MOUNT ST. MARY'S (32-15) vs. No. 6 IONA (18-29-1) or No. 3 MARIST (25-28)
Thursday, May 11, 2023 | 11:00 p.m. | MAAC Tournament
Demske Sports Complex | Buffalo, N.Y.
WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME  NOTES

MOUNT UPDATE:  Mount St. Mary's saw its 13-game win streak on Saturday with a pair of losses at Canisius.  The Mount and Canisius entered the final day of the regular season tied for first place in the MAAC standings.  The Golden Griffins swept the twinbill, winning 8-0 in five innings and 3-1 in game two to clinch the MAAC regular season title and the right to host the MAAC Championships.  The Mount was held to just four hits combined in the two games by Canisius pitcher Meghan Giese.

MOUNT BREAKS SCHOOL SINGLE SEASON WINS RECORD:  Mount St. Mary's swept a doubleheader at Niagara on May 5 to earn the team's 32nd win of the year, breaking the Mount's single-season record for wins.  The old mark was 31 set in 2006 when the Mountaineers posted a 31-25 record. The Mount is now 15 games over .500 this season with its 32-17 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.

KANE HEADLINES MOUNT ALL-MAAC SELECTIONS:  Third baseman Maggie Kane was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Co-Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-MAAC to heading the Mount's All-MAAC selections announced on Tuesday.  First baseman Kaia Bonshock, center fielder Vanessa Martin and pitcher Avery Neuhart were named to the All-MAAC Second Team while freshman pitcher Maddie Coleman earned a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie Team.  Kane, a graduate student, is having a terrific season for the Mountaineers, hitting .291 with five home runs, 21 RBI, 27 runs scored and 10 stolen bases while starting 48 games.  Kane hit .355 with 15 runs scored, two home runs, nine RBI, eight steals and a .412 on-base percentage in MAAC regular season play.  Defensively, Kane has provided multiple highlight reel catches at third base while being part of a Mount defense that leads the nation in double plays per game and is tops in the MAAC in team fielding percentage (.968).  Bonshock, a graduate student, is hitting .307 with seven doubles and 18 RBI in 39 games played this season.  Bonshock caught fire at the plate during the second half of the season, and hit a team-best .422 in MAAC regular season contests.  After a slow start at the plate, Bonshock is hitting .372 since early March, helping the Mount to a 29-7 record over their past 36 games.  Neuhart, also a graduate student, leads the MAAC with a 1.74 ERA this season while compiling a 12-4 record in 21 appearances (17 starts) with 10 complete-game efforts.  Neuhart has struck out 63 batters and walked just 17 in 117.0 innings pitched on the year.  Her 1.74 ERA is 50th in NCAA Division I this season while she is 21st in the nation in walks allowed per seven innings pitched (1.02).  Neuhart went 7-2 with a 1.95 ERA in 10 MAAC regular season starts, striking out 29 and walking eight in 61.0 innings of work.  Martin also came on strong late in the season for the Mountaineers.  The senior center fielder is hitting .264 with six doubles, three home runs, 15 stolen bases and a team-high 23 RBI.  Martin hit .368 in MAAC play with 15 RBI and seven steals in 20 games.  Martin leads the team with six games with two or more RBI this year.  Coleman is 5-6 with a 2.16 ERA and a pair of saves for the Mountaineers this season.  The freshman is third in the MAAC in ERA and leads the conference by in opponents batting average (.212).  She has recorded 49 strikeouts in 74.2 innings pitched on the year.

13-GAME WIN STREAK:  Mount St. Mary's had its 13-game win streak stopped with a pair of losses at Canisius on May 6.  The 13-game is tied for the second-long win streak in program history.  The Mount also had a 13-game win streak last year.  The Mount's longest win streak was 21 games set during the 1987 season.  After opening that season with a 1-1 record, the Mount reeled off 21 wins in a row before dropping the final two games of the year to finish 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 0.59 double  plays per game.  The Mount has turned 29 double plays in the team's 49 games this year. McNeese State (0.58), North Carolina A&T (0.56), UTEP (0.56) and Idaho State (0.55) round out the top five on the list.  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.