ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany softball hits the road for the America East Softball Championship Tournament.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
America East Championship Tournament
WHEN: May 6-9
SITE: Pierre & Catherine Labat Softball Complex - Orono, Maine
STATS:
GoBlackBears.com
STREAM:
ESPN+
INT'L STREAM:
AmericaEast.TV
TICKETS:
Evenue
MORE INFORMATION:
AmericaEast.com |
GoBlackBears.com
UAlbany's First Contest
DATE: Wednesday, May 6
TIME: 11:00 AM
STREAM: ESPN+
For a full schedule, keep reading.
Competing Teams
#1 Bryant 20-21 (16-4)
#2 Binghamton 16-24 (15-5)
#3 UAlbany 24-18 (13-7)
#4 UMass Lowell 24-25 (11-10)
#5 Maine 12-34 (6-14)
Records as of 5/5; shown overall (conference)
GREAT DANE REWIND
- UAlbany ended the regular season with a 24-18 overall record and a 13-7 conference record.
- Beginning the season with a shutout win over Mercyhurst, the Great Danes completed two weekends of tournament play for a 3-6 record.
- Throughout conference play, UAlbany did not let a weekend series close without at least one win. In road series against the top two seeds, Bryant and Binghamton, the Great Danes split the weekend with one win and two losses. UAlbany went 2-1 against the River Hawks twice - once on the road and once at home. The team split a home doubleheader against Bryant and swept the final series of the regular season at Maine.
- Outside of conference action, season highlights include a four-game sweep at Mount St. Mary's, a doubleheader sweep against CCSU, and a nine-inning win against Syracuse among many others.
AT THE BATTER'S BOX
- Freshman Katie Parisi (.384) and senior Sara Anderson (.383) are leading the team with their respective batting averages. Both are ranked in the top five of the conference.
- Four additional consistent starters are batting over .300 - junior Mary Kate Murray (.371), junior Taylor Quinn (.320), freshman Julia Pike (.319), and senior Kasey Conn (.314). Also an occasional starter, freshman Sierra Roy is hitting .328.
- Parisi holds the team-high in nearly every major statistic - 53 hits, 23 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 42 RBI, 32 runs, a .710 slugging percentage, and a 1.138 OPS.
- The freshman has ranked among the top of the nation in total doubles throughout much of the late season. She currently leads the NCAA with 23 doubles and .55 doubles per game.
- On May 1, Parisi broke UAlbany's single-season doubles record with her 22nd. In the second game of the doubleheader, she tied the same America East record with her 23rd in 2026.
- Anderson leads the team with a .463 on-base percentage, including 19 walks. She leads the conference with 13 sacrifice bunts having also hit two sac flies.
- Pike and Quinn lead the team on the base paths having totaled 14 and 13 stolen bases, respectively.
IN THE CIRCLE
- Three UAlbany pitchers have shared significant time in the circle - sophomores Hayley Wieczerzak (17) and Hailey Errichiello (16) lead while Julia Pike has seen eight starts.
- Despite a midseason injury, Wieczerzak has seen the most time with 98.1 innings. She has pitched a team-high 121 strikeouts, which is good for second in the conference. With batters hitting .206 against her (conference-best), she owns a 3.13 ERA (third in the conference) and a 9-5 record.
- Hailey Errichiello is close behind with 95.2 innings pitched with a team-high eight complete games. With two solo shutouts in 25 appearances, Errichiello pitched a near-perfect game against CCSU. She went 6.2 innings without allowing a batter on base when the Blue Devils earned two consecutive hits.
- Blossoming later in the season as a pitcher, Pike is currently fourth in the conference with a 3.52 ERA with 69.2 innings, including four complete games, under her belt. With 19 appearances, she holds a 9-3 record.
- Freshman Becca Munslow has also recorded one start in the circle for a total of 11.1 innings through seven total appearances.
MILESTONE SEASON
- On April 8, head coach Chris Cannata became just the 56th coach to win 900 games in their coaching career in NCAA Division I softball history. The milestone came in the first game against crosstown rival, Siena.
- Just a few days later, with three forfeit wins over UMBC, Cannata earned her 300th America East win.
- Cannata began her coaching career as an assistant coach for UAlbany in the fall of 1994 before quickly rising to head coach ahead of the 1995 season. She is in her 32nd season with the Great Danes and has been at the helm for 24 seasons with the America East.
2026 WEEKLY AWARDS
- Player of the Week
- Pitcher of the Week
- Rookie of the Week
ABOUT #1 BRYANT
- The Bulldogs posted a 20-21 record with a 16-4 conference record.
- Bryant competed in four tournaments and played to a 7-11 record.
- Of the Bulldogs' 16 league wins, six of them came from forfeits by UMBC.
- In league play, Bryant swept only Maine and earned a split series win over UAlbany (home), UMass Lowell (road), and Binghamton (home). The team also split a doubleheader at UAlbany.
- Bryce Clendenin leads the Bulldog offense with a .354 batting average, eight doubles, three home runs, and 25 RBI.
- Alissa West is close behind Clendenin with a .352 average while Gabriella Gesualdo has also hit three home runs for 20 RBI.
- On the base paths, Arianna Williams dominates with 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts.
- Maddy Wachter leads the Bulldogs in the circle posting a 2.95 ERA over 102.0 innings pitched. She has thrown 11 complete games in 14 starts with six additional appearances.
- Brooke Tracey (75.0) and Lexi Powell (58.2) have also seen significant time in the circle. Each has pitched one solo shutout with seven complete games between the two of them.
- All three of the Bryant pitchers are allowing batters less than a .300 batting average. Wachter leads with a team-low .238.
