SALISBURY, Md. – Following a record-setting career in which she led her team to new heights, former Salisbury University softball outfielder
Abby Mace will become just the seventh person to receive arguably the most prestigious honor that can be bestowed upon a Sea Gull student-athlete.
The SU softball team has announced it will retire the No. 18 jersey of Mace on Sunday, Mar. 9, before the team's 12 p.m. doubleheader against Stockton at Margie Knight Sea Gull Softball Stadium. A pregame ceremony will take place at approximately 11:45 a.m.
"When Coach [Lacey] Lord called to tell me that no one will wear No. 18 again, I was immediately reminded of Coach [Margie] Knight telling me that I would be one of the great players to put on a Sea Gull uniform," said Mace on the occasion. "I am beyond grateful for my family, coaches, teammates, and all of the people at Salisbury University who shaped me, not only as an athlete, but as a person.
"Salisbury will always have a special place in my heart, and this honor is a reminder that it has never been about me, but all the people who made this journey possible. I am honored to be just a small part of the legacy and tradition of excellence that is Salisbury softball."
A Delmarva Peninsula standout from Smyrna High School in Smyrna, Del., Mace was part of the final recruiting class of late SU Hall of Fame coach
Margie Knight. She started all 199 games of her career from 2020-24, batting .425 with 252 hits, 247 runs, 58 doubles, 15 triples, 65 home runs, 194 RBIs, and 108 stolen bases. Mace is the Sea Gulls' all-time leader in home runs, doubles, and runs scored, while ranking second in hits, triples, and RBIs. She also owns the program's single-game record for total bases (13), hits (4), and stolen bases (3) and hit two or three home runs in a single game on eight occasions.
Arguably the most gifted hitter in the sport during her career, Mace became the Sea Gulls' first four-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First-Team All-American, as well as earning four straight NFCA First-Team All-Region selection. She was named Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Player of the Year three times and made four All-C2C First Teams.
A star in the classroom as well as on the diamond, Mace became the first three-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American in university history, earning the honor in 2021, 2022, and 2024. She graduated from SU with her Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 2022 and completed her Master's in Social Work in 2024. Mace currently serves as assistant coach for the Stockton University softball team.
Mace was a mainstay at the top of the lineup during one of the most successful eras in Salisbury softball history. During her five seasons – the first of which was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic – the Sea Gulls won 172 games and two C2C championships while qualifying for the NCAA Tournament four times. SU advanced to the Division III World Series in 2022 and 2023, finishing as national runner-up in the latter year. It was on the game's biggest stage that Mace delivered her biggest moment for the maroon and gold, belting a
walk-off two-run home run in Game 1 of the 2023 NCAA Championship Series against Trine.
"I am so excited for Abby to be honored among such an elite group of Sea Gulls," said Sea Gull head softball coach
Lacey Lord, whose own No. 14 jersey was retired following her SU playing career. "Abby was one of the best to ever wear the maroon and gold, and I couldn't think of a better way to honor all of her successes than to retire her jersey."
At Salisbury University,
official student-athlete jersey retirements are extraordinarily rare. In addition to serving as a member of his or her varsity team with honor and distinction, as well as meeting all university baccalaureate requirements and exhausting all athletic eligibility, the student-athlete must be recognized for excellence by regional and national organizations, such as earning at least one All-America title. Moreover, he or she must be considered the single-most dominant student-athlete of the era not just at SU but within his or her entire sport.
Mace will become just the seventh student-athlete in Salisbury history and second softball player to officially have a jersey retired, joining the ranks of
Dave Cottle (men's lacrosse),
Stacy Stem (field hockey/women's lacrosse),
Andre Foreman (men's basketball),
Jason Coffman (men's lacrosse),
Lacey (Lister) Lord (softball), and
Cross Ferrara (men's lacrosse).
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 202 conference championships, and have produced 50 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
