Benitez, Howard Named to All-BIG EAST Second Team
5/6/2026 10:58:00 AM | Softball
NEW YORK, N.Y. – After a season filled with breakouts and showcase performances, two Seton Hall softball team members, sophomore outfielder Angelina Benitez (Hightstown, N.J.) and senior catcher Erin Howard (Skillman, N.J.), earned spots on the All-BIG EAST Second Team, the conference announced Wednesday.
In her second season with The Hall, Benitez took a massive leap forward as she stepped into her role as both the everyday centerfielder and the Pirates' leadoff hitter on the road to All-BIG EAST Second Team honors. As the leadoff hitter, she acted as the beating heart of stability for The Hall and its offense. Across the 24-game BIG EAST slate, Benitez led the team across multiple categories, runs scored (17), batting average (.386), at-bats (88) and hits (33), with the latter two both ranking fifth in the BIG EAST. Across all games this season, the Hightstown, New Jersey, produced a season for the record books. During the middle stretch of the season, Benitez was one of the toughest outs in the entire country, recording a program record-breaking 23-game hit streak, the second-longest streak in the nation this year. Additionally, her 67 total hits and .391 overall batting average ranked in the top five in program history for a single season.
After a slow start to the season, a dominant showing in conference play helped push Howard to All-BIG EAST Second Team honors, the first all-conference selection of her career, in her final season. With her showings across the 24 BIG EAST games, Howard ranked second on the team in batting average (.319) and slugging percentage (.500), third on the team in RBI (10) and hits (23) and finished tied atop the team in home runs (3) thanks to her power-packed swing. Notably, Howard was arguably the best defensive catcher in the conference. The backstop faced 32 stolen base attempts in conference play, tied for the most among all catchers, while throwing out a conference-high 12 runners, six more than the closest opposition.
Â
2026 BIG EAST Softball Major Awards & All-Conference Teams
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Cat Petteys, So., SS, UConn
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year: Alyssa Twomey, Jr., P, Providence
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year: Ashten Pierson, Jr., SS, Creighton
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Keegan Mayhue, Fr., 1B, Creighton
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: Providence
All-BIG EAST First Team^
Makena Alexander, Jr., 1B, Butler
Hailey Conger, Sr., OF, Butler
Cate Lehner, Sr., OF, Butler
Cat Petteys, So., SS, UConn
Jessica Walter, Gr., P, UConn
Audrey Gilman, Fr., P, Creighton
Erika Perez, Sr., 3B, Creighton
Tara Vandewater, So., 2B, Creighton*
Lily West, Sr., C, Creighton*
Dayanara Campos, Sr., DP, Georgetown
Emily Jonte, Sr., OF, Providence
Alyssa Twomey, Jr., P, Providence*
Ana Serafinko, Sr., P, St. John's
Maranda Runco, Jr., 1B, Villanova
All-BIG EAST Second Team^
Maren Berger, RS-So., P, Butler
Katie Petran, Jr., P, Butler
Caprice Bohmer, Fr., P, UConn
Kaitlyn Kibling, Sr., CF, UConn
Savannah Ring, Sr., 2B, UConn
Ashten Pierson, Jr., SS, Creighton
Kaelan Schultz, Jr., DP, Creighton
Jolie Adams, So., OF, DePaul
Cameron Dunn, Jr., 2B, Providence
Hailey Frantz, Fr., C, Providence
Sofia Peterson, Sr., 3B, Providence
Julia Renny, Sr., 1B, Providence
Angelina Benitez, So., OF, Seton Hall
Erin Howard, Sr., C, Seton Hall
^Denotes a tie in voting
*Denotes a unanimous selection
Â
In her second season with The Hall, Benitez took a massive leap forward as she stepped into her role as both the everyday centerfielder and the Pirates' leadoff hitter on the road to All-BIG EAST Second Team honors. As the leadoff hitter, she acted as the beating heart of stability for The Hall and its offense. Across the 24-game BIG EAST slate, Benitez led the team across multiple categories, runs scored (17), batting average (.386), at-bats (88) and hits (33), with the latter two both ranking fifth in the BIG EAST. Across all games this season, the Hightstown, New Jersey, produced a season for the record books. During the middle stretch of the season, Benitez was one of the toughest outs in the entire country, recording a program record-breaking 23-game hit streak, the second-longest streak in the nation this year. Additionally, her 67 total hits and .391 overall batting average ranked in the top five in program history for a single season.
After a slow start to the season, a dominant showing in conference play helped push Howard to All-BIG EAST Second Team honors, the first all-conference selection of her career, in her final season. With her showings across the 24 BIG EAST games, Howard ranked second on the team in batting average (.319) and slugging percentage (.500), third on the team in RBI (10) and hits (23) and finished tied atop the team in home runs (3) thanks to her power-packed swing. Notably, Howard was arguably the best defensive catcher in the conference. The backstop faced 32 stolen base attempts in conference play, tied for the most among all catchers, while throwing out a conference-high 12 runners, six more than the closest opposition.
Â
2026 BIG EAST Softball Major Awards & All-Conference Teams
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Cat Petteys, So., SS, UConn
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year: Alyssa Twomey, Jr., P, Providence
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year: Ashten Pierson, Jr., SS, Creighton
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Keegan Mayhue, Fr., 1B, Creighton
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: Providence
All-BIG EAST First Team^
Makena Alexander, Jr., 1B, Butler
Hailey Conger, Sr., OF, Butler
Cate Lehner, Sr., OF, Butler
Cat Petteys, So., SS, UConn
Jessica Walter, Gr., P, UConn
Audrey Gilman, Fr., P, Creighton
Erika Perez, Sr., 3B, Creighton
Tara Vandewater, So., 2B, Creighton*
Lily West, Sr., C, Creighton*
Dayanara Campos, Sr., DP, Georgetown
Emily Jonte, Sr., OF, Providence
Alyssa Twomey, Jr., P, Providence*
Ana Serafinko, Sr., P, St. John's
Maranda Runco, Jr., 1B, Villanova
All-BIG EAST Second Team^
Maren Berger, RS-So., P, Butler
Katie Petran, Jr., P, Butler
Caprice Bohmer, Fr., P, UConn
Kaitlyn Kibling, Sr., CF, UConn
Savannah Ring, Sr., 2B, UConn
Ashten Pierson, Jr., SS, Creighton
Kaelan Schultz, Jr., DP, Creighton
Jolie Adams, So., OF, DePaul
Cameron Dunn, Jr., 2B, Providence
Hailey Frantz, Fr., C, Providence
Sofia Peterson, Sr., 3B, Providence
Julia Renny, Sr., 1B, Providence
Angelina Benitez, So., OF, Seton Hall
Erin Howard, Sr., C, Seton Hall
^Denotes a tie in voting
*Denotes a unanimous selection
Â
Players Mentioned
Seton Hall Softball vs. Iona (Game 2)
Wednesday, April 29
Seton Hall Softball vs. Iona (Game 1)
Wednesday, April 29
Seton Hall Pirates Live Stream
Thursday, April 23
2026 Seton Hall Giving Day is Here!
Tuesday, April 21
