D2CCA All-Region   |  NFCA All-Region

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University softball freshmen standouts outfielder Maddie Cavenaugh and pitcher Rachel Baker represented The Rock on the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Atlantic Region Teams.
 
In addition to being a first team selection by both the D2CCA and the NFCA, Cavenaugh was also voted the D2CCA Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year. Baker earned second team all-region honors from the NFCA.
 
The D2CCA All-Region teams are nominated for and voted on by the athletic communications professionals in each region. As a first team honoree, Cavenaugh advances to the national ballot for All-America consideration. The D2CCA All-America Team will be unveiled on May 27 and the NFCA All-America Team will be released June 2.
 
Simply put, Cavenaugh put together one of the best single-season performances in Slippery Rock program history. A starter in centerfield in all 47 games of her rookie season, Cavenaugh slashed .440/.532/.800 with 53 runs scored, 12 home runs and 21 stolen bases in addition to collecting 48 RBIs despite serving as The Rock's leadoff hitter for the near entirety of the season.
 
Cavenaugh, who closed the year on a 26-game reached base streak as well as having posted 16 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI contests, was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Athlete of the Year and the PSAC West Freshman of the Year. She is the first player in the PSAC to earn Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season since the conference started tracking award winners in 1989.
 
A native of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, Cavenaugh is among the Atlantic Region leaders in slugging percentage (second), batting average (fourth), on-base percentage (fourth), home runs (sixth), runs per game (sixth / 1.13), total bases (seventh / 120), runs (eighth), RBI (ninth), RBI per game (ninth / 1.02) and stolen bases (17th).
 
Cavenaugh set a single-season program record in runs scored all the while ranking second in single-season SRU history in on-base percentage, RBI and walks as well as being third in hits, fourth in home runs, fifth in batting average and seventh in stolen bases.
 
The other half of what is arguably the top hitter-pitcher freshmen duo in all of Division II, Baker stepped right into the circle for The Rock from Manchester High School and quickly established herself as one of the region's top pitchers.
 
Baker made 25 starts for The Rock en route to going 15-9 with a 2.85 ERA and .247 opponent batting average while striking out 131 batters over 149.2 innings pitched. Among the 25 starts were 18 complete games, three shutouts and two double-digit strikeout outings. Baker's amazing freshman season resulted in the Canal Fulton, Ohio native being named the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year.
 
Baker ranked second in Slippery Rock single-season program history in wins, third in complete games, fourth in innings pitched, sixth in strikeouts and eighth in shutouts.
 
Slippery Rock completed its 2026 season with a 27-20 overall record. SRU qualified for the PSAC Tournament after finishing second in the PSAC West standings.





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