Burke, Beland, and Nichols Earn GNAC Softball Postseason Honors
WINTHROP, Mass. — The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) has announced its 2025 Women's Softball postseason awards, with three members of the Pride earning honors. Bianca Burke (Cambridge, Mass.) was named to the All-GNAC Second Team, while Chloe Beland (Southborough, Mass.) earned a spot on the All-GNAC Third Team. Senior Lexi Nichols (Granby, Conn.) was recognized for her leadership and sportsmanship with a selection to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
After another standout season with the Pride, Burke earned a spot on the All-GNAC Second Team for the second time in her career. The senior set a new single-season program record with 56 hits, finishing with a .438 batting average, a .487 on-base percentage, and a .602 slugging percentage. She also broke the single-season triples record with seven, added seven doubles, and tied her own record for runs in a season with 33. Burke drove in a career-high 22 RBIs and turned in 15 multi-hit performances over the year. She wrapped up the season on a 21-game hitting streak, highlighted by a four-hit performance featuring two triples and five RBIs in a 12-6 win over Elms on April 24th. In the outfield, she was flawless, recording 89 total chances with 86 putouts, three assists, and no errors. Burke leaves an indelible mark on the program's history books, graduating as the all-time leader in hits (166), triples (18), and runs scored (103).
Chloe Beland earned a spot on the All-GNAC Third Team following the strongest season of her collegiate career. The graduate student delivered her best performance at the plate in crimson and gold, collecting 40 hits while posting a .374 batting average, a .458 slugging percentage, and a .433 on-base percentage. She led the team with 27 RBIs and crossed the plate herself 17 times, while also producing the second-most doubles on the team with nine. In left field, Beland recorded 38 putouts on 42 total chances, providing steady defense throughout the season. Offensively, she notched 11 multi-hit games and went on a six-game hitting streak late in the year, highlighted by a 3-for-4 effort against Elms, where she tallied three RBIs to lead the Pride to a 6–3 win. She also came up big in the team's 13–11 play-in victory over Mitchell, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the high-scoring affair. This marks the first All-GNAC honor of Beland's career, capping off a memorable final season.
A four-year member of the Pride, Lexi Nichols was recognized on the All-Sportsmanship Team for her leadership and character on and off the field. The senior appeared in 29 games this season, tallying 19 hits and 12 RBIs. She delivered one of her top performances on Senior Day in a dramatic comeback win over Albertus Magnus, going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double. This marks Nichols' second career postseason honor, having previously earned All-GNAC Third Team recognition as a sophomore.