The Varsity Girls Softball Team won the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference championship on June 3, beating The Pilgrim Academy 20-10, in a game that ended early in the 5th inning under the 10-run rule. The win went to starting pitcher Ava Nixon, and strong, steady play from at least eight Lady Cougars who were red hot at the plate, hitting singles, doubles, and triples throughout the game.
An enthusiastic crowd of ACS parents and friends cheered on the Lady Cougars from the stands, including members of the Varsity Baseball Team, who had won their Tournament Consolation Game earlier in the day, beating Calvary Academy 8-3 to finish the season in 3rd place. Both games were played at the Stockton University athletic fields.
“We’re grateful to all our players and coaches for making this such a memorable season,” said Athletic Director Pam Hitchner. “We never gave up and aimed to play our best in every game and the hard work paid off.”
The Lady Cougars finished the regular season with a 14-2 overall record and were 9-1 in the conference. ACS entered the playoffs tied for first place with The Pilgrim Academy. The Lady Cougars beat Gloucester County Christian School 12-4 in the semi-final playoff game to advance to the TSCAC championship game.
The Varsity Boys Baseball Team had an overall record of 9-7 at the end of the regular season and were in 3rd place in the conference with a 6-5 record. ACS lost 7-6 to The Pilgrim Academy in the semi-final playoff game to advance to the consolation game in the final tournament.
After the tournament games, TSCAC awards were announced and for the second consecutive year junior shortstop Evangelina Kim was named the TSCAC Softball MVP and Varsity Softball Coach Dara Kimmerley received the TSCAC Softball Coach of the Year Award. Ten ACS players were named All-Stars — six from our championship-winning softball team and four from our 3rd place-finishing baseball team.
The six ACS Varsity Girls who were named All-Stars were: Evangelina Kim, Paige Noble, and Taylor Sutton (1st team); and Kaia Barbour, Alli Lushina, and Ava Nixon (2nd team). The four ACS Varsity Boys named All-Stars were: Charlie Costello and Robby Barberio (1st team); and Seth Phillips and Adam Schlundt (2nd team).
Congratulations to all our coaches for a memorable season — Varsity Baseball Head Coach Carl Phillips, an ACS 2017 alumnus, and assistant coaches Robert Barberio and Brendan Keller, and Varsity Softball Coach Dara Kimmerley and assistant coaches Lori Pearson and Richie Jackson.
Photo credit: Shannon Kim
