CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard softball program announced its captains for the 2023-24 season as well as its 2023 postseason team awards on Wednesday. Six players were recognized for their efforts while Lauren Bobowski, Savannah Fitzpatrick and Madi Mays were named next season's captains following a successful campaign in which the Crimson were Ivy League regular season and tournament Champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a 29-17-1 record.

2023 Team Awards

Most Outstanding Pitcher: Riley Flynn
The Ivy League Rookie of the Year and the Ivy League Tournament's most outstanding player, Flynn was voted by her teammates as Harvard's Most Outstanding Pitcher. A second team All-Ivy selection from Phoenix, Ariz., she pitched 100.0 innings through the 2023 season, playing in 30 games and starting in 13 in her debut season. Flynn pitched two full games, one of which resulted in a no-hitter over Yale. She was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week three times throughout the season and led the conference in ERA with 1.75 going into the postseason. Flynn also set a Harvard record for most saves in a season with six.

Most Defensive Players: Trina Hoang and Lauren Bobowski
As All-Ivy League first and second team selections, Hoang (first team) and Bobowski (second team) were voted the Crimson's Best Defensive Players. A senior from Irvine, Calif., Hoang displayed versatility in the field, playing in 44 games as shortstop, second base and outfield. She made 58 put outs and 69 assists and finished the season with a .962 fielding percentage. In her junior season, Bobowski had a .951 fielding percentage while playing in 47 of 47 games in center field.
 
Most Offensive Player: Madi Mays
Playing and starting in 44 games at first base, Mays was voted the team's most outstanding offensive player of the 2023 season. A First Team All-Ivy team selection and NFCA Third Team all-region, she was named Ivy League player of the week once.  Mays led the team with a .347 batting average and 29 RBI throughout the season. She had 42 hits that included eight doubles and a hit against no. 11 Arkansas in the NCAA tournament. Mays also drew 10 walks from opposing pitchers and finished the season with a .417 OBP. She crossed home played 16 times herself to score runs for Harvard.
 
The Becky Pocius Award: Savannah Fitzpatrick
The Becky Pocius Award is presented annually to the player who embodies the qualities of a true team player. This player always comes to the field with a positive attitude, encourages others, and shows a true love of the game. She is diligent, perseverant, selfless, and dedicated, recognizing outstanding play in both her teammates and opponents. In a breakout sophomore season, Fitzpatrick displayed all of these qualities as she led the team in on base percentage and was an instrumental part in the conference tournament championship and NCAA play.
 
The Betty Ippolito Legacy Award: Kaitlin Lampson
The Betty Ippolito Legacy Award was awarded to a player who has done the most to continue the tradition of excellence in Harvard Softball.  This player always displays loyalty and dedication to the program, service to the team and Athletic Department and a commitment to the continued growth and success of Harvard Softball. Senior captain Kaitlin Lampson will certainly leave a lasting impact on the Harvard softball program. Through the 2023 season, she appeared in 35 games, starting in 31, and making 22 hits that brought in eight runs. Off the field, she is a three-year member of the Harvard Softball DEI committee, a Co-founder and Co-president of Harvard Athlete Ally, Harvard's only LGBTQ+ affinity group for athletes, and a committee chair for the Harvard Softball Volunteer Council, where she led presidential election civic engagement efforts for the 2020-21 team, ultimately achieving 100% voter turnout from the team. 

2023-24 Captains 

The trio of Bobowski, Fitzpatrick and Mays were voted on and appointed as next season's captains by their teammates.

Bobowski, a rising senior, will captain the team for a second year after helping lead the 2022-23 team to their successful conference championship and NCAA appearance. She Started and played outfield in all 47 games and was named to the All-Ivy League Second Team in the outfield. After recording two hits in the NCAA tournament, she was named to the NCAA Arkansas Regional All-tournament team. Bobowski climbed up the record books as well, as she stole 27 bases throughout the season to lead the team and now sits second all-time at Harvard for stolen bases in a single season. She finished the season batting .326, also co-leading the team with the most hits with 45, alongside Allison Heffley.  
 
Fitzpatrick, a junior next season, made an impact in her sophomore season in left field, earning All-Ivy Honorable mention status. The Marengo, Ohio native, started in 35 of her 40 games, including all postseason play. She was named to the Ivy League All-Tournament team and went into NCAA play ranked 20th in the nation in on base percentage with .515, finishing the season with .500 OBP. At the plate, Fitzpatrick went .324, with 28 hits on the season, including six doubles and 15 RBI. She drew a team-leading 20 walks from opposing pitchers.
 
A first team All-Ivy League selection in 2023 and Harvard's most outstanding offensive player, Mays will enter her final season coming off a junior campaign in which she saw action in Played in 44 games and started in all 44 of them at first base. She was named NFCA Third Team all-region (1B) and earned Ivy League player of the week honors once. Mays led the team with a .347 batting average throughout the season and led the team in RBI with 29. She finished the season with a .417 OBP and crossed home plate herself 16 times. With a team high 275 chances in the field, she had 262 put outs, ten assists and only three errors to field .989.