MOUNT ST. MARY'S (21-17, 13-5 NEC) vs. BRYANT (10-22, 8-7 NEC)
Saturday, April 23, 2022 | 1 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, April 24, 2022 | 12 p.m.
Our Lady of the Meadows Field | Emmitsburg, Md.

LIVE STATS | WATCH

Mount St. Mary's hosts Bryant for a three-game Northeast Conference series this weekend.  The series begins with a 1:00 p.m. twinbill on Saturday and concludes with a single game at noon on Sunday.  Prior to the game on Sunday, the Mount will honor this year's senior class.

MOUNT UPDATE:  Mount St. Mary's is coming off a three-game series at Saint Francis U that featured the top two teams in the Northeast Conference standings.  After winning the opening game, 2-1, the Mountaineers fell in the final two games of the series (5-2, 3-0) to fall to 21-17 overall and 13-5 in the NEC.  Amanda Berkley, who tossed a complete-game four-hitter in the Mount's 2-1 win over the Red Flash on Wednesday, is 10-6 with a 2.50 ERA in 20 appearances this season.  Olivia Murphy (6-3, 2.39 ERA) and Avery Neuhart (3-6, 3.21 ERA) are also in the top 10 in the NEC in ERA this year.  At the plate, Vanessa Martin leads the team with a .287 average with Tori Bowles right behind at .286.  Abigayle Perry continues to lead the team in runs, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS:  Bryant enters the weekend 10-22 overall and in fifth place in the Northeast Conference with an 8-7 record.  Bryant lost to Providence, 10-9, on Tuesday in a non-conference matchup.  Last weekend, the Bulldogs took two of three games from Wagner at home.  After losing the opening game, 10-3, the Bulldogs responded with a 2-1 win in nine innings and a 4-2 victory in the series finale.  Sarah McKeveny has been the top player for Bryant this year, hitting a team-high .345 while also posting a 3.52 ERA in 61.2 innings pitched.  Kyle Kenney has been the top pitcher with a 6-6 record and a 2.61 ERA in 72.1 innings of work.  Aleix Hudson is hitting .293 while leading the team with five home runs and 17 RBI.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH BRYANT:  Mount St. Mary's has won the past seven meetings against Bryant to take a 14-9 lead in the all-time series.  Last year, the Mount won all three games at Bryant in a four-game series that was shortened due to rain.  Bryant's last win over the Mount was doubleheader sweep (4-0, 2-1) at the Mount on April 29, 2017. 

LAST YEAR'S SERIES:  The Mountaineers took all three games against Bryant in last year's four-game series that was shortened by one game due to rain.  The Mountaineers swept a doubleheader on March 27 with wins by 9-4 and 6-4.  On March 28, the Mount won 9-0 before the second game was cancelled due to rain.  Bridgette Gilliano sparked the Mount offense in the doubleheader sweep, going 5-for-8 with two triples, a home run and eight RBI.  Amanda Berkley tossed a two-hit shutout in the Mount's 9-0 victory to close out the series.

MURPHY NAMED NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:  Mount St. Mary's freshman pitcher Olivia Murphy was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week today.  Murphy earned a complete-game victory in the Mount's 4-3 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in her only appearance.  The freshman allowed three unearned runs in the top of the first, but blanked the Knights the rest of the way to pick up the win.  Murphy is 6-2 with a team-best 2.32 ERA in 18 appearances and seven starts this season for the Mountaineers.

WIN STREAK:  The Mount had its 13-game win streak snapped on Saturday with a 4-1 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson at Our Lady of the Meadows Field.  The 13-game win streak is the second-longest in Mount history behind a 21-game streak set during the 1987 season.  It is the longest win streak since the Mount moved to NCAA Division I in 1988-89. 

20-WIN SEASON:  The Mount is 21-15 this season, marking the sixth time in program history the Mountaineers have reached the 20-win plateau.  The school record for wins was set when the 2006 team finished with a 31-25 record.  This is the third 20-win season for the Mount since 2017.

MOST WINS IN A SEASON

SEASON	RECORD
2006	31-25
2019	26-28
2010	25-25
1987	22-3
2022	21-17
2008	21-36

NEC VICTORIES:  The Mountaineers are off to a 13-5 start to Northeast Conference play.  The 13 league wins are the second-most in a season since the Mount joined the league in 1989-90.  The 2006 team posted a 14-6 mark in league play for the most NEC wins in a season.    The Mount has clinched a winning record in NEC play for the fifth time since joining the league.  The list of winning seasons in NEC play includes the following:  11-7 in 1999; 14-6 in 2006; 10-8 in 2009 and 9-7 in 2019.

GILLIANO BREAKS RECORD:  Bridgette leads the Mount with 33 stolen bases this season, breaking the school's single season record of 21 set by Nikki Wisniewski in 1999.  Gilliano is currently fourth in the nation with 0.87 steals per game and tied for fifth in total steals with 33.   A sophomore, Gilliano now has 44 career steals as a Mountaineer, moving her into third on the Mount's all-time list behind Patti Schaefer (67, 1983-96) and Kaylee Stoner (47, 2017-21).  The Northeast Conference record for steals in a season is 41 set by Monmouth's Nicole Alvarez in 2007.

TURNING TWO:  The Mount is currently fifth in the nation in double plays turned per game this season with 0.58 per game.  The Mountaineers have been one of the top teams in the nation over the past five years in turning two, ranking 22^nd last year (0.45 double plays/game) and leading the nation with 0.84 double plays per game in 2017-18. 

HOME SWEET HOME:  Mount St. Mary's owns an 11-2 record at home this season after winning two of three games against Fairleigh Dickinson this past weekend.  The Mountaineers are an impressive 36-17 at Our Lady of the Meadows Field since 2019.

PITCHING STAFF SHINES:  The Mountaineers are 19-8 over their past 27 games and the pitching staff has been a key factor in the success with 1.99 team ERA over that span.  Olivia Murphy is 6-2 with a 1.60 ERA, Amanda Berkley 9-3 with a 2.03 ERA and Avery Neuhart 2-3 with a 2.44 ERA over the 27-game stretch.  The Mount has a team ERA of 1.79 in 18 Northeast Conference games this year.

UP NEXT:  Mount St. Mary's hosts Towson on Tuesday, April 26, at 4:00 p.m. before heading to George Washington for a 2:00 p.m. matchup on Wednesday, April 27.