PREVIEW: Softball to Begin ECC Title Defense on Wednesday
Casey Schermick - Director of Athletic Media Relations
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Championship Dates: Wednesday, May 1-Saturday, May 4
Location: LIU Softball Complex | Brookville, N.Y.
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Twitter: @LIUPostPioneers |
@LIUPSB
LIU Post Links: News |
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Schedule |
Stats
Bridgeport Links: News |
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Saint Thomas Aquinas Links: News |
Roster |
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NYIT Links: News |
Roster |
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THE FIRST LOOK
LIU Post captured the regular season championship after posting a 22-2 record in conference play. The Pioneers earned 44 regular-season victories, tying the 2013 squad for most wins during the regular season in program history. The 44 wins are also tied for the fourth-most in Division II this season.
The University of Bridgeport enters the conference championship as the No. 2 seed after finishing the season 15-9 in ECC play and 30-14 overall. Saint Thomas Aquinas College and the New York Institute of Technology round out the No. 3 and 4 seeds, respectively. The Spartans compiled 14 wins in ECC play and 24 overall, while the Bears swept Mercy College on Sunday to earn the fourth and final spot in the postseason tournament with an 11-13 record in league play and a 19-22 overall mark.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Bridgeport: LIU Post holds a 56-5 overall record and have won the last six meetings. The Green and Gold took 37-straight contests against Bridgeport between 2004 and 2016.
Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Pioneers have also had a history of success against the Spartans, winning 53 of the 58 meetings all-time. The Spartans have earned three wins during the last 10 meetings however, and handed LIU Post one of its two losses in ECC play earlier this season.
NYIT: LIU Post leads the all-time series, 46-13 against their Northern Boulevard rivals. Despite holding a 35-4 edge at one point, NYIT has won 9 of the last 20 meetings and has had the most recent success in recent history of all three postseason opponents.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Bridgeport: The Purple Knights and Pioneers last met on April 16 with LIU Post taking both gamnes by 17-6 and 14-1 margins.
Senior
Julia Seader, junior
Abbey Fortin, and sophomore
Hanna Finkelstein each collected five hits on the day to lead the offensive output. Junior
Megan Sneeden and sophomore
Breanna Klaiber added four hits apiece. All nine Pioneer starting batters recorded at least one hit on the day, with eight tallying two or more and six posting three or more.
Fortin had a breakout game during the opener, finishing 4-for-5 with three home runs and seven RBI. The junior also scored four runs during the game and crossed the plate six total times on the day. Fortin's three home runs was her first three-homer game of her career.
Finkelstein also connected for four extra-base hits, roping three doubles and launching one over the fence to help drive in five runs and also scored five runs of her own. Seader added two doubles and one home run while scoring six runs and junior
Allie Laird and freshman
Jayna Rios hit the final home runs for the Pioneers.
In the circle, senior
Hannah Olshevski and junior
Katie Humhej collected wins, combining for a 2.00 earned run average. Olshevski surrendered just one run, over five innings, while Humhej held Bridgeport in check after a tough start where the Purple Knights scored four times during their first at-bat. The tandem has now helped LIU Post boast a 1.82 team ERA this season.
Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Pioneers took two games from the Spartans by 3-1 finals on April 13.
Seader collected four hits on the day, two via the long ball for her 12th and 13th home run of the season. Sophomore
Patricia Dun also sent one out of the park for her first homer of the season as part of two hits, while senior
Ashley Melendez also added two hits and Finkelstein hit one home run.
The LIU Post pitching staff surrendered just one earned run and nine total hits on the day, as Humhej and Olshevski struck out three batters each during complete-game victories.
NYIT: The Pioneers and Bears met just last week on April 25 as LIU Post took both games, with game one going into extra innings for a 7-4 final before the bats came alive in game two for a 12-1 victory.
Seader drove in nine runs on the day, tallying four RBIs in game one and hitting a grand slam and a solo home run for a career-high five RBIs in game two. With a double during the opener, Seader also became the new LIU Post program leader in career doubles with 57, surpassing Christie Softy's mark of 56 set in 2010.
Sneeden finished 5-for-6 at the plate, hitting one home run and added two doubles. All Pioneer starters recorded at least one hit, with
Finkelstein collecting three hits and Laird, and Dun added two hits.
Olshevski allowed just one run on two hits while striking out four batters, while Humhej scattered nine hits and also struck out four batters to earn her 21st victory of the season.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
LIU Post has shown no definitive weakness this season, ranking in the top-25 nationally in several statistical categories, including winning percentage (7), slugging percentage (12), strikeout-to-walk ratio (13), home runs per game (13), earned run average (15), batting average (22), scoring (24), and double plays per game (24).
Seader leads the offense, leading the country in total bases (126), while ranking third in home runs (18), fifth in hits (78), and 15th in RBIs (56). Having been named a Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association top-25 finalist for the Division II National Player of the Year award, Seader is closing in on history at LIU Post. The senior needs four hits to become LIU Post's all-time leader in career hits and has already set a new program mark for career doubles. She is also closing in on the single-season hit record, career home runs, and career slugging percentage.
As a team the Pioneers are hitting .331 this season and have tallied 148 extra-base hits. Seven starters are hitting above .300, with seven also recording 40 or more hits.
The Pioneer pitching staff has also been outstanding, as Humhej and Olshevski have combined to help LIU Post to a 1.86 team ERA with nine shutouts. Opponents are hitting just .249 against the Pioneers and the tandem have struck out 166 batters. Both starters rank in the top-15 nationally in victories and have issues just 44 walks in 339.0 innings.
TICKET INFORMATION
Admission will be charged for all fans in attendance for the ECC Championship. Tickets for adults will be $6 and students with valid ID, senior citizens, and children ages 5-12 will be admitted for $3. Children under the age of five will not be charged admission. Tournament passes are also available at a rate of $15 for adults and $6 for students, senior citizens and children. Fans that cannot make it to the LIU Softball can follow along with live video available on the
ECC Network online, on mobile devices, and other streaming devices through the ECC Network app free of charge. Fans can also follow along with live stats at
www.liupostpioneers.com.