.2 innings. She also fanned 10 Mammoths in the start, which is a season / career-high for the righty.

Among other impressive feats, Beebe was named the CCC Rookie of the Week on three different occasions over the course of the season (3/18/24, 4/2/24, 4/23/24).

ALL-CCC SECOND TEAM

ELYSE SACCOCCIO | FR. | 3B/C | COVENTRY, R.I.

Saccoccio broke into the Gulls' lineup and provided consistent production both offensively and defensively in her freshman season.

She started seven games at catcher and 22 at third base, showing her versatility on the infield and behind the dish.

Over the course of the season, she has posted a slashline of .305 AVG / .368 OBP / .411 SLG in 32 games played.

Among conference rankings, Saccoccio places 27th in batting average, 29th in OPS and slugging, and 37th in hits.

The freshman guided the Gulls to a 9-1 victory over Suffolk on April 27th with her career-high three-hit performance, which also included her first career home run, a two-run shot to left field.

ALL-CCC SECOND TEAM

MIA MITCHELL | FR. | SS | MEDFORD, MASS.

Mitchell earned the starting shortstop role for the Blue and Green and shined at the position in her first season.

The freshman slashed .260 AVG / .279 OBP / .310 SLG in her 32 games played on the year.

She has logged eight multi-hit games this season, including a two-for-two performance in her collegiate debut against Amherst (5-0 W). 

Her 18 RBI also place her third on the team, and 25th in the CCC.

Beyond her offensive production, she was lockdown defensively for the Blue and Green all year long. She made just four errors in her 69 total chances, resulting in a fielding percentage of .942.

She also took home CCC Rookie of the Week honors on 4/17/24 for her impressive two-way effort.

ALL-CCC SECOND TEAM

PAIGE BERDOS | JR. | OF | PLAINVILLE, MASS.

Berdos appears on her first career All-Conference team after a year in which she slashed .325 AVG / .419 OBP / .450 SLG for the Gulls.

She also tallied 26 hits, 21 runs, nine RBI, and 11 walks in her career-year. She set career-highs in every category, including games played, hits, average, on base percentage, slugging, doubles, triples, RBI, and walks.

Her batting average ranks second on the team and 16th in the conference, while her 21 runs rank third and 19th, respectively.

The lefty outfielder led the Gulls to a 4-3 conference road win at Wentworth on April 7th, as she logged a two-for-three afternoon with a triple, single, walk, and an RBI against the Leopards in the win.

Another memorable performance came on April 23rd at Babson, when she tallied career-highs of three hits and three RBI in an eight-run afternoon for the Gulls.

WHAT'S NEXT

First-seeded Endicott (24-13) will host third-seeded Nichols in the CCC Tournament on Friday, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Suffolk vs. Roger Williams matchup, which starts at 10 AM. 

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(Photo Credit - Kaeli Talora '25)