Softball | 5/15/2026 2:00:00 PM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher softball team placed four players on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region III Teams for the 2026 season.
Junior infielder Taylor Shackleton, junior outfielder Emily McManus and freshman infielder Sarah Gross earned second-team honors. Junior pitcher Molly Kuhn garnered third-team recognition.
The awards honor student-athletes from the NFCA's 10 regions with selection to one of three teams. NFCA member head coaches nominate and then vote for the winners in their respective region. Coaches may nominate a maximum of eight players from their squad.
The Cardinals have had at least one NFCA All-Region honoree every season dating back to 2015. They have had two or more players selected in four consecutive seasons.
Shackleton, the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year and now a two-time NFCA All-Region honoree, posted a .433 batting average, .807 slugging percentage and a 1.286 OPS this season. She led the Empire 8 with 65 total hits, 20 doubles, 12 home runs, 58 runs batted in and 121 total bases. She set St. John Fisher single-season records in doubles and RBI.
Shackleton reached base safely in all but three of the Cardinals' 43 games. She also led the team and finished second in the Empire 8 in runs scored, crossing home plate 47 times.
Gross enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign, finishing with 63 hits, including eight doubles, a team-high four triples, and a home run, while batting .394 with 32 RBI. On the base paths, she scored 45 runs and led the Cardinals with eight stolen bases on nine attempts. She posted a .972 fielding percentage defensively at third base, recording 44 putouts and 59 assists while making only three errors on 106 errors.
McManus, who has been honored with NFCA All-Region honors three times, including as a 2025 first-team selection, missed a considerable amount of time due to an injury this year but still posted nearly a season's worth of production. Over 26 games, the slugger barreled eight home runs and four doubles while batting .519 with a 1.037 slugging percentage and a .617 on-base percentage. She finished fourth on the team with 29 RBI and led the Cardinals with 25 walks.
A first-time All-Region selection, Kuhn became a reliable ace for the Cardinals' pitching staff this season. She finished with a 2.88 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and an 18-5 record, including a 13-3 mark in conference play. She amassed 134 strikeouts and issued only 13 walks over 153.1 innings.
