TCC’s Mariah Rivera earns NJCAA All-America honors

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (May 21, 2014) – Tallahassee Community College pitcher Mariah Rivera, on Wednesday, was named a second-team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). 

Rivera, a native of Tallahassee, Fla., just completed a spectacular freshman season, one in which she helped lead the Eagles to their first Panhandle Conference championship since 1998, their first FCSAA state title in 20 years and the NJCAA Region 8B/FCSAA Gulf District Tournament championship and the accompanying berth to the NJCAA Division I Softball National Championship in St. George, Utah. 

Rivera posted a 21-6 record with three saves and a 1.60 ERA in 30 appearances during the recently completed 2014 season. She recorded 26 complete games (out of 27 starts), pitched 183.2 innings and struck out 141, leading the team in all the aforementioned categories. 

She was named Panhandle Conference Pitcher of the Year and earned first-team FCSAA All-State and All-Panhandle Conference honors. 

At the NJCAA Region 8B/FCSAA State Tournament, Rivera went 4-0 with one save and pitched a complete game in the Eagles' 4-1 win over the College of Central Florida in the state championship game. There, she was named to the FCSAA Gulf District and FCSAA All-Tournament teams. 

Rivera is just the third Eagle to earn NJCAA all-America honors in the last 16 years. Pitcher Ashley Ivey was a first-team selection in 1999 and shortstop Amanda Ake garnered third-team honors in 2012.