2013 NCAA Softball Championship: Babson Park Regional Previe

[jonriv]

May 7, 2013

BABSON PARK, Mass.—After making a run to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championship game the Babson College softball team earned an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA Tournament and is set to host the eight-team Babson Park Regional starting on Thursday, May 9 at Alumni Field.

The host Beavers are seeded third and join top-seeded Tufts University and second-seeded Rowan University, who were ranked seventh and eighth nationally in last week's National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll, respectively, along with fourth-seeded Springfield College, which claimed the NEWMAC title on Sunday. St. Joseph's College is seeded fifth, Bridgewater State University was selected as the sixth seed, Husson University is seeded seventh and Lesley University is eighth.

Each of the eight programs have NCAA Tournament experience and five of the schools return after appearing in the 2012 Championship, including the Jumbos, who reached the NCAA Finals last season. Rowan and Bridgewater State are both playing in their 21st NCAA Tournament, which is tied for the third-most among the 62 teams in this year's field.

Six teams will compete at one regional site and eight teams will compete at seven regional sites. All regional sites will use a double-elimination format with the eight regional winners advancing to the NCAA Finals, hosted by Wisconsin-Eau Claire, May 17-21 at Carson Park in Eau Claire, Wis.

The Babson Park Regional gets underway with four first round games on Thursday starting at 10:00am and play will continue through Sunday afternoon, with an if necessary championship tilt set for Monday morning at 10:00am.

Both single-day tickets and full tournament passes will be available. The cost for a day pass will be $5 for adults and $2 for senior citizens, students, and kids ages 3-12. The cost for a tournament pass will be $15 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, students, and kids 3-12. Babson students with ID will be admitted free for all contests courtesy of the Undergraduate School.

For full coverage of the Babson Park Regional, please visit our tournament homepage: http://www.babsonathletics.com/informat ... ball/index

No. 1 Tufts University (38-3)
NCAA Tournament History—13th appearance (1997-2003, 2006-2009, 2012, 2013); overall record: 29-24
Tufts enters the tournament having won 11 straight games and has posted the third-most victories in program history with 38. Junior Sara Hedtler is hitting .452 to lead the Jumbos and has scored 33 runs on the season while classmate Jo Clair is batting .406 with 39 runs scored and leads the team with 23 extra-base hits and 43 runs batted in. Clair has gone deep 10 times this season and is the program's all-time leader with 40 home runs. Senior Emily Beinecke is hitting .397 with 14 extra-base hits and is second on the team with 38 runs batted in while sophomore Michelle Cooprider is batting .374 with 20 extra-base hits, 23 runs batted in and 43 runs scored, just five short of tying the program's single-season record. Sophomore Bri Keenan leads Tufts with 11 stolen bases and junior Kayla Holland is third on the team with 28 RBIs.
Sophomore Allyson Fournier is 18-1 with 10 shutouts, four no-hitters and 195 strikeouts in 102 innings pitched this spring. She is holding opponents to just an .072 batting average and leads the country with a 0.27 earned run average. Seniors Aly Moskowitz and Rebecca DiBiase have combined to go 17-2 with a 2.44 ERA and six shutouts on the season.

No. 2 Rowan University (37-7)
NCAA Tournament History—21st appearance (1983, 1987-1990, 1992-2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011-2013); overall record: 40-40
Entering the tournament having won 34 of its last 38 games, Rowan has 37 victories this season, which is tied for the third-most in program history. NJAC Player of the Year Stephanie Labas is hitting .368 with 30 runs scored and leads the team with 12 home runs and 45 runs batted in. The senior is the program's all-time leader with 32 home runs and fifth with 141 career RBIs. Shilah Snead, the NJAC Co-Rookie of the Year is batting .356 with 43 runs scored and 30 stolen bases, both of which lead the team, while junior Jennifer Arcella is hitting .331 with 37 runs scored, 13 extra-base hits and 25 runs batted in. First-year Ashley DeYoung, a first-team All-NJAC selection has a team-high 10 doubles and 32 runs batted for the Profs and sophomore Ashley Romero has smacked seven doubles and six home runs while driving in 24 runs on the year.
Senior LeAnne Miller, a first-team All-NJAC selection, is 21-3 with nine shutouts and a 0.99 ERA in 135 innings this spring, and has won 42 games over the last two seasons. Junior Krysti Maronski is 12-2 with a 0.85 ERA in 107 innings pitched. The Profs have posted a 1.11 team ERA this spring while spinning 20 shutouts.

