With the spring season winding down, and commencement just a few weeks away, we are pleased to announce our Lions of the Year. Our staff selected one outstanding male and one outstanding female athlete who consistently performed at a high level throughout a given season.

Emerson’s softball team is on the verge of qualifying for a playoff spot in New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference for the first time since joining the conference due in large part to the play of freshman pitcher Neely Eddleston.

In her first season at Emerson, Eddleston is second in the NEWMAC in wins with 12 in 22 games. With four conference games remaining, the softball team occupies the sixth and final playoff spot, one game behind Springfield College in sixth place.

Eddleston claimed her first collegiate win against Bridgewater College (Va.) on March 5 during the softball team’s trip to Florida. She pitched a complete game shutout in the Lions’ 3-0 victory while striking out three batters and allowing two hits. In Emerson’s 8-0 victory over Smith College, Eddleston threw a no-hitter in the five-inning second half of a doubleheader.

Eddleston sits sixth in the NEWMAC in strikeouts with 58 and seventh in innings pitched with 84. She is tied for fourth in the conference in complete games with eight and 13th in earned runs average with an ERA of 3.67. She leads Emerson in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, and complete games, and is second behind sophomore Marisa DeFranco in ERA.

The softball team has two doubleheaders left in conference play to clinch their first-ever NEWMAC playoff berth. The first doubleheader is on Friday, April 20 against Clark University with first pitches at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The next doubleheader is on Saturday, April 21 against Wheaton College with first pitches at noon and 2 p.m.