Softball Seeks Repeat At America East Conference Tournament
LIVE STATS I CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany softball team, the reigning conference champion, looks for a repeat this week at the America East Conference Tournament, hosted by Stony Brook University. Making their 14th straight appearance in the postseason competition, the No. 2 seeded Great Danes take on No. 3 Binghamton at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in their first game of the tournament. No. 1 Stony Brook and No. 4 Maine square off in the 1 p.m. opener.
SCOUTING UALBANY (30-16, 11-6 America East)
Head Coach: Chris Cannata (UAlbany '85), 21st season
THE COACH: Chris Cannata, a four-time America East Conference Coach of the Year and the winningest head coach in the UAlbany softball program, is in her 21st season at the helm. During her tenure at UAlbany, the Great Danes have compiled a 632-322-1 overall record, a 196-73-1 mark in America East play, a .729 winning percentage and have averaged over 30 wins per season. Cannata has also led the Great Danes to five NCAA Tournament appearances, as well as, five America East regular-season championships and five tournament titles since the program joined Division I in 2000. The club, which has won at least 30 games in the last 12 of 14 seasons, has never finished lower than fourth in the America East standings.
OVERVIEW: UAlbany closed the regular season with five straight wins, sweeping a non-conference doubleheader against Siena and a three-game sweep over Hartford. On the season, UAlbany is hitting a conference-best .307 led by Maggie Cocks (.420, 46 RBI), Liz Snow (.408, 39 RBI, 9 HR), and Vicky McFarland (.400, 31 SB). Defensively, the pitching staff owns a collective 3.51 ERA piloted by freshmen Erynn Sobieski (10-5, 2.70 ERA, 57 K, 111.1 IP) and Devin Durando (14-5, 3.57 ERA, 111 K, 111.2 IP).
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON (20-18, 10-6 America East)
Head Coach: Michelle Burrell (Maryland '01), 6th season
OVERVIEW: In the regular season, UAlbany took two of three from the Bearcats, winning the first two games of the series, 8-5 and 13-4. Binghamton won the finale, 11-6. Coming into the tournament, the Bearcats have won seven of their last nine games, including going 6-1 against conference opponents. On the season, Binghamton is batting .302 as a squad led by Lisa Cadogan (.438, 48 RBI), Jessica Rutherford (.352, 25 RBI), and Sydney Harbaugh (.347, 42R). Meanwhile, the pitching staff owns a collective 5.48 ERA piloted by Cara Martin's 10-4 record and 3.57 ERA in 82.1 innings of work.
SCOUTING STONY BROOK (28-15, 14-2 America East)
Head Coach: Megan Bryant (Bridgeport '81), 15th season
OVERVIEW: Stony Brook comes off a series sweep over UMBC, clinching the regular season title. UAlbany just met the Seawolves last week, falling 8-3 and 7-3 in Tuesday's make-up doubleheader in Albany. In league play, the Seawolves have won every series this season only losing single games to Binghamton and Maine. As a team, Stony Brook is batting .302 led by Bria Green (.438, 48 RBI, 18 HR), Shayla Giosia (.396, 43 RBI, 12 HR), and Chelsea Evans (.340, 10 RBI). In the circle, the pitching staff owns a collective 3.04 ERA led by Jane Sallen (15-9, 2.55 ERA, 89 K) and Allison Cukrov (12-4, 2.70 ERA, 103 K). UAlbany and Stony Brook have met in the championship game the last two years, with the Great Danes winning most recently.
SCOUTING MAINE (21-20, 10-7 America East)
Head Coach: Lynn Coutts (Maine '87), 4th season
OVERVIEW: Maine comes off a series loss to Binghamton, falling 5-4 in the final two games after taking the opener 9-0. In UAlbany's last meeting with the Black Bears, the Great Danes rallied from a 2-0 loss in game one to capture the final two wins, 5-3 and 7-3. Offensively, Maine is batting .247 led by Felicia Lennon (.320, 26 R, 21 RBI), Nikki Byron (.316, 14 RBI), and Emj Fogel (.315, 21 RBI). Defensively, the Black Bears' pitching staff has a 2.61 ERA piloted by Alexis Bogdanovich (14-6, 1.54 ERA, 175 K, 132.0 IP).
LAST WEEK'S TOP PERFORMERS
Player: Maggie Cocks/Jr./SS/ Walden, N.Y.
- Led UAlbany with a .462 batting average with a .846 slugging percentage.