No. 3 Babson College (32-12)
NCAA Tournament History—3rd appearance (2005, 2006, 2013); overall record: 3-4
Babson enters the tournament having won 21 of its final 25 games and has posted the third-most wins in program history this season. Senior Catie Funk, the 2012 and 2013 NEWMAC Player of the Year, paces the Beavers with a .484 average, a program-record 57 runs scored, 32 extra-base hits and 38 runs batted in. Funk is the program's all-time leader with 230 hits, 71 doubles and 32 home runs over her four-year career and is one hit shy of the Beavers' single-season record. First-year Caitie Benoit is hitting .364 with 13 extra-base hits and a team-high 39 runs batted in while sophomore Lindsey Schmid is batting .364 with 20 runs scored, 10 extra-base hits and 18 runs driven in. Seniors Ashleigh Phelps and Jackie Enos have combined for 48 runs scored, 17 extra-base hits and 30 runs batted in this spring. Junior Kathleen Conway, the NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year, is 20-5 with a 1.02 ERA and 235 strikeouts in 172 1/3 innings pitched this spring. She has won 15 of her last 16 decisions to become the program's single-season wins leader and has fired six shutouts while holding opponents to just a .180 batting average.

No. 4 Springfield College (26-18)
NCAA Tournament History—7th appearance (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2013); overall record: 5-12
Springfield enters the tournament having won 10 of its final 12 games and has now won 23 or more games in eight straight seasons. The Pride are led by NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, senior Kelly Blake, who is hitting .404 with 26 runs batted in and leads the team with 47 runs scored, 18 doubles, 26 extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases. First-year Jenna Webb is batting .399 with 32 runs scored, 24 extra-base hits and a team-high 46 runs batted in, tying her for the program's single-season record. Junior Christina Leader comes into the tournament hitting .379 with 38 runs scored and 18 runs driven in while senior Breann Joyce, a first-team All-NEWMAC selection, is batting .368 with seven doubles, six home runs, and is second on the team with 33 runs batted in. Junior Jennifer Joseph has gone 15-7 with a 1.75 ERA, 143 strikeouts and two shutouts in 131 2/3 innings this spring and has won her last six decisions dating back to April 17. Classmate Ashley Marino is 9-8 with a 2.59 ERA in 20 starts this season, tossing 13 complete games and four shutouts in 113 2/3 innings and has won four of her last five decisions.

No. 5 St. Joseph's College (33-11)
NCAA Tournament History—3rd appearance (2011-2013); overall record: 2-4
St. Joseph's enters the tournament having won eight of its last 11 games and 30 or more contests in each of the last four seasons. Junior Lindsay Moore is hitting .468 with 44 runs scored, a team-high 24 extra-base hits, and is tied for the team lead with 39 runs batted in. First-team All-GNAC selection Danyelle Shufelt is batting .452 and leads the Monks with 75 hits, 50 runs scored and 22 stolen bases on the season. The senior is tied for the single-season hits record and is the second player in program history to record 200 hits. She is also second all-time with 162 runs scored in her career. Junior Theresa Hendrix is hitting .366 with 33 runs scored, is tied for second on the squad with 16 doubles and is third with 38 runs batted in while senior Heather Tripp comes into the tournament hitting .333 with 16 doubles, team-highs of four home runs and 39 runs batted in. Junior Rae-Marie Copan is 12-2 with a 1.73 ERA and five shutouts in 89 innings pitched on the season while senior Kayla Vannah, the GNAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, is 11-6 with a 1.52 ERA on the season and has not allowed an earned run in her last 29 1/3 innings pitched.

No. 6 Bridgewater State University (26-15)
NCAA Tournament History: 21st appearance (1984, 1986, 1989-1994, 1996, 1998-2002, 2004-2006, 2008, 2009, 2013); overall record: 26-40
Bridgewater State enters the tournament having won 14 of its last 17 games and has won 25 or more games five times since 2006. MASCAC Player of the Year, senior Brianna Strecker, is hitting .317 with 10 extra-base hits and 11 runs batted in while leading the Bears with 15 stolen bases and 36 runs scored. Classmate Jennifer Shaw is batting .371 and has scored 27 runs while leading the team with 12 doubles and 19 runs batted in. Junior Jill Welch has a .315 average and has scored 22 runs to go along with eight extra-base hits and 14 RBIs while sophomore Jessica Laudati has 11 extra-base hits, including three home runs, and leads Bridgewater State with 21 runs batted in. Junior Amber White, the MASCAC Pitcher of the Year, anchors a staff that has allowed two runs or less in 13 straight games. White is 15-6 with a 0.63 ERA, eight shutouts and 133 strikeouts in 155 2/3 innings this spring and has won eight of her last nine decisions.

