Baran Recognized as Landmark Conference Senior Scholar Athlete for Softball

TOWSON, Md.- Juniata softball pitcher and outfielder Cate Baran has been named Landmark Conference Senior Scholar Athlete for softball. 

The honoree must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20 and is selected by a committee of Landmark Conference officers, athletics directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletic representatives, and sports information directors. They are chosen at the end of each sport season. 

Baran also earned Landmark Conference All-Conference First Team Honors as a pitcher this season after placing on the Second Team in 2022 and 2021. 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 fifth-best ERA (2.10), fourth-most innings pitched (110.0), second-lowest opponent batting average (.212), and the fifth-most complete games (12). Baran also served as a strong offensive player 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 third-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 (11). She also became the program's all-time stolen bases leader, with 40 in her career. 

Her program of emphasis (P.O.E.) is in Biology/Pre-Physical Therapy, and she graduates from Juniata this spring in three years with a 3.75 grade point average. 

She is the first Landmark Senior Scholar Athlete for the Juniata softball program, and she joins men's basketball senior Nick Rigby as the second Eagle to earn the recognition from the conference this academic year. She placed on the Landmark Academic Honor Roll in her first year of eligibility in 2022. 

She made Juniata's Dean's List in the Fall of 2020, 2021, and 2022 as well as in the Spring of 2022. Baran is also a three-time Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll selection and earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. 
 
Baran was the recipient of the M.G. Brumbaugh Scholarship as well as both the NSF JC-SOURCE Scholarship and the Yenter Scholarship. She was also awarded the Juniata Founders Grant and PHEAA Grant. She also served as an Inbound First-Year orientation leader.