BEHREND LANDS TOP SEED IN AMCC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

The AMCC Softball Championship Tournament kicks off this weekend as the top six teams head to No. 1 seed Penn State Behrend to determine the 2023 conference champion. The tournament will begin with No. 3 Penn State Altoona taking on No. 6 Pitt-Greensburg followed by No. 4 La Roche University and No. 5 Pitt-Bradford. Top seed Penn State Behrend and No. 2 Mount Aloysius College will then take on the winners of Games one and two. 

Top seed Penn State Behrend (12-2) enters the tournament looking for their third straight AMCC title. The Lions are led offensively by freshman UTIL Meghan Petitte, who carries a .380 batting average and has 23 RBI, 28 runs scored, and has connected on four home runs. Sophomore OF Sierra Williams is tied for tops in the league with five home runs, while sophomore 3B Jocelyn McNany leads the team with 25 RBI and 13 doubles, while also scoring 26 runs. In the circle, Kayla Lindberg ranks second in the conference with 10 wins and a 2.09 ERA, while her 61 strikeouts are third-best. Abby Tingley isn't far behind, as she has recorded nine wins and a 3.24 ERA for the Lions.

Mount Aloysius, also with a 12-2 record in conference play, enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Mounties are looking to regain the top spot in the league after winning back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. Sophomore P/UTIL Anna Peterman leads the Mountie offense with a .455 batting average, ranking her third in the AMCC. Peterman has recorded 18 RBI and 20 runs scored, while adding two home runs and three stolen bases on the year. Sophomore OF Ella Pearson has a .432 batting average, as her 18 stolen bases lead the conference and her five home runs are tied for the top spot. Freshman P Sierra Walters has had an outstanding rookie campaign, recording a conference-leading 1.76 ERA to go with seven wins on the season, while her 60 strikeouts rank fifth in the AMCC. Freshman Jessica Koptcho's 2.42 ERA, and her 6.24 strikeouts per game, both rank third in the league.

With an 11-3 conference record, Penn State Altoona earns the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Junior UTIL Cameryn Feathers has led the Lion offense all season, as she ranks second in the AMCC with a .479 batting average, while also ranking second in hits (46), third in runs scored (30), fourth in home runs (4) and fifth in RBI (28). Senior CF Brooke Colledge carries a .352 batting average with 30 runs scored and 21 RBI. Sophomore P Madison Peters has been strong in the circle all season, recording an AMCC-high 13 wins overall and is tied at the top of the conference with 87 strikeouts. Her 2.70 ERA is good for fourth in the league. 

After narrowly missing the tournament a year ago, La Roche (7-7) has bounced back and earned the No. 4 seed in this year's tournament. Sophomore INF Garrah Milochik leads the Redhawks with a .389 batting average and has a conference-leading 31 RBI, while also adding 19 runs scored and seven stolen bases. Freshman OF/P Kennedi Winslow, with a .379 batting average, has added speed to the base paths for the Redhawks, as her 33 runs scored lead the conference and her 16 stolen bases are second. Junior Alexis Myers has earned seven wins in the circle for La Roche.

With a 6-8 record in conference play, Pitt-Bradford has earned the No. 5 seed. Junior OF Faith McLaughlin has a .391 batting average on the year, with a team-leading 27 runs scored, while her 16 stolen bases are tied for second-most in the league. Junior INF Lexi Peters is tied for first in the AMCC with five home runs, while her 29 RBI is tied for second. Freshman Krislyn Clement leads the Panthers with six wins in the circle, while Lindsay Steele has added six.

Rounding out the field, with a 5-9 record, is No. 6 Pitt-Greensburg. Junior INF Kacey Weller leads the Bobcats with a .400 batting average, while junior C/3B Madison Stonbraker is right behind her with a .362 average, adding 14 RBI and 11 runs scored. Sophomore P Melanie Mienke has earned six wins in the circle and is tied for first in the conference with 87 strikeouts.

SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET
Hosted by #1 Penn St. Behrend

Thursday, May 11
First game at 10am; subsequent games to follow 30 mins. after the conclusion of the previous game.

Thursday Video
Game 1 - #3 Penn St. Altoona vs. #6 Pitt-Greensburg | Live Stats 
Game 2 - #4 La Roche vs. #5 Pitt-Bradford | Live Stats 
Game 3 - #2 Mount Aloysius vs. Winner Game 1 | Live Stats
Game 4 - #1 Penn St. Behrend vs. Winner Game 2 | Live Stats 

Friday, May 12
First game at 9am; subsequent games to follow 30 mins. after the conclusion of the previous game.

Friday Video (Games 5-7)
Friday Video (Games 8-9)
Game 5 - Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 3
Game 6 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 4
Game 7 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
Game 8 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
Game 9 – Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8

Saturday, May 13
First game at 10am; Game 11 to follow 30 mins. after the conclusion of Game 10 if needed.

Saturday Video
Game 10 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9
Game 11 - Same as Game 10 (if first loss for loser of Game 10)