MOUNT ST. MARY'S (30-15, 13-3 MAAC) at NIAGARA (7-30, 3-13 MAAC)
Friday, May 5, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. | Doubleheader
Niagara Softball Field | Niagara University, N.Y.
WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME  NOTES

MOUNT ST. MARY'S (30-15, 13-3 MAAC) at CANISIUS (25-13-1, 14-2 MAAC)
Saturday, May 6, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. | Doubleheader
Demske Sports Complex | Buffalo, N.Y.
WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME  NOTES

MOUNT UPDATE:  Mount St. Mary's swept Rider on Senior Day at Our Lady of the Meadows Field on Tuesday to improve to 30-15 overall and 13-3 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  Ace Avery Neuhart tossed a complete-game in the Mount's 3-1 victory over the Broncs in the opening game of the twinbill.  In game two, Maggie Kane's two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth snapped a 3-3 tie and sparked the Mount to a 7-4 win.  Erin Krizmanich and Kaia Bonshock each had four his on the day to pace the Mount offense.

PLAYOFF PICTURE:  The Mountaineers have clinched a spot in this year's 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships.  The top six teams in the MAAC regular season standings earn a spot in the MAAC Tournament with the regular season champion earning the right to host.  The Mountaineers are in second place with a 13-3 league record, one-game behind leader Canisius (14-2).  The Mountaineers can clinch first place by sweeping their four games in Western New York (doubleheaders vs. Niagara and Canisius).

MOUNT BOASTS 11-GAME WIN STREAK:  Mount St. Mary's swept a doubleheader with Rider on Tuesday to stretch its win streak to 11 games.  The 11-game win streak is the third longest in program history.  The Mount won 21 games in a row in 1987 and had a 13-game win streak last year.  The 11-game win streak is also tied for the seventh-longest current win streak in NCAA Division I.  Oklahoma holds the top spot on that list having won its past 38 contests.

MOUNT IN MIDST OF HISTORIC SEASON:  Mount St. Mary's reached 30 wins for the season with its doubleheader sweep of Rider on Tuesday.  It is just the second time in program history that the Mount has reached the 30-win plateau, and is just one win shy of matching school record of 31 wins set in 2006 (31-25). The Mount is now 15 games over .500 this season with its 30-15 record.  Prior to this season, the Mountaineers had never been 10 or more games over .500 since moving to NCAA Division I in 1988-89.  The most games over .500 in program history is 21 games when the Mount opened the 1987 season 22-1 before dropping the final two games to finish at 22-3.

LET'S TURN TWO:  The Mount has used the double-play to its advantage this year, ranking first in NCAA Division I with 0.60 double  plays per game.  The Mount has turned 27 double plays in the team's 45 games this year.  The Mount (0.60) leads Idaho St. (0.56), McNeese St. (0.56) and UAlbany (0.56), who are all tied for second in NCAA Division I in double plays turned per game.  Ranking among the leaders in the nation in double plays is not new to the Mountaineers.  Including this year, the Mount has ranked in the top 10 in the nation in double plays per game three times over the last six years, including leading the nation in 2018.  

HOME SWEET HOME:  Mount St. Mary's has shattered the school record for home wins this year, posting a 23-3 mark at Our Lady of the Meadows Field.  The previous mark was 13 wins set in 2022 (13-4), 2019 (13-5) and 1988 (13-4).  The Mountaineers are 36-7 (.837) at home the past two seasons, and hold a 61-22 record (.735) record at Our Lady of the Meadows Field since 2019.  Mariah Godde leads the Mount with a .370 average and 17 RBI at home this year, Kaia Bonshock is hitting .362, while Maggie Kane is hitting .329 with four home runs.  As a team, the Mount is hitting .281 at home while outscoring the opposition, 128-to-66.  The pitching staff has combined for a 1.79 ERA at Our Lady of the Meadows Field this season.  Maddie Coleman (5-1, 1.23 ERA), Olivia Murphy (7-0, 1.46 ERA) and Avery Neuhart (8-2, 1.77 ERA) lead the way.

PITCHING STAFF SHINES:  Mount St. Mary's leads the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and is 25th in the nation with a 2.18 team ERA.  The pitching staff has been instrumental in the Mount posting a 27-5 record over the past 32 games with a 1.82 ERA over that span.  Graduate student Avery Neuhart leads the way with a 11-3 record and a league-best 1.57 ERA in 107.0 innings of work this year.  Neuhart is 33rd in the nation in ERA and 24th in walks/7 IP (1.05).  Neuhart has struck out 61 while walking just 16 batters in her 107.0 innings pitched.  Olivia Murphy has settled in as the No. 2 starter for the Mount, going 9-5 with a 2.46 ERA in 21 appearances and 16 starts.  Murphy is a perfect 7-0 with a 1.46 ERA at home this season with a pair of shutouts and a save.  Freshman Maddie Coleman is 5-5 with a pair of saves and a 2.04 ERA in her first season with the Mountaineers.  Coleman ranks second in the MAAC in ERA and is leads the league in opponents batting average a .205.  Coleman is ranked 62nd in the nation, allowing just 5.00 hits per seven innings pitched.  The final two members of the staff are also having strong seasons.  Amaya Bowman is 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA in 12 appearances and four starts while Elizabeth King spots a 2-2 record with a 4.08 ERA in eight appearances and four starts.

UP NEXT:  The 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Softball Championships are up next for the Mountaineers.