DOYLESTOWN (PA) – The Delaware Valley College softball team will to look to win its first-ever Freedom Conference Championship and the automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs that goes with it as the third-seeded Aggies will battle defending conference champion and second-seeded DeSales University on Friday, May 1 (1:00 p.m.) in the first game of the double-elimination, Freedom Conference playoffs held at Wilkes University's Ralston Complex.
Joining Delaware Valley (14-14, 10-6) and DeSales (23-13, 11-5) in the conference playoffs are top-seeded Misericordia University (24-12, 11-5) and No. 5 King's College (21-12, 9-7) and those two teams will kickoff the tournament at 11:00 a.m. King's reached the weekend with a 3-2, eight-inning victory over No. 4 Wilkes University in the play-in game on Tuesday.
The entire Freedom Conference Softball Championship schedule is as follows:
Friday, May 1st:
Game 1 - 11:00 a.m. – Misericordia (Freedom #1 seed) vs. King's (Freedom #5 seed)
Game 2 - 1:00 p.m. - DeSales (Freedom #2 seed) vs. Delaware Valley (Freedom #3 seed)
Game 3 - 3:00 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Saturday, May 2nd:
Game 4 - 9:00 a.m. - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Loser is eliminated)
Game 5 - 11:00 a.m. - Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (Loser is eliminated)
Game 6 - 1:00 p.m. (Championship Round) - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 7 - 3:00 p.m. (Championship Round) - Same teams as game 6 if necessary
This is the third straight year and fifth time overall that Delaware Valley has qualified for the conference playoffs. Last year's senior-laden squad went all the way to the championship round and even forced a game seven before falling to DeSales.
This year was thought, by some, to be a rebuilding year for the Aggies as eight of the 15 players on the roster were freshmen (rest of the rosters consists of two sophomores, three juniors, and two seniors), including the entire pitching staff. The conference coaches picked the team to finish seventh in the nine-team standings in the preseason poll, but Delaware Valley used early sweeps of Wilkes and Alvernia to propel itself into postseason contention. The Aggies also went 2-4 against the playoff teams as they split doubleheaders with both DeSales and Misericordia and were swept by King's.
As a team, the Aggies boast a .275 batting average and average 3.9 runs per game. Leading the way all season long has been Bethany Pavlik (Lewes, DE/Sussex) as the junior outfielder and two-time all-conference honoree paces the squad in batting (.455), slugging (.670), on-base percentage (.500), hits (40) and runs (28). She is also tied for the team lead in both doubles (5) and RBIs (21) and is second in home runs with four.
Freshman outfielder Erin Fox (Lewes, DE/Cape Henlopen) is batting .313 with four doubles and a team-best five home runs while tying Pavlik for top honors in RBIs with 21. Fellow rookie Krystal Diaz (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) is also over the .300 mark as she is hitting .310 with five doubles and a team-high 18 runs scored.
The senior tandem of Robyn Jackson (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) and Lacy Miles (Little Marsh, PA/Cowanesque Valley) has provided leadership to the young squad. Jackson, a catcher, is batting .261 with two doubles, two triples, 16 runs scored and eight RBIs. Miles, a first baseman, is hitting at a .234 clip with three doubles, two home runs, nine runs scored and 10 RBIs.
On the mound, Delaware Valley has compiled a 3.94 ERA with the rookie tandem of Brianne Birtell (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) and Maggie Kichler (Pittsburgh, PA/Oakland School) combined for 23 of the team's 28 starts. Birtell is 6-4 with a 3.83 ERA while Kichler is 5-6 with a 3.14 ERA. Freshman Keri Hardiman (Howell, NJ/Howell) has notched a 1-0 record and a 3.13 ERA in 15-plus innings of work while classmate Becky Furman (Oak Ridge, NJ/Jefferson Township) is 2-4 with five saves and a 6.74 ERA.
DESALES UNIVERSITY PREVIEW
The defending champions finished the regular season with a 23-13 overall and were tied for first in the Freedom (11-5), but Misericordia earned the top seed for the tournament due to a tiebreaker.
Offensively, the Bulldogs hit .309 as a team and average 4.8 runs per contest. They have five starters who are batting over .300, including senior Jamie Pfitzenmayer who is batting .434 with 11 doubles, six triples, one home run, 32 runs scored and 17 RBIs.
Sophomore Jen Lococco is known for her pitching, but she is also batting .398 with seven doubles and 25 RBIs. Kelly Moran is another player to watch as the senior has a .317 average, five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 21 RBIs to her credit.
On the mound, the Lady Bulldogs have a team ERA of 1.70. Lococco, last year's Freedom Conference Pitcher and Rookie of the Year, is 10-5 with 62 strikeouts and a 1.65 ERA. Katie Morrisey may follow in Lococco's footsteps as the conference rookie of the year as she is 12-6 with 117 strikeouts and a 1.55 ERA in 121-plus innings of work.
MISERICORDIA UNIVERSITY PREVIEW
The Cougars have made their first year in the Freedom Conference a memorable one as they finished the regular season with a 24-12 overall record, including an 11-5 mark in the conference. They swept King's and split with both Delaware Valley and DeSales during the year.
Misericordia averages 4.6 runs per game and has a .292 team batting average. Sophomore Holly Sarnak heads the offense as she is batting .395 with 11 doubles, four home runs, 25 runs scored and 28 RBIs. Classmate Nicole Wenner adds a .346 average to go along with five home runs while also adding a .346 average, 20 runs scored and 16 RBIs. Junior Nicole Hoskins leads the power surge with six home runs and 34 RBIs and also has a .299 average to her credit.
The Cougar pitching staff has tallied a 2.24 ERA with the junior tandem of Katherine Lucenti and Katie Eiden combining for all 247 innings. Lucenti is 13-6 with 98 strikeouts and a 2.23 ERA while Eiden is 11-6 with 119 K's and a 2.24 ERA.
KING'S COLLEGE PREVIEW
The Lady Monarchs are looking to reach the NCAA Division III playoffs for the ninth time in the last 10 years. An eight-year run was stopped in 2008 as the Aggies handed King's a pair of losses in the tournament, including a memorable 14-inning affair, in the opening round. This year's group went 21-12 overall and 9-7 in the Freedom during the season. They exacted some revenge with a doubleheader sweep at Delaware Valley, but suffered two losses to both DeSales and Miserericordia.
Junior Meaghan Galvin leads a Lady Monarch offense that has a .348 team batting average and average 5.9 runs per contest. Galvin is batting .438 with a .656 slugging percentage, seven doubles, four triples, two home runs, 29 runs scored and 22 RBIs. Senior Abbey Knoblauch (the younger sister of former Delaware Valley All-American quarterback Adam Knoblauch) follows with a .426 average and also has 13 doubles, one triple, 28 runs scored and 14 RBIs to her credit. Senior Becky Loring is also a major threat with a .422 average, four doubles, two triples, two home runs, 21 runs scored and 25 RBIs.
On the mound, King's has a 2.81 team ERA. Junior Lindsey Hoerner tops the staff with a 13-6 record, 84 strikeouts and a 1.89 ERA. Rookie Shawna Walp has won four of 10 decisions and boasts a 4.60 ERA.
