Hansen, Bowles headline award winners for Softball

ETOBICOKE – Humber softball garnered numerous league awards Wednesday afternoon when the league announced its yearly awards, as determined by a polling of the conference's coaches.

To no one's surprise, Humber ace Shade Hansen received the 2023 OCAA Pitcher of the Year award – joining Presly Buchanan (2019) as the only pitcher in program history to earn the honour. The Etobicoke native dominated in the circle, recording ten wins and leading the league with a program record of 127 punchouts. Hansen was also named the rookie of the year and a first-team all-star.

With three consecutive OCAA podium finishes and winning the first CCSA medal in program history two weeks ago, Duaine Bowles was recognized as the OCAA Coach of the Year. The Hawks finished with a 19-5 record – including a 10-game win streak – and led the conference with ten shutouts and an opponent batting average of 0.197. Bowles joins Bob Action (2012) as the only Humber coaches to garner the award.

Senior Alexis Ferreira was named a first-team all-star, becoming the first player in team history to be named to the all-conference team three times. Already Humber's all-time leader in home runs and runs scored, Ferreira finished with the third-highest batting average for the Hawks at .529.

Outfielders Shea Hilpert and Rilee Devries were selected to the first team for the first time, as Devries finished second in the league with 33 RBIs – the second most in team history. Hilpert moved to centre field this season and was a staple at the top of Humber's lineup. Along with Ferreira, the duo now sit atop Humber's single-season list for runs scored.

Michaela Tuck was named to the second team and finished with a career-high .405 batting average and eight assists from behind the dish.

Shortstop Reese Velocci immediately impacted the Hawks, playing in all 24 games and was named to the all-rookie squad. Velocci finished fifth in the conference with 29 RBIs, while her .474 batting average was good for seventh place.

Humber softball will now set its sights on capturing the fourth provincial title in program history. The Hawks will open the championship tournament on Oct. 19 at 3:00 pm. The game will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.