ABOUT #2 BINGHAMTON
- The Bearcats have played to a 16-24 record this season with a 15-5 conference record.
- Playing a difficult non-conference schedule, Binghamton tallied just seven out-of-league wins starting with the season-opener against Syracuse.
- Of the Bearcats' 15 league wins, six of them came from forfeits by UMBC.
- Binghamton opened conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Maine before splitting the series against UAlbany, 2-1.
- In their next two series, Bryant and Maine won with a rubber-match victory.
- To close out the regular season, the Bearcats swept UMass Lowell at home.
- As a team, Binghamton is hitting a league best, .316 while also leading the conference in home runs (47), RBI (209), slugging (.537), runs (226), and stolen bases (72).
- Their high-powered offense is led by Rachel Carey who holds a league-best .478 average and 28 extra-base hits (18 doubles, 10 HRs).
- Elisa Allen has hit a conference-high 16 home runs for a conference-best 44 RBI.
- In total, seven of nine active players are hitting over .300. Each of those batters has driven in at least 17 runs with five bringing in at least 20.
- In the circle, Olivia Kennedy leads with 78.1 innings, including six complete games, and 14 starts. Throwing for a 4.91 ERA, batters are hitting .310 against her.
ABOUT #4 UMASS LOWELL
- The River Hawks own a record of 24-25 and an 11-10 record in conference play.
- Participating in four tournaments and three road games, UMass Lowell played to a record of 9-13 before beginning conference play.
- Of the team's 11 league wins, three of them came from forfeits by UMBC.
- The River Hawks opened league play with a series sweep over Maine. Later on the season, UML added a second three-game series win over the Black Bears, 2-1.
- In early-season weekends against UAlbany and Bryant, the River Hawks dropped both of the first two games but came back to win the final game of the weekend.
- To close out the regular season, UML dropped but split the series against UAlbany (home) and fell in all three at Binghamton.
- Elizabeth Neeld leads the River Hawks with a .331 batting average. She is the only one hitting over .300.
- In order behind her, Thyanais Santiago, Julia Rowley, and Madi Wade have all hit at least 10 extra base hits for at least 20 RBI.
- Avery Spinello-Branch owns the team-high with 24 RBI but is hitting only .257 with just five extra-base hits (all doubles).
- On the rubber, UML has six pitchers. Olivia DeCitise and Giana LaCedra lead the pack with a combined 39 starts.
- DeCitise has pitched 148.0 innings with 15 complete games and two saves in 21 starts and 30 appearances. She owns a conference-best 162 strikeouts. She has thrown for a 15-10 record.
- LaCedra has been a consistent contributor having pitched 100.0 innings with seven complete games, including two shutouts, in 18 starts.
ABOUT #5 MAINE
- Maine has played to a 12-34 overall record and a 6-14 conference record.
- Playing in four early season tournaments, the Black Bears won four games while losing 15.
- Of the team's six league wins, three of them came from forfeits by UMBC.
- Throughout the conference season, Maine competed in five three-game series and a doubleheader.
- After a series loss to UMass Lowell and a doubleheader loss to Binghamton, the Black Bears earned their first win in a split series against UML.
- Maine went on to take the series victory against Binghamton with two wins and one loss but closed the regular season with six losses - three to Bryant and three to UAlbany.
- Keira Inman leads the team at the batter's box with a .263 average, six home runs, and 26 RBI.
- Three Black Bears are close behind - Neve Adams (.260), Eviana Robles (.258), and Francesca Guerrera (.252). Robles also holds a team-high 10 doubles.
- In the circle, six pitchers have seen time with three consistently on the rubber.
- Alysen Rieth leads with 107.2 innings, seven complete games, including three shutouts, and 22 starts. She holds a 6-15 record.
- Ava Zettlemoyer (75.2) and Hannah Hipwell (67.0) have also played significant innings. They combine for four complete games (two each) and 21 starts.
AROUND THE AMERICA EAST
- Bryant claimed the number one seed as America East Regular Season Champions. They closed the season with a 16-4 league record.
- Binghamton comes in second with a 15-5 record.
- UAlbany finished at 13-7 to claim the third seed in the tournament.
- UMass Lowell rounded out the teams with a winning record at 11-10 for the fourth seed.
- Maine, the tournament hosts, will serve as the fifth seed with a 6-14 league record.
- UMBC did not compete throughout the 2026 season. All contests against the Retrievers were marked as conference wins and are not reflected in the teams' overall records. Bryant and Binghamton compiled six wins this way. UAlbany, UMass Lowell, and Maine tallied three.
*written as of 5/5
AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The typical six-team double-elimination tournament schedule has been altered due to UMBC dropping out.
- Wednesday, May 6
- Game 1: #4 UMass Lowell vs #3 UAlbany - 11 am
- Game 2: #5 Maine vs #2 Binghamton - 1:30 pm
- Game 3: Winner G1/2 (Lower seed) vs #1 Bryant - 4 pm
- Thursday, May 7
- Game 4: Loser G1 vs Loser G2 - 11 am (elimination game)
- Game 5: Winner G3 vs Winner G1/2 (Higher seed) - 1:30 pm
- Game 6: Loser G3 vs Winner G4 - 4 pm (elimination game)
- Friday, May 8
- Game 7: Loser G5 vs Winner G6 - 12 pm (elimination game)
- Saturday, May 10
- Game 8: Winner G5 vs Winner G7 - 12 pm
- Game 9: Repeat G8, if necessary - 2:30 pm
UP NEXT
- If the Great Danes win the championship game, they will continue the season with an automatic bid to enter the NCAA Tournament.
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