No. 7 Husson University (30-10-1)
NCAA Tournament History—5th appearance (2009-2013); overall record: 0-8
Husson enters the tournament having won seven straight games and have gone 26-2-1 since April 3. The Eagles are led by a trio of seniors who earned All-NAC first team honors in Courtney Hill, Lona Sargent and Aimee Mortensen. Hill is hitting .383 with a team-high 28 stolen bases and 31 runs scored, Sargent is batting .363 with a team-high 35 runs scored, 12 extra-base hits and 25 runs batted in, and Mortensen enters the tournament with a .357 average and is second on the team with 33 runs scored and 28 driven in. First-year Sami Schultz is hitting .415 and leads Husson with four homers and 30 runs batted in and sophomore Deb Colpitts is batting .396 with a team-high 13 doubles and 17 runs batted in. Junior Amanda Ryan, a second team All-NAC selection is 10-3 with a 1.78 earned run average and five shutouts in 90 1/3 innings while her classmate Becca McCarty is 12-5 with a 2.53 ERA, five shutouts and a team-high 79 strikeouts in 91 1/3 innings pitched this spring. McCarty has not allowed a run over her last 18 2/3 innings and during their current seven-game winning streak the Eagles have only given up two runs.

No. 8 Lesley University (24-17)
NCAA Tournament History—3rd appearance (2011-2013); overall record: 0-4
Lesley enters the tournament having won nine straight games and 19 of its last 23 since April 6. Junior Maria Nazzaro, a first-team All-NECC selection, leads the Lynx with a .381 average and 27 runs scored while classmate and All-NECC first feam selection Nicole Mercurio is batting .369 with a program-record 20 doubles, 26 runs scored and a team-high 29 runs batted in. Senior Emily Mangiaratti, the school's all-time leader in runs scored with 181, is hitting .365 with a .481 on-base percentage, a team-high 27 walks, and has scored 45 runs in 41 games this spring. Mangiaratti, who has 46 hits on the season, is also just one short of 200 for her career. Mercurio has gone 12-5 with 14 complete games and a 4.50 earned run average in a team-high 114 innings pitched for Lesley. First-year Jordan Thomas has gone 9-7 with 10 complete games and two shutouts over 91 2/3 innings.

[nescacball]

great preview! you guys got a tough draw Amber White from Bridgewater will throw spin on Babsons hands all game.

Good luck on thursday

[jonriv]

great preview! you guys got a tough draw Amber White from Bridgewater will throw spin on Babsons hands all game.

Good luck on thursday

Thanks

We did beat them twice early this season

[nescacball]

any pub/lunch spots near campus you can recommend?

[jonriv]

What is your budget??

Some nice places in Wellesley

All price points and foods.

[jonriv]

Some of the places I have eaten at and would recommend

Tutto Italiano
30 reviews Rating Details
Categories: Italian, Delis [Edit]
570 Washington St
Wellesley, MA 02482
(781) 431-2250
http://www.tuttowellesley.com

Alta Strada
72 reviews Rating Details
Category: Italian [Edit]
92 Central St
Wellesley, MA 02482
(781) 237-6100
http://www.altastradarestaurant.com

Blue Ginger
390 reviews Rating Details
Category: Asian Fusion [Edit]
583 Washington St
Wellesley, MA 02482
(781) 283-5790
http://www.ming.com/blueginger

The Cottage Wellesley
143 reviews Rating Details
Category: American (New) [Edit]
190 Linden St
Wellesley, MA 02482
(781) 239-1100
http://www.cottagewellesley.com

[jonriv]

DD like this place:
Qdoba Mexican Grill

185 Linden St, Wellesley, MA

[jonriv]

Spoke to my daughter yesterday, her school is hosting the regional. She says the excitement and preperation is amazing. Extra bleachers, scheduled meal and practice times- she says the whole experience is amazing and the games have bnit even started yet.

[jonriv]

http://www.ncaa.com/diiisoftball

[nescacball]

kudos to babson college today doing a phenomenal job keeping the field playable in extreme conditions