Neli Casares-Maher, Alexa Romero named to All-ACC teams

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Neli Casares-Maher and Alexa Romero were both named to All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams on Tuesday. Casares-Maher was given second team All-ACC honors, and Romero received third team recognition. The announcement comes before Syracuse opens ACC Tournament play on Wednesday with its first round game against Georgia Tech.

Casares-Maher led SU in hitting as her .349 batting average is 77 points higher than the next-best hitter, Paris Woods. The senior led, or was tied for the lead, in every notable offensive category this season in 43 starts at shortstop. Casares-Maher’s 11 doubles were also tied for sixth-best in the ACC. It is the first time the Orange, California, native has ever received postseason recognition.

Romero finished her fifth and final season at Syracuse with an 8-9 record and a 3.24 earned run average, the second-highest number of her career. Still, she led SU in every notable pitching category and recorded 128 strikeouts, the fourth-best number in the conference. Romero threw nine complete games and recorded 119 ⅓ innings in 19 starts. The left-hander previously was named All-ACC Second Team in 2018 and was an All-ACC preseason selection in 2019. She will graduate this spring as one of the top pitchers in program history.

Syracuse received the No. 8 seed to the 2021 ACC Tournament, and will face No. 9 Georgia Tech on Wednesday. The Orange are looking for their first-ever win in the tournament since joining the ACC in 2013.