Smith and Coffin gain D3 honors
PRESQUE ISLE — The Association of NCAA Division III Independents has released its All-Independent Team for women’s softball and two University of Maine-Presque Isle players appear on the list.
Desiree Smith of Thomaston received first team catcher honors, while Krista Coffin of Presque Isle earned second team pitcher recognition.
Smith, a senior had a very solid farewell campaign, batting leadoff and hitting a team-high .413. And once she got on base, she was not content to move “station-to-station.” After stealing zero bases in 2011, Smith swiped 29 bags this spring. She was only caught eight times. In the field, Smith settled into the catcher’s role and did a great job of managing a very young Owls’ pitching staff.
“Desiree was the lead-off batter for my team and was always looking to challenge the defense with her base stealing ability,” said coach Peter Coffin. “She would go from first to third on bunting situations. As our catcher this season she was the team leader and managed the pitching staff effectively. Desiree was a captain and was a team leader off the field and on. Her leadership was a key reason for us reaching a 14-win season.”
After a slow start to the 2012 campaign due to a dislocated patella and partially torn MCL, Coffin, a sophomore, came on late. She tossed 72.2 innings with a 3.85 ERA overall. However, in the final two weeks of the season, she was scintillating. In that time Coffin went 5-0, giving up 15 hits, 11 earned runs and striking out 18 in 35 innings of work.
“Even if she only pitched a third of the games this year as she threw last year, she could be considered a comeback player of the year (because of the injury),” he said. “She earned one win over Vermont Tech and four wins over SUNY-Canton in the final two weeks of the season.”
