PROVIDENCE, RI – University of Massachusetts Boston softball player Courtney Haroules (Littleton, MA) was named to the Little East Conference First Team as a designated player, it was announced today by the league.
The junior served primarily as a starting pitcher for the Beacons, but it was her bat that gained her recognition in the conference with a team-leading .391 (34-87) batting average that ranked 11th among Little East Conference batters. The 6’1″ Haroules was among the team’s leading hitters in every category, starting all 35 of the squad’s games, while owning a team-best .455 on-base percentage. The Cushing Academy product ranked second on the team with 34 hits and 11 walks, while placing third with nine doubles, 45 total bases and a .517 slugging average. Haroules scored 18 times and drove in 15 runs as well to stand fourth in both categories for UMass Boston. She ranked second on the club with 10 multi-hit efforts, including a pair of efforts with three or more hits. Haroules got off to a slow start at the plate, going hitless in her first nine at-bats before going on a tear with nine hits in her next 12 at-bats during a five-game hitting streak for a blistering .750 batting mark. She enjoyed a six-game hitting streak later in the season from April 1-10, where she hit .556 (10-18) during the streak and knocked in five runs. Haroules excelled at the plate with runners on base, hitting a dangerous .452 (19-42) in those situations and drove in a season-high five runs, going 2-3 with a double and a walk to help the Beacons to a 9-7 victory at league rival University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on April 20.
Haroules transferred to UMass Boston this season after playing two seasons for Division I Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ. She also enjoyed success as one of the top power pitchers in the LEC this year, ranking fourth with 125 strikeouts in 129 1/3 innings pitched. The right-hander topped the league with 26 starts and placed third in innings pitched and fourth in appearances. Haroules earned a 6-5 victory over Little East Conference foe Keene State College on April 22 for UMB’s first win over the Owls in school-history, while setting a school-record for conference wins with two. She also tossed her first collegiate no-hitter two days later on April 24 vs. Massachusetts Maritime Academy, allowing just three walks, while striking out eight in five complete innings.
The Beacons finished the season with an overall record of 7-28, including a 2-12 mark in LEC play.