STANDISH, ME – #6 Saint Joseph's College and #3 Endicott College, opponents in the first round of an NCAA DIII Softball Regional Tournament tilt on Thursday, are unfamiliar foes with plenty of similarities - at least on paper.
Thursday's NCAA Tourney tilt, slated to begin at 2:00 PM at Rhode Island College, will mark the first time the Monks and Gulls have ever met on the softball diamond.
Both teams have lineups that can really hit, with power and production from top to bottom. Both have a clear-cut ace atop their pitching staff. The Monks fare a little better defensively. The Gulls have more success stealing bases.
St. Joe's (35-8, 21-3 GNAC), the 2011 GNAC Champions, is making its first appearance in the NCAA tourney but recorded two ECAC Tournament trips in the last three years. Endicott (35-6, 23-1 TCCC), the 2011 Commonwealth Coast Conference champs, is making its ninth consecutive appearance in the "big dance."
Endicott recorded a 22-game winning streak this season and has won 26 of the last 27 games. The Gulls last three losses have come by a total of three runs. St. Joe's has won 25 of the last 27 tilts and recorded win streaks of 12 and nine games, respectively, between the two setbacks. Four of the Monks' eight losses have been by one run.
Both clubs feature stability at the top with longtime head coaches in place to bring consistency and level-headedness to the biggest games of the season to date.
Saint Joseph's enters postseason play ranked 19th in the nation with a .357 (440-1233) batting average and the SJC everyday lineup features six batters hitting .364 or better. Three-time First Team All-GNAC honoree Emily Leverone '12 (Hampton, NH) leads the way with a .461 (65-141) mark and has 40 runs, 17 doubles, 11 home runs and 59 RBI this season. The slugging center fielder, affectionately known to her teammates as "The Masher," broke the Monks' career records for hits and RBI this season.
Freshman designated hitter Jill Howard (Rochester, NH) ranks second on the club with a .402 (51-127) average and has 15 runs, two homers and 26 RBI and sophomore right fielder Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, VT) is currently hitting .401 (61-152) with team-highs in runs scored (47) and stolen bases (16).
Freshman shortstop Lindsay Moore (Barrington, NH) has been an outstanding player, both offensively and defensively, and enters the NCAA's hitting an even .400 (50-125) with 34 runs, six doubles, five long balls and 33 RBI and senior first baseman Alyssa Dunn (Standish, ME) adds a .370 (51-138) average, 10 doubles, four home runs and 30 RBI to the potent SJC lineup. Another freshman, second baseman Connie Grovo (Limington, ME), is hitting .364 (52-143) with 38 runs, nine doubles, three homers and 31 runs batted in.
The Monks have outscored their opponents by a wide 288-126 margin and have registered 11 mercy-rule triumphs this season.
Endicott enters the NCAA Tournament ranked third in the country in slugging percentage (.568) and fourth in both batting average (.381) and scoring (8.85 runs per game). Six players are currently hitting at least .380 and freshman first baseman Jennie Lacolla (Stoneham, MA), the 2011 TCCC Player and Rookie of the Year, leads the potent Gulls offense with a .478 (54-113) batting average, 51 runs, 13 doubles, eight home runs and 43 RBI through 41 games.
Senior center fielder Ashley Wright (Merrimack, NH) is hitting .439 (50-114) with 44 runs, 15 doubles, 15 stolen bases and 33 RBI, freshman shortstop Mattie Brett (Waterford, CT) has 40 runs, 15 doubles, six home runs and 45 RBI with a solid .436 (.51-117) average and first-year second baseman Jesse Bilafer (Concord, MA) carries a .410 (43-105) batting average with 30 runs, nine doubles, 26 RBI and nine steals into the tourney.
Sophomore third baseman Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, CT) brings more punch to the Endicott lineup with a .396 (53-134) average, 46 runs, 10 doubles, five homers and 26 RBI and senior right fielder Hayley Hovhanessian (Farmington, CT) rounds out the Gulls' list of top contributors with a .380 (46-121) average, 39 runs, seven doubles and 30 RBI.
Endicott has outscored its opponents by a whopping 363-117 margin with 16 mercy-rule victories this spring.
Junior starting pitcher Maddie Kluna (Standish, ME) anchors the SJC staff with a 13-3 record and a 2.13 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 105 innings. Freshman Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, MA) is 7-3 with a 2.39 ERA and 48 K's – against just five walks – in 79 innings and senior Kiera Walsh (Benton, ME) is 11-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 39 punch outs in 63.2 innings.
The Monks are most likely to see senior pitcher Jenna Bortolotti (Milton, MA) in the circle on Thursday. The two-time TCCC Pitcher of the Year ranks as Endicott's all-time leader in victories (63) and sports a 1.59 ERA with a 17-4 record and 73 K's in 123.1 innings pitched this season.
Head Coach Jamie Smyth '92, the winningest skipper in program history with a 320-234 (.578) record, has guided the Royal Blue to five conference championships and three thirty-win seasons in 14 years at the helm.
Endicott Head Coach Mark Veilleux, now in his 17th season with the Gulls, is 483-172-10 (.737) in his career and has guided his team to 12 conference championships and nine consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Veilleaux is the longest-tenured and winningest head coach in Endicott College athletics history.
The winner will move on to the next round to play either #7 Lesley College (29-6) or #2 Coast Guard (36-2). The loser will play at 12:00 PM the following day against the loser of the Lesley-Coast Guard game.
ENDICOTT STATS l ST. JOE'S STATS
TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISONS:
2011 NCAA DIII Softball Championship- Regionals, Providence, Rhode Island
Double Elimination Tournament:
Thursday, May 12
Game #1 – (#1) Eastern Connecticut State (30-4) v. (#8) Husson (25-17), 10:00 a.m.
Game #2 – (#5) Worcester State (28-9) v. (#4) Rhode Island Col. (33-11), 12:00 p.m.
Game #3 – (#3) Endicott (35-6) v. (#6) Saint Joseph's (Maine) (35-8), 2:00 p.m.
Game #4 – (#7) Lesley (29-6) v. (#2) Coast Guard (36-2), 4:00 p.m.
Friday, May 13
Game #5 – Loser Game #1 v. Loser Game #2, 10:00 a.m.
Game #6 – Loser Game #3 v. Loser Game #4, 12:00 p.m.
Game #7 – Winner Game #1 v. Winner Game #2, 2:00 p.m.
Game #8 – Winner Game #3 v. Winner Game #4, 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 15
Game #9 – Loser Game #7 v. Winner Game #6, 10:00 a.m.
Game #10 – Loser Game #8 v. Winner Game #5, 12:00 p.m.
Game #11 – Winner Game #7 v. Winner Game #8, 2:00 p.m.
Game #12 – Winner Game #9 v. Winner Game #10, 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 16
Game #13 – Winner Game #12 v. Loser Game #11, 12:00 p.m.
Game #14 – Winner Game #11 v. Winner Game #13, 2:00 p.m.
Monday, May 17 if necessary
Game #15 – Winner Game #14 v. Loser Game #14**
**Only if the loss for the Game #14 Loser is their first loss of the tournament
