MAAC Tournament Notes
THE MAAC TOURNAMENT
The Jaspers (22-27) earned the No. 6 seed in the newly-expanded MAAC Tournament after going 10-10 in conference play during the regular season. Manhattan, which is making its first postseason appearance since 2011, takes on third-seeded Iona (20-21) in the first round on Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Softball Field. The winner faces host Fairfield (20-20), the No. 2 seed, at 9 a.m. on Thursday, while the loser will play an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
ABOUT MANHATTAN
Manhattan (22-27) secured its place in the MAAC Tournament with a 4-2 victory in game one of a Senior Day twinbill with Fairfield on Saturday. However, the Jaspers enter the postseason on a three-game losing streak. Senior Kate Bowen paces Manhattan with a .324 batting average, and her 57 hits are second-most in the MAAC. Bowen also anchors the pitching staff. She has started 21 games in the circle and boasts team-highs in wins (11), ERA (3.52) and shutouts (3). Sophomore Elena Bowman, meanwhile, hit a league-leading 12 home runs during the regular season, and she also leads Manhattan in RBIs (41) and runs scored (35) to go along with a .305 batting average. Bowen and Bowman are tied for the MAAC lead in doubles, belting 14 apiece. Junior Amy Bright has struck out 98 opposing hitters in 119.2 innings. The Jaspers, who are making their first MAAC Tournament appearance since 2011, earned the No. 6 seed by posting a conference record of 10-10.
ABOUT IONA
Iona (20-21) ended the regular season by winning seven of its last eight games, including a doubleheader sweep of Rider on Sunday. After winning three straight MAAC titles from 2010-12, the Gaels missed the MAAC Tournament last season. Iona enters this year's event as the No. 3 seed after going 14-6 in conference play. Senior Eileen McCann is the MAAC's leading hitter with a batting average of .400, and she has smacked four triples this season. Freshman Kristen Turner, meanwhile, leads the Gaels with 11 home runs, 50 RBIs and 33 runs scored to go along with a .344 batting average. Junior Allison Hand is hitting .343, and she has registered team-bests in hits (48) and doubles (12) while adding eight home runs. Iona has six players hitting over .300, and the Gaels have a team batting average of .316. Junior Carly Argyle has recorded 12 victories, and she also paces the Gaels with 119 strikeouts and a 3.71 ERA. Sophomore Jordan Courage has started 19 games in the circle and collected six wins.
ABOUT FAIRFIELD
Tournament host Fairfield (20-20) snapped a three-game losing streak with an 8-0 win over the Jaspers in the second game of a doubleheader at Gaelic Park on Saturday. The second-seeded Stags, who went 15-5 in conference play, have lost in the championship round of the MAAC Tournament in each of the last three seasons. Senior Kristen Filicia is hitting .384 and leads the team in hits (43), runs (27), doubles (8) and triples (4). Filicia's sister Lauren, a sophomore, boasts a .363 batting average and 41 hits, and freshman Gianna Kinhofer is hitting at a .340 clip. Senior Lauren Liseth, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, has smacked four home runs, and she also leads the Stags with 22 RBIs. Senior Rae Ball has 12 wins in the circle. She has a 2.99 ERA and has struck out 68 opposing hitters, while senior Rebecca Trott leads Fairfield with a 2.94 ERA and 82 strikeouts. Trott has also recorded six victories. Both pitchers have thrown four shutouts, as Fairfield has 11 shutouts as a staff.
ABOUT MARIST
The defending MAAC Champions, Marist (26-22) wrapped up the No. 1 seed in this year's tournament by sweeping a doubleheader with Saint Peter's on Sunday. The Red Foxes, who went 16-4 in conference games this season, enter the MAAC Tournament on a seven-game winning streak. Marist has won 13 of its last 15 games. As a team, the Red Foxes crushed a MAAC-high 43 home runs, led by sophomore Kyrsten Van Natta's nine long balls. Van Natta also boasts team-bests in hits (48), runs (41), RBIs (39) and stolen bases (22). Junior Taylor Kuzma is batting .386 this season, while sophomore Maureen Duddy is a .359 hitter. Freshman Janna Korak has nine doubles to go along with a .331 batting average. Senior Paige Lewis has recorded 11 wins in the circle, while junior Melanie White leads the Red Foxes with a 2.79 ERA. Lewis and White have both struck out 55 opposing hitters. Junior Janine Lalli, meanwhile, has picked up eight wins.
ABOUT SIENA
Fourth-seeded Siena (28-24) is making its second consecutive MAAC Tournament appearance. The Saints, who went 13-7 in conference games, had a three-game winning streak snapped by Niagara in their regular season finale. Junior Stephanie Viggiano collected a league-leading 59 hits during the regular season, and her .353 batting average also leads the team. In addition, Viggiano paces the Saints in runs (32) and doubles (13). Sophomore Alyssa Lancaster is hitting .346 with a team-best 29 RBIs, while junior Abby Carpenter has belted six home runs to go along with 46 hits, nine doubles, 24 runs and a .315 batting average. Junior Paige Lloyd, meanwhile, has added 12 doubles. Senior Jessika-Jo Sandrini anchors the Siena pitching staff. She has made 33 appearances this season, including 27 starts, and boasts a 3.19 ERA. Sandrini has a 19-10 record with four shutouts, and she's collected 150 strikeouts in 166.1 innings pitched.
ABOUT MONMOUTH
Monmouth (22-20), which qualified for the Northeast Conference Tournament last season, went 12-8 in conference play during its initial campaign as a member of the MAAC. The Hawks won six of their final seven regular season games to clinch the No. 5 seed in the MAAC Tournament. Offensively, the Hawks are paced by freshman Rachel Shotzbarger, who's hitting .325 with 13 doubles. Shotzbarger and sophomore Jill Freese are tied for the team lead with 24 RBIs, while Freese has also belted a team-best four home runs. Junior Vanessa Cardoza, meanwhile, leads Monmouth with 42 hits and senior Shannon Fitzgerald is the team leader in runs scored (23). Junior Kayleena Flores has collected six triples this season. Freshman Sydney Underhill has pitched in all 40 of Monmouth's games this season, including 31 starts. She has a 17-13 record and four shutouts. Underhill has also posted a 3.25 ERA and struck out 126 in 202.1 innings.
TOURNEY TRIVIA
Manhattan is appearing in the MAAC Tournament for the first time since 2011 and the 12th time in program history. The Jaspers, who haven't won a postseason game since their epic 6-3, 16-inning win over Fairfield in 2009, are looking to snap a five-game MAAC Tournament losing streak. Manhattan captured its only MAAC championship in 1999 after defeating Canisius twice in the final round.
MANHATTAN VS. THE FIELD
This is the Jaspers' second consecutive MAAC Tournament game against Iona. In 2011, the Gaels eliminated the Jaspers with a 4-3 victory at Marist's Gartland Field. This is the seventh all-time MAAC Tournament meeting between Manhattan and Iona, and the series is currently tied 3-3. The Jaspers have faced Fairfield in the MAAC Tournament five times, most recently in 2009, and are 3-2 all-time against the Stags in the postseason. Manhattan suffered a 4-3 loss to Marist in 2011 in their first-ever postseason meeting with the Red Foxes. Manhattan has never met either Siena or Monmouth in the MAAC Tournament.
