AMCC SOFTBALL TEAMS GEAR UP FOR CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
AMCC softball teams are gearing up for the 2021 AMCC Championship Tournament, which officially kicks off on Saturday, May 8.
AMCC softball teams are gearing up for the 2021 AMCC Championship Tournament, which officially kicks off on Saturday, May 8.
On Thursday, May 6, #9 Hilbert College will travel to #8 Alfred State College for the tournament's play-in game.
Click here for the full championship tournament schedule.
#1 Penn State Behrend
The Lions are 22-6 overall with a 14-2 mark in the conference. With their sweep over AMCC Regular Season Co-Champions Pitt-Bradford, Behrend earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Mackenzie McIntire beat the school record in doubles, hitting her 47th career double in the final week of the regular season, while also tallying her 100th career RBI. Schmidt is tied for first in the AMCC with eight wins and two shutouts. She is averaging 6.87 strikeouts per game in conference play for best in the AMCC. McIntire leads the league in batting average with a .542, as well as hits (45), and RBIs (33). As a team, Behrend leads the conference in runs (217), hits (310), doubles (72), triples (17), and RBIs (202). The Lions have a conference-best team batting average of .379 and slugging percentage of .534
#2 Pitt-Bradford
The Panthers earned a share of their first AMCC regular season title since 2010, after finishing with a 14-2 record. Jordan Uhing has dominated her opponents from the circle, leading the conference in wins (7), ERA (1.57), and strikeouts (49). She threw two no-hitters this season. Gabby Carpenter and Hannah Lathrop have led the Panther offense. Carpenter is hitting .412 out of the leadoff spot, reaching base in 15 of 16 conference games. Lathrop leads the conference in homeruns in conference play with four, and leads the team in RBIs with 22.
#3 Mount Aloysius College
With a 9-7 record in conference play, the Mounties are the No. 3 seed heading into the championship tournament. Lydia DeFazio leads her team with a .387 batting average. Abby Reitz ranks fourth in the conference with three home runs on the season while carrying a .368 batting average. In the circle, Madison Hillard ranks second in the AMCC with a 2.48 ERA and 26 strikeouts.
#4 Medaille College
After Medaille missed the playoffs in 2019, the Mavs once again return as the No. 4 seed in the AMCC Tournament. The Maverick offense has come alive in the second half of the season, making for a team batting average of .343. The Mavs have three players hitting .400 or better being Shay Sommer (.420), Abbigail Doherty (.407) and Brittany Jordan (.400). They have also gotten full contribution in terms of run production with five Mavs having double-digit RBI totals with Sommer leading the team with 15. Kylie Lyons and Breanna Zientara each finished the regular season with 11 apiece.
#5 Penn State Altoona
Penn State Altoona enters the conference tournament with an even 8-8 record in league play. The Lions’ success this season has revolved around a balanced effort from its pitching and hitting. Sophomore pitcher Casey Reese is tied for the AMCC lead in wins (8) while ranking third in the conference in innings pitched (85 1/3) and strikeouts (52). Among the Lion hitters, junior catcher Kristen Hewitt is seventh in the AMCC in on-base percentage (.486) and eighth in batting average (.413), while freshman shortstop Olivia Smith is tied for seventh in the conference in stolen bases (8) and ninth in RBI (17).
#6 Pitt-Greensburg
With an 8-8 regular season conference record, the Bobcats are the No. 6 seed. Pitt-Greensburg has utilized both Laila Smith and DJ Diodato in the circle this season. Both starters have 15 starts and have logged at least 99 innings. The Bobcat duo has combined for 73 strikeouts and just 59 walks. Brittany Dunn has risen to become one of the top threats at the plate for Pitt-Greensburg as she currently leads the team with a .367 batting average. She owns a .932 OPS, a .481 slugging percentage, and a .451 on-base-percentage. Dunn has been even better in conference play, boasting a .421 average, a 1.075 OPS, a .553 slugging, and a .522 on-base-percentage.
#7 La Roche University
La Roche, with a 7-9 AMCC record, enters the conference tournament as the No. 7 seed. Freshman Ashtin Hoover leads the Redhawks, and ranks fifth in the conference, with a .443 batting average, while Devan Smith is fourth in the league with 24 RBIs. Senior pitcher Alexa Young leads the conference with two saves and is fourth with 51 strikeouts, while also leading her team with five wins from the circle.
#8 Alfred State College
The Pioneers are 5-19 overall and 3-13 in conference play and have won three of their last five games. Kailey Wonica leads the team with a .471 batting average with nine doubles, a homer, and 16 RBIs while Krista Lovell is hitting .385 with three doubles, four homers, and 16 RBI. Brittany Fisher has three wins on the mound in 82.2 innings of work and is also hitting .307 on the year. As a team, the Pioneers are hitting .281 on the year and .294 in conference play.
#9 Hilbert College
The Hilbert College softball team battled through their eight-game AMCC regular season schedule in the course of 10 days and are primed to return to post-season action. The Hawks are led at the plate by senior outfielder Melanie Basile with 21 hits, 27 total bases, 13 runs scored, seven RBIs and .362 at the plate. Catcher Victoria Grayson leads the team with seven doubles and shares team-high honors with P/INF Bailey Budziszewski (10 RBIs) with two home runs each. Freshman McKenna Smith is the only Hawks to connect for a triple and she did it twice.