Baran and Superka Named to Landmark All-Conference First Team, Garlock Leads Coaching Staff of the Year

TOWSON Md.- The Juniata softball team claimed a trio of Landmark Conference All-Conference Team honors, as pitcher Cate Baran and catcher Alison Superka were named to the conference's First-Team in their positions, and first-year head coach McKenna Garlock led the side to the Landmark's Coaching Staff of the Year honors. 

Baran follows up an appearance on the Landmark Conference's Second-Team in 2022 with a First-Team appearance in 2023 as a pitcher. She ended the season by setting new career highs for wins (11), complete games (12), strikeout-walk ratio (8.00), and ERA (2.96). She went 11-6 with a pair of saves, two complete-game one-hitters, and four complete-game shutouts. Among Landmark Conference players, she had the sixth-best ERA (2.10), second-most innings pitched (110.0), second-lowest opponent batting average (.212), and was tied for the third-most complete games (12). Baran also served as a strong offensive piece for Juniata, hitting .322/.347/.496 with 37 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 14 RBI, five walks, and 16 stolen bases. Her 16 stolen bases were the second-most stolen bases among Landmark Conference players and third-most in a single season for an Eagle. Baran set other historic single-season marks for the program with the sixth-lowest single-season ERA (2.10), sixth-most strikeouts (95), a tie for the most saves (two), and the sixth-most wins. She also became the program's all-time stolen bases leader, with 40 in her career. 

Superka marks her first appearance on an all-conference team by landing on the Landmark's First-Team. She ended the season with the conference's best batting average (.430), best OPS (1.226), second-best on-base percentage (.495), second-best slugging percentage (.731), a tie for the fourth-most home runs (five), eighth-most RBI (26), and second-most doubles (13). Behind the plate, Superka caught the most attempted stolen baserunners (four). She set several historic single-season marks for the Eagles, tying for the second-most home runs (five) and tying for the third-most doubles (13). She also moved up the ranks in career home runs, as she sits in second with 12 behind Liz Schmitt '09 with 14. 

Head coach McKenna Garlock caps off her first season as a collegiate head coach by earning the Landmark Conference's Coach of the Year honors alongside assistant coaches Scott Fritz and Paul Erb. The Eagles finished 2023 with an 18-14 record overall and 6-6 in conference play to finish fifth in the conference standings, improving from an 11-23, 3-9 campaign in 2022. The 2023 Eagles set several historic single-season marks for the program (since 2000), including the sixth-most wins (18), a tie for the third-fewest losses (14), seventh-best batting average (.292), eighth-lowest earned run average (4.11), fifth-fewest times struck out (100), best stolen-base percentage (.950), second-most stolen bases (58). In the conference, Juniata had the best stolen-base percentage (.950), second-most stolen bases (58), fewest times struck out (99), third-most doubles (55), and fourth-best batting average (.292).