Tournament Details:  Thursday, May 17 – Friday, May 18
Location: South Athletics Fields | Manchester, N.H.
Game Links:  Watch Live | Game One Live Stats | Game Two Live Stats | Game Three Live Stats
Twitter: @LIUPostPioneers | @LIUPSB
LIU Post Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
St. Anselm Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats 
 
THE FIRST LOOK

The LIU Post softball team (38-17, 19-5 ECC) captured the East Coast Conference automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament and continued to roll through the first round of the national championship. The Pioneer knocked off No. 5 seed Le Moyne College (3-1), No. 8 seed Caldwell University (8-0, 5 Inn.), and No. 1 seed Adelphi University (8-0, 6 Inn.) to capture the East Region 1 title.
 
St. Anselm (39-10-1) earned an at-large bid out of the Northeast-10 conference after falling to Pace University 2-0 in the opening round of the conference tournament. Despite the loss, the Hawks bounced back to win three consecutive contests in the East Region 2 tournament, defeating No. 7 seed Merrimack College twice (3-2, 4-3) and No. 3 seed Southern New Hampshire University (3-1) to advance to the super regional.

INSIDE THE SERIES
 
The two schools have met just twice previously, splitting the two matchups. the most recent matchup coming on March 8, 2017, at the PFX Games in Clermont, Fla. The Pioneers were victorious, 6-2 in extra innings. Before that meeting, the two squads had not played since 2002 when the Hawks took down the Pioneers 7-1 in the East Region Championship.
 
SCOUTING REPORT
 
LIU Post
 
Sophomore center fielder Abbey Fortin has caught fire and carried the bulk of the offensive load throughout the Pioneers' postseason run. In seven games, the Canadian native is hitting .524 with11 hits, 29 total bases, six home runs, 12 runs batted in and 10 runs scored. On the season, Fortin ranks sixth nationally in total bases (157), seventh in home runs (18), and 11th in RBIs (64).
 
Fortin leads a group of four major award winners for the Pioneers this season, earning ECC Player of the Year accolades and ECC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. Freshman Breanna Klaiber was recognized as the conference's Rookie of the Year and sophomore Katie Humhej garnered Pitcher of the Year. Head coach Jamie Apicella was tabbed as the league's Coach of the Year for the 11th time in his career.
 
Fortin also led a group of three all-region honorees for the Pioneers, earning first-team D2CCA and NFCA All-East Region accolades, while junior Julia Seader captured second-team D2CCA and NFCA accolades and Humhej also earned second-team D2CCA honors.
 
Humhej has also been solid in the circle during the postseason, compiling a 4-1 record with a 1.56 earned run average. In the East Region 1 championship game, she tossed a two-hit shutout against No. 1 seed Adelphi University to propel the Pioneers to the Super Regional.
 
St. Anselm
 
Two very contrasting styles of play will be featured in Manchester this weekend, as the Hawks do not overpower opponents offensively. St. Anselm has hit just 14 home runs this season, four less than Fortin alone and 19 less than the Pioneers overall. Conversely, the Hawks feature four speedy left-handed bats in their lineup, compiling 86 stolen bases as a team compared to 15 for LIU Post.
 
Head coach Jill Gagnon was voted NE10 coach of the Year this season, leading the Hawks to a program-record 39 victories in her fourth season at the helm of the program.
 
Like the Pioneers, St. Anselm boasts three all-region selections in its lineup, as senior Amanda Bickford, sophomores Morgan Perry and Erin Thompson garnered first-team accolades. Bickford leads St. Anselm with a .410 average at the plate, scoring 38 runs. Thompson is also one of six hitters batting over .300 this season, ranking second on the team with a .361 average with 10 extra-base hits.
 
In the circle, the Hawks also have two very prominent arms, as Perry and freshman Courtney Fisher have combined for 36 victories and nearly 300 innings pitched. The duo has compiled a combined 1.84 earned run average, with Perry striking out 155 batters. Perry has started four of the last five games for St. Anselm and can be expected to step into the circle for the opener on Thursday.
 
TICKET INFORMATION

Admission will be charged for all fans in attendance for this week's contests. Tickets for adults will be $5 and senior citizens and children will be admitted for $2. No week passes are available and tickets are good for the day of purchase only.