- Recorded 12 hits, 12 RBIs, 5 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, and a home run.
- Hit in every game, including three multi-hit efforts, extending her hitting streak to eight games.
- Tied UAlbany's career doubles record, now with 38, and also is two hits, three doubles, and four RBIs away from breaking the program's single-season records in those categories.
- Went 6-for-8 in the doubleheader against Siena, including a 4-for-4 effort with a double, an RBI, and two runs.
- Knocked a solo home run in the series opener vs. Hartford.
- Went 2-for-4 with a triple and a double and three RBIs in game two vs. Hartford.
- Made a number of web gems, starting each game at shortstop.
Pitcher: Mackenzie Thompson/So./P/ Eldersburg, Md.
- Made three appearances and two starts, going 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA.
- Tossed a complete-game one-hit shutout in game two vs. Hartford, striking out five in the six-inning mercy rule win.
- Held Stony Brook off the board and to one hit, while striking out two in the final 3.2 frames of game one of the doubleheader.
- Took the no-decision, throwing the first innings against Siena in UAlbany's comeback win.
Rookie: Erynn Sobieski/Fr./P/ Logan Township, N.J.
- Made four appearances, and earned two complete-game wins, going 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA on the week.
- Tossed a complete-game shutout, scattering two hits while striking out two against Siena. She faced just two over the minimum and did not issue a single walk in the victory.
- Threw a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Hartford, and allowed just four hits and one earned run, while striking out four in the complete-game win.
- Hurled the final inning of game three vs. Hartford to earn a piece of the 8-0 shutout.
A RACE FOR THE HITS RECORD
Senior Vicky McFarland and junior Maggie Cocks are racing to break UAlbany's single-season hits record of 65 set by Amber Maisonet in 2007. McFarland enters the tournament with 64 hits and a 25-game hitting streak, while Cocks has 63 hits and a healthy eight-game streak.
100 STEALS, 200 HITS
Against Hartford last weekend, McFarland became the first player in program history to record 200 hits and steal 100 bases, ranking second all-time for career stolen bases (102, record is 129) and for hits (202, record is 233).
SENIOR CLASS SUCCESS
Prior to last Saturday's game, the Great Danes honored its four seniors -- Alexa Toole, Vicky McFarland, Jess Tate, and Marlin Solano. In the last four years, the senior class has compiled a 135-58 overall record, 51-16 mark in conference play, and captured two America East titles. In 2013, the Great Danes went 15-2 and took home the program's fifth America East Regular Season Championship, while 2014 featured a historic run to the NCAA Regional in Eugene, Ore. UAlbany boasted a 34-13 overall record and 14-3 conference mark, and in dramatic fashion, the Great Danes claimed the America East Tournament title and made the program's fifth NCAA tournament appearance. At the Regional in Eugene, Ore., UAlbany picked up the third NCAA win in program history.
GOING STREAKING
Senior Vicky McFarland enters the final series of the regular season with a 25-game hitting streak dating back to April 6th in Maine. While sophomore Liz Snow had an 18-game hit streak snapped last Tuesday vs. Stony Brook, she still has reached base safely in 25 straight games.
MCFARLAND BREAKS ALL-TIME RUNS RECORD
Scoring two runs in UAlbany's rubber match at UMass Lowell on April 26th, senior outfielder Vicky McFarland broke the program's all-time runs record of 151, set by Amber Maisonet in 2008. McFarland has now recorded 156 runs in her four-year career.
COCKS KNOCKS THEM HOME
With a team-high 46 runs batted in this spring, Maggie Cocks ranks second all-time and is just four RBIs off the season record of 50. In her three-year career, she has totaled 117 RBIs, good for fifth all-time.
COCKS IS DOUBLE TROUBLE
Against Hartford, Cocks tied UAlbany's career doubles record, now with 38. She also is two hits, three doubles, and four RBIs away from breaking the program's single-season records in those categories.
SNOW HITS CENTURY MARK
Just a sophomore, Liz Snow has recorded 100 hits in her short career. Batting .408 on the season, UAlbany's starting catcher is a .358 career hitter and was named the America East Rookie of the Year in 2014.
