Once isn’t enough

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Fortier named GNAC Player of the Year for a second time

Albertus Magnus junior Gillian Fortier of Naugatuck was named the Greater Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons. -RON WAITE

Gillian Fortier, the former Naugatuck High All-State softball player, wasn’t exactly sure what kind of success she would have playing at the collegiate level when she enrolled at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven three years ago.

Things have worked out all right.

Fortier was named the Greater Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year this season. It’s the second time in her college career she has earned the distinction.

“I never even thought that any of this was possible when I entered college,” said Fortier, who is working on a double major in communications and criminal justice. “What has happened over the past three seasons is nothing short of phenomenal. I give credit to my coaches, my teammates and my parents for all their support to help me to achieve what I have accomplished.”

Fortier was also named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-Northeast second team for the second time in her career. She is one of 360 athletes nationwide to earn regional honors out of the eight regions in the country represented by NFCA.

Fortier put up some lofty stats this season. She set career-highs in average (.441), hits (67), doubles (15) and home runs (11). She also had a league-high 52 RBI and 58 runs scored this season. For her career so far, she has 174 hits, 121 runs, 101 RBI, 30 doubles and 16 home runs.

Fortier said her head coach, Ed Emielita, really keeps her focused.

“That probably had a lot to do with the kind of numbers I put up,” she said. “It was a disappointment to end the season in the league tournament. We were hoping to at least play for the title like we did in my freshman year.”

Albertus Magnus set an all-time mark of 30 wins this season but fell to Suffolk in the semifinals of the league tournament. The Falcons, who finished 30-15, were upended by Suffolk for the second year in a row in the GNAC tournament.

“Emielita really pushed us this year to bring out the best in us, and we responded by having the best season ever at Albertus Magnus going 30-15,” Fortier said.

Emielita also pushes the team to success academically, as do all the coaches at Albertus, Fortier said. Fortier was one of 12 softball players, and 57 student-athletes overall, at Albertus named to the All-Academic team this school year.

Fortier is taking a break from softball this summer to focus on an internship. She said losing in the semifinals of the league tournament has given the team plenty of incentive to come back next season — her last — and really go after a championship.

Fortier will enter her senior season as a two-time All-GNAC Player of the Year, a two-time NFCA Division III All-Northeast honoree and a three-time first team All-GNAC player.

“College is so much different from high school,” she said. “People can tell you all they want that it’s different, but until you experience it then you know. I just put my mind to it to do the best I possibly can on the field or in the classroom no matter how hard I might struggle at times.”