SOFTBALL GEARS UP FOR AMCC TOURNAMENT

The D'Youville College Spartans (23-7, 16-2 AMCC) have claimed their first-ever AMCC regular season title and are now aiming to be crowned the AMCC champions. 

The top-seeded Spartans have been playing the underdog role all season, as they were chosen to finish fourth in the conference, according the coaches preseason poll. Junior pitcher Kalie McHenry, the Preseason Pitcher of the Year and a four-time AMCC Pitcher of the Week, has led the Spartans all season long. McHenry leads the AMCC with 19 wins and a 1.10 ERA and is second with 136 strikeouts. Offensively, junior Lydia Monin leads the Spartans with a .411 batting average, while junior MacKenzie Kehlenbeck is second in the AMCC with 10 stolen bases.  D'Youville has earned the league title and NCAA tournament bid once before, in 2011.

Penn St. Behrend (19-13, 15-3) enters the tournament as the #2 seed.  The Lions have won more conference softball championships (5) than any other program, the last time in 2012. Sophomore pitcher Rachel Miller is second in the AMCC with a 1.72 ERA, tied for third with 89 strikeouts, and fourth with 11 wins. Sophomore Shannon McDonnell ranks second in the conference with nine homeruns and third with 37 RBIs.

Two-time defending AMCC champions, #3 seed Penn St. Altoona (22-1, 12-4) is led by Co-Preseason Player of the Year, senior Kelly Chambers. Chambers leads the AMCC with 12 homeruns, is second with 42 RBIs and is third with a .426 batting average. Senior pitcher Raychel DeArmitt is third in the conference with a 2.15 ERA, second with 13 wins, and is tied for third with 89 strikeouts.

La Roche College (19-13, 12-6), the #4 seed, is led by freshman pitcher Savannah Leonard, who recorded a no-hitter in her first collegiate start. The rookie is third in the AMCC with 12 wins,  fourth with a 2.83 ERA, and fifth with 79 strikeouts. Senior Kaylee Zozos leads the Redhawks offensively, as she ranks fourth in the AMCC in RBIs (31) and fifth in homeruns (4).  La Roche fashioned a three-year championship run from 200-2002.

#5 Mount Aloysius College (17-15, 9-7) is still looking for their first AMCC title, after winning the regular season crown in 2010 and 2011.  The Mounties are led by senior pitcher Kelsey Ickes who is tops in the AMCC with 152 strikeouts. She also ranks fifth in both ERA (3.25) and wins (8). 

Rounding out the tournament is #6 seed Pitt-Greensburg (16-17, 9-9). Junior Morgan Russo leads the Bobcats with a .400 batting average, while junior pitcher Kara Barclay is sixth in the conference with a 3.63 ERA.  An AMCC championship would be the first for UPG.

The AMCC softball tournament will take place May 1-3 at the D'Youville College Outdoor Athletic Complex at the corner of Porter Avenue and 4th St. in Buffalo, NY. Please see the Championships section of the AMCC website for the full tournament schedule.