MOUNT ST. MARY'S SOFTBALL (19-18-1, 7-3 NEC)
Friday, April 25 | Doubleheader | Smithfield, R.I.
vs. Bryant (25-18, 11-3 NEC) | 1 & 3 p.m.
LIVE STATS | NECFRONTROW.COM
Sunday, April 27 | Doubleheader | New Britain, Conn.
vs. Central Connecticut (23-14, 9-5 NEC) | 12 & 2 p.m.
LIVE STATS
MOUNT UPDATE: The second-place Mountaineers are set to make the trip to New England for Northeast Conference doubleheaders at Bryant and Central Connecticut. In what is lining up for a possible NEC playoff preview, the Mount squares off with first-place Bryant and third-place-CCSU, which won the NEC Tournament a year ago.
SCHEDULE CHANGE: Due to rain in the forecast for Saturday, the doubleheader at Bryant has been shifted to Friday with game times remaining at 1 and 3 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: Despite another strong outing by freshman pitcher Sam Lichtner, the Mount was handed a 3-1 loss by Towson on Wednesday, April 23, at home. In a complete game, Lichtner allowed two earned runs on six hits while striking out seven. Fellow freshman Rachel Heinze picked up the Mount's RBI on the day.
ABOUT BRYANT: The first-place Bulldogs began the conference season with seven wins in their first eight games and are currently 11-3 in NEC play. Bryant has been dominant at home with an 8-3 mark, but is coming off a 10-2 loss to UConn on April 22. Five hitters in Bryant's regular lineup are batting .319 or better, including Aubrey Mable with a .352 average. Mable is a three-time All-NEC selection with two First Team accolades to her name.
ABOUT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: The Northeast Conference's reigning Tournament champion, CCSU is in third place this season and closes the NEC schedule versus the Mount on Sunday. Going 2-3 in their last five games, the Blue Devils are coming off splits with Saint Francis U and Robert Morris last weekend and face UMass-Lowell today. Pitcher Laura Messina has started 30 of the team's 37 games and is third in the NEC with a 1.54 ERA.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. WEEKEND OPPONENTS: In a back-and-forth all-time series, the Mount holds a 5-3 advantage versus Bryant. The two sides have split doubleheaders each of the last three seasons. In another evenly matched all-time series, the Mount is 15-15 against Central Connecticut State dating back to 1999.
IN THE NATION: Nicole Pagano ranks near the top of Division I for a number of pitching categories this season. The Winslow, N.J. native is third in the nation with a 0.83 ERA, while ranking 10th in shutouts with eight. She is 11th among Division I pitchers with 4.11 hits allowed per seven innings, and her 8.7 strikeouts per seven innings are good for 26th in the nation.
PLAYOFF INFORMATION: Sitting in second place, wins this weekend would help the Mount move toward its first NEC Tournament appearance since 2006. The Mount has qualified for the Northeast Conference tournament eight times in school history. Since the format changed to the current system in 1999 where the top four teams qualify, the Mount has been in the playoffs just once in 2006.
UP NEXT: The Mount plays at Our Lady of the Meadows Field for the final time during the regular season on Wednesday, April 30, versus Morgan State with a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.
