Dignon, Scarf represent Pitt on All-Big East Softball team

While Pitt softball’s initial Big East Tournament experience ended with another loss to… While Pitt softball’s initial Big East Tournament experience ended with another loss to Notre Dame, the conference did shed light on two Panthers in the form of All-Big East selections.

Juniors Joey Scarf and Jessica Dignon both earned their first-ever postseason accolades with Scarf becoming only the second Panther ever to land on the conference’s first team, the only other being outgoing senior Francesca DiMaria thee years ago. Dignon, a sophomore, made the third team.

Scarf led the Panthers in conference action by batting .403 in Big East play. She also swiped all six bases she attempted to steal while fielding .981 from her leftfield post. To top it all off, she tied the school single-season record with 13 doubles, leading the team in that category.

“I’m not sure that Joey realized how great of a season she actually had, especially in conference, until it was over,” head coach Michelle Phalen said. “We sat down at the end of the season the other day and that’s when we talked about how great her efforts were.”

Dignon hit .353 for the year, in large part to her team-leading 61 hits on the year, and led the team with 65 assists from her third-base position. She also started each of the team’s 22 conference games, leading the Panthers to a school-record 10 Big East contests.

“Jess has just been terrific all season,” Phalen said. “Her game has really come along and I think that this selection is only going to be a stepping stone for her.”