HOFSTRA HOSTS CAA SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Hempstead, NY (May 5) - The Hofstra Softball team will serve as host for the 2003 Colonial Athletic Association Softball Championship this Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10 at the Hofstra University Softball Stadium.
Top-seeded Hofstra (34-15, 12-2 CAA) will open play on Thursday, May 8 at 3 p.m. against fourth-seeded Towson (27-20-1, 8-7 CAA) in the second game of the tournament. The opening game will feature second-seeded George Mason (29-20, 9-6 CAA) against third-seeded Delaware (20-19-1, 8-7 CAA) at 12 noon. The two winners on Thursday will play each other on Friday at 12:30 p.m. for the right to advance to Saturday's championship at 12 noon. The two losers on Thursday will play an elimination game on Friday morning at 10 a.m.
Hofstra won the inaugural CAA Softball Championship last season, defeating Towson 9-1 in the championship game. It marked the Pride's fifth straight conference title after winning the last four tournaments as members of the America East Conference from 1998-2001 before moving to the CAA last year. By winning the CAA regular season title, the Pride has now won either a regular season or a postseason league title in each of the last 12 years.
Hofstra has built its 34-15 record on the strength of some record-breaking power performances this season. The Pride has hit 46 home runs in its 49 games, easily breaking the previous school record of 29, which was set in a 59-game schedule in 1999. The top gun has been senior shortstop Danielle Stewart (pictured), who has belted a school-record 17 homers this season, well more than the previous school record of 10 set by Dana Bennett in 1999. Stewart, in fact, has hit more home runs than any other entire team in the CAA this spring and ranks in the top ten in the country in homers per game.
Stewart hasn't been alone in providing power to the Pride this season. Freshman third baseman Tara Ulrich set the Pride's freshman home run record with seven this season. Ulrich struggled early in the spring, batting just 3-for-33 in Hofstra's first 19 games. Since then, though, she has batted a whopping .473 (44-93) to take over the team lead in batting at .373. Senior first baseman Amanda Hallaway is close behind at .370, while hitting four homers of her own to increase her career total to 21 in that department.
In the circle, Hofstra has used a three-pitcher rotation down the stretch of the season. Sophomore Adrienne Clark comes into the postseason with a 9-2 record after winning her last eight decisions. Clark began the year as the team's closer, recording five saves, but she moved into the starting rotation on April 19 against George Mason and is 6-0 since. Senior Sara DeAngelis comes into the CAA's with a 12-7 record, including a five-inning perfect game in the final week of the regular season against Army. DeAngelis is a perfect 5-0 with an 0.88 ERA in league games. Junior Alexis Alcantara, meanwhile, is 10-3 in the circle this season and 16-4 in her two seasons with the Pride. Alcantara walked onto the team in 2001, but took last season off to focus on academics. She has returned to the team this season and has picked up a team-high four shutouts, two against CAA foes.
George Mason (29-20, 9-6) comes into the tournament as the second seed after winning its final seven regular season games, including a three-game sweep of James Madison on the final weekend. They are led by sophomore shortstop Stacy James, the 2002 CAA Rookie of the Year, who is batting .367 with 13 doubles and a conference-leading 25 stolen bases (in 28 attempts). Junior first baseman Kim Braxton is batting .321 with two homers and a team-best 34 RBI, while senior outfielder Tasha Galecki is also over .300 (.329) with 28 RBI. Junior Dianna Austin leads the Patriots pitching staff with an 11-6 record and a 1.85 earned run average, while junior Miranda Fox (8-4, 2.56) and senior Rene Leveque (7-6, 2.80) also see plenty of action in the circle. George Mason is 3-6 against the three other teams in the CAA Tournament, taking two out of three from Delaware, one of three from Towson, and dropping all three games to Hofstra. Delaware (20-19-1, 8-7 CAA) earned the third seed by taking two out of three from Towson on the final weekend of the season. They are led offensively by junior infielder Laura Streets, who is batting .343 with 10 doubles, a school-record eight home runs and 28 RBI, all team-bests. Junior catcher Laurie Erickson is also over .300 (.303), while sophomore Jenn Joseph has had a solid season in the circle, tallying a 12-8 record and a 1.59 earned run average. Freshman Lindsay Jones has also had a solid rookie campaign, tallying an 8-5 record and a 2.16 ERA while walking only seven batters in 94 innings. Delaware is 4-5 against the three teams in the CAA Tournament this season, winning two out of three from Towson, and taking one of three games from both Hofstra and George Mason. The Fightin' Blue Hens are the only team in the CAA Tournament to defeat Hofstra this season. Fourth-seeded Towson (29-20-1, 8-7) has now qualified for its last five conference tournaments and has finished second in three of the last four years (1999 and 2001 in the America East, 2002 in the CAA). Sophomore shortstop and leadoff hitter Katie Mumbauer has been the team's top hitter, batting .355 with 12 doubles, 33 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. Senior second baseman Chris Navarro is also over .300 (.314) with 22 RBI, while sophomore Jessica Wides has been the Tigers' top pitcher, tallying a 14-9 record and a 1.34 ERA. Junior Beth Wilcox has also seen plenty of action in the circle, going 11-11 with a 2.42 ERA. Towson went 3-6 against the three teams in the CAA Tournament, winning two out three against George Mason, one out of three against Delaware, and dropping all three to Hofstra. The winner of the CAA Tournament does not receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The CAA is in only its second season of sponsoring softball and will pick up an automatic bid next year, according to NCAA regulations.
2003 CAA SOFTBALLTOURNAMENT SCHEDULE Thursday, May 8
Game 1 (12 p.m.) #2 George Mason vs. #3 Delaware
Game 2 (3 p.m.) #1 Hofstra vs. #4 Towson
Friday, May 9
Game 3 (10 a.m.) Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Game 4 (12:30 p.m.) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 5 (3 p.m.) Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser
Saturday, May 10
Game 6 (12 p.m.) Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Game 7 (2:30 p.m.) Same two teams (if necessary)
