Norfolk, Virginia Regional Home Page
HAVERFORD, Pa. – Fresh off of a historic run through the consolation bracket which resulted in the Haverford College softball program's third Centennial Conference Championship, the Fords are set to make their second appearance in the last three seasons in an NCAA Regional when they open up the Norfolk, Virginia Regional this Friday against Salisbury.
Schedule Update:
Due to possible rain in the forecast on Friday afternoon, the Fords' regional opener with Salisbury, which will be the first game contested in the regional, will now start at 10 a.m. Each team will play one game on Friday. Top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan and fourth-seeded Saint Vincent will begin their regional at 12:30 p.m.
About Haverford (No. 3 seed, 24-19 record, 9-7 CC, Centennial Conference Champions):
Haverford made history when it became the first team in the Centennial Conference to lose a game before the championship round and still capture the conference crown. To do so, the Fords had to systematically eliminate each of the other three teams in the conference tournament. Those four straight victories included two in a row against host Washington College to hoist the ultimate prize.
With just 11 players making the trip to Norfolk, all eight of the team's positon players have appeared in at least 40 games this season. In a recent conference announcement, Jessica Koshinski was named a first-team All-Centennial Conference pick for the second straight season. She is batting .295 on the year with five home runs and a team-best 30 RBI. Kristin Tatum, a second-team All-CC pick this season, is leading the team with eight home runs and ranks second with 28 RBI.
Three freshmen hold the Fords' top three batting averages. Honorable mention All-CC selection Julia Blake is batting a team-best .338 on the season and has a team-high 29 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. Kaitlyn Guild ranks second on the team with a .316 batting average. She has driven in 24 runs and scored 22 more. Rachel Wolfson is batting .301 out of the leadoff spot and has 11 stolen bases on the year.
Kendall Chambers was also an honorable mention all-conference pick at the utility position. Chambers is batting .273 on the year with four home runs and 26 RBI. Miwa Wenzel comes into the regional batting .252 after a strong showing in the conference tournament. The Fords' senior outfielder is one of four upperclassmen making their second appearances at an NCAA Tournament. Alex Craig and Emily Gorman are also expected to see time in the outfield. Craig has scored 20 runs, while Gorman has eight runs scored and driven in.
Centennial Conference Tournament MVP and second-team All-Centennial Conference pitcher Sara Tauriello enters the weekend with a team-best 2.52 ERA. She has six complete games in her 15 starts and has struck out 101 batters in 89.0 innings. She is 6-7 on the year while also accumulating three saves.
Both Chambers and Winesett could also see team in the batting order. Chambers is 8-3 in the circle with a 2.74 ERA. She has one shutout and four complete games to go along with her usual spot in the lineup as the designated player. Winesett earned starts in the outfield during each game she did not pitch in the conference tournament. In the circle, she is 10-9 with a 3.08 ERA in a team-best 106.2 innings.
Scouting Salisbury (No. 2 seed, No. 2 in latest NFCA poll, 34-4 record, 13-1 CAC, Capital Athletic Conference Champions)
Salisbury is riding a 17-winning streak entering this weekend. The Sea Gulls have a potent lineup that features seven regulars who are batting at least .350 on the year. Headlining those offensive threats are the top three batting averages, which also have at least 10 home runs this season. Kim Dorsey is batting a team-best .482 with 10 home runs. Molly Simpson has blasted 14 home runs and is batting .450, while Paige Knussman's 11 home runs are complimented by a .450 batting average.
In the circle, both Brooke Mizelle and Annah Brittingham have won 17 games this season. Mizelle has absorbed just one loss and has an ERA of 1.13 in 93.0 innings of work. Brittingham has a 17-2 record with a 1.41 ERA. She has pitched a team-high 114.0 innings with six shutouts and has thrown a complete game in 10 of her 21 starts.
Scouting Virginia Wesleyan (No. 1 seed, No. 1 in latest NFCA poll, 38-5 record, 15-1 ODAC, Old Dominion Athletic Conference Champions)
In a regional featuring the top two teams in the national rankings, Virginia Wesleyan also comes into the weekend sporting a 17-game winning streak. Cassetty Howerin is the player to watch in the Marlins' lineup as she is batting .508 with 10 home runs on the year. However, she has nearly half of the team's 23 home runs. The Marlins have four players, including Howerin, who are hitting at least .400 on the year.
Mary Shipp has gone 19-4 with a 1.23 ERA this season. She has just 72 strikeouts in 131 innings, but has limited opponents to 110 hits during that time. In her 22 starts, she has thrown a complete game 15 times. Kandis Kresinske is 18-1 on the season with a team-best 1.07 ERA in 117.1 innings. She has struck out 112 batters and has 11 complete games in 20 starts.
Scouting St. Vincent (No. 4 seed, 28-13 record, 12-6 PAC, Presidents' Athletic Conference Champions)
St. Vincent won three straight elimination games in the PAC Tournament to earn a spot in the Norfolk, Virginia Regional. The Bearcats have eight different players in the lineup who are batting at least .347. That list is topped by Shelby Noel who enters the tournament hitting .465 with nine home runs. Seven different players have a hit a home run for St. Vincent this season.
Samantha Emert has seen the most work out of the circle this season. She is 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA in 144.1 innings pitched. She has struck out 104 batters and allowed just 107 hits during that time. She has thrown a complete game in 20 of her 22 starts and has seven shutouts. Emily Duerr is 11-5 entering the regional with a 2.82 ERA. She has allowed 104 hits in 92 innings of work. She has 11 complete games in her 17 starts, including two shutouts.
Common Opponents
Salisbury lost an 8-6 battle against Rowan and went 2-0 with 7-0 and 3-0 wins against Washington College this season. Haverford was swept in a doubleheader against Rowan and went 3-1 against Washington College. In addition to the conference championship wins over the Shorewomen, Haverford won 10-2 in five innings when those teams met in the regular season.
Virginia Wesleyan won 10-2 and 8-0 against Meredith. The Fords dropped a 5-2 game against Meredith during their trip to Florida over Spring Break.
St. Vincent won 3-0 against Immaculata back in late February. Haverford won 2-0 and 11-7 vs. the Mighty Macs during the regular season. St. Vincent was also 2-2 against Bethany (W.Va.), while Haverford owned a 5-1 victory when they played Bethany down in Florida.
Previous matchups
Haverford has never met St. Vincent or Virginia Wesleyan. The Fords and Salisbury met during the 2006 NCAA Regional hosted by Salisbury in which the Sea Gulls emerged with a 6-2 victory in what was the Fords' first appearance at the NCAA Regional Tournament.