2014 IN REVIEW: The 2014 season featured a historic run to the NCAA Regional in Eugene, Ore., as the Great Danes boasted a 34-13 overall record and 14-3 conference mark. Facing elimination in the America East Tournament with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Elizabeth Snow's three-run walk-off home run lifted UAlbany to a 3-2 victory over Stony Brook and forced a deciding game that the Danes went on to win, 8-1. With the triumph, UAlbany captured its fifth conference tournament title and advanced to its fifth NCAA tournament. Edged 1-0 by Wisconsin in the first game, UAlbany overcame Utah Valley, 4-3, for the program's third NCAA win in history. Snow was named America East Rookie of the Year, while Brittany MacFawn, Maggie Cocks, and Vicky McFarland picked up first-team honors, highlighting a cast of eight on the first and second squads.
AMERICA EAST WEEKLY HONORS FOR THE DANES
APRIL 20 -- Maggie Cocks was named the America East Player of the Week, announced by the conference office April 20th. Cocks led UAlbany to a 5-2 week and an America East series win over Binghamton. The junior from Walden, N.Y. batted .500 with four home runs, 13 hits, 13 RBIs, eight runs, two doubles and two stolen bases. With a 1.038 slugging percentage, Cocks recorded a hit in every game, stretching her hitting streak to 14 games. In the Great Danes' 10-4 win over Cornell, Cocks went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Hitting a home run in all three game against Binghamton, Cocks recorded four hits, six runs batted in, and scored two runs in the Danes' doubleheader sweep.
APRIL 13 -- Freshman pitcher Erynn Sobieski was named the America East Rookie of the Week, announced by the conference office Monday. A native of Logan Township, N.J., Sobieski led the UAlbany softball team to an America East Conference series win over UMBC, tossing a complete game shutout in the 1-0 series rubber match triumph. She held the Retrievers to just four hits and a walk, while striking out five. Sobieski also pitched well in the first game of the UMBC series, despite taking the tough-luck loss. She allowed just two runs and six hits, while striking out three in five innings of relief work.
APRIL 7 -- Freshman Devin Durando was named the America East Pitcher of the Week, announced by the conference office April 7th. Durando improved her record to 8-2 on the season, going 2-1 on the week with a 1.62 ERA. Out of the pen, the Oakland, N.J. native earned the win against UConn, allowing no runs and just one hit, while striking out three in three innings of work. Durando threw six solid frames in her first outing against Maine, holding the Black Bears to two runs (one earned) and three hits, while striking out five in the tough-luck loss. In the rubber match, Durando piloted the Danes to a series triumph, allowing three runs (two earned) and two hits, while striking out five in four frames.
MARCH 23 -- Junior infielder Kelly Costello and sophomore hurler Mackenzie Thompson were named the America East Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, on March 23rd. Costello, a native of Windsor, N.Y., batted .500 on the final day of the Rebel Games in Winter Haven, Fla., leading the Great Danes to wins over St. Peter's and Wisconsin Green Bay. Against the Peacocks, Costello went 1-for-2 with an RBI triple and a run scored in the 8-0 rout. Costello also went 1-for-2 and scored a run in UAlbany's 2-1 victory over Green Bay. Thompson, who hails from Eldersburg, Md., tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out three in UAlbany's mercy rule win over St. Peter's. Of her five innings in the circle, Thompson threw three perfect frames.
MARCH 10 -- Freshman pitcher Devin Durando was named the America East Rookie of the Week on March 10th. In her second collegiate start, Durando earned her second straight complete game win, allowing just one unearned run, four hits, while striking out 13 in seven frames in UAlbany's 7-1 victory over Furman. She also threw 3.2 innings of relief against Winthrop, striking out four.
FEB. 24 -- Freshman hurler Devin Durando was named the America East Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 24th. In her first collegiate start, Durando led the UAlbany softball team to a 2-0 victory over Florida A&M Sunday at the Florida Atlantic Invitational. Durando (1-0) recorded 12 strikeouts and held the Rattlers to just two scattered hits to pick up her first career win. Composed under pressure, Durando worked her way out of a first-and-third situation and a bases loaded jam to preserve the complete-game shutout.
UALBANY SELECTED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL
With 31 total points and two first-place votes, UAlbany placed second behind Stony Brook in the America East Preseason Poll, announced by the conference office. The Seawolves, who won the regular season title in 2014, earned five first-place votes for a total of 34 points. Binghamton (28) was picked third, followed by Maine (21), UMBC (17), UMass Lowell (10), and Hartford (7).
UALBANY SOFTBALL'S TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2014
NCAA Regional Final: 2007
America East Conference Tournament Champions: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2014
America East Conference Regular-Season Titles: 2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2013
