Utica, NY (4/27/12)- The Utica College softball team is set for its final home games of the regular season, Saturday as it hosts Empire 8 opponent, Alfred University

Game Time: The double-header is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. at Greenman Field.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers are coming off a sweep over conference opponent Elmira College… UC won the first game 11-1 in five innings, before downing the Soaring Eagles 12-7 in game two… Meghan Matan (Latham, NY/Shaker) went 4-for-9 with four runs scored and three RBI, while Courtney Fitzgerald (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) went 3-for-8 with three RBI and two runs scored… Heather Kingsbury (Williamson, NY/Williamson) and Haley Butler (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) each picked up wins for UC.

Where We Sit: The Pioneers are currently 22-15 overall and 4-6 in the Empire 8 Conference… Ithaca College (23-11 overall, 10-0 E8) sits atop the E8 while St. John Fisher (27-9 overall, 8-4 E8) is second… Alfred (24-10 overall, 5-3 E8) is third… Utica (22-15 overall, 4-6 E8) is fourth, followed by Stevens (12-19 overall, 3-3 E8) in fifth… Nazareth (8-24 overall, 1-7 E8) and Elmira (8-14 overall, 1-9 E8) round out the standings…. This is the best record UC has had since 2006.

Matan Making History: Junior transfer Meghan Matan (Latham, NY/Shaker) has earned herself a spot in Utica's record books as she recently broke the College's single-season record for hits (61) and stolen bases (17)… Matan currently leads the team in hits (63), batting average (.453), slugging percentage (.576), stolen bases (18), and is tied for first with 33 runs scored.

Hot Hitting: Eight different Pioneers have a batting average above .300… Junior Mallory Ingalls (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) is second on the team with a .358 batting average… She is tied for first with 33 runs scored, and ranks second in hits (44), RBI (23), slugging percentage (.528), and home runs (4)… Freshmen Courtney Fitzgerald (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) and Christy Traglia (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) ranks third and fourth in batting average on the team respectively… Fitzgerald has a .339 batting average, a .521 slugging percentage, and leads the team with 31 RBI and five home runs… Traglia has compiled a .333 batting average and is a perfect 12-for-12 on steal attempts.

In the Circle: Senior Heather Kingsbury (Williamson, NY/Williamson) leads the team with eleven wins on the season… She has compiled a team-best 2.96 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 99.1 innings pitched for the Pioneers… Classmate Haley Butler (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) has compiled a 5-3 record, a 3.09 ERA, and 17 strikeouts in nine appearances this season… She also has a 2.96 batting average, 14 RBI, and two stolen bases… Freshmen Briona Enny (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) and Cassidy Thompson (Bend, OR/West Valley) have also earned their spots in the rotation… Enny is 4-4 on the season with a 3.39 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 62 innings of work, while Thompson is 2-2 with a 3.20 ERA to go along with her 18 strikeouts and six saves.

Scouting Alfred: The Saxons are currently 24-10 overall and 5-3 in the Empire 8 Conference… They are coming off two losses to Ithaca, 2-0 and 8-1… UC is 10-7 against Alfred dating back to 2003… Last year, the Pioneers dropped the first game 9-7, before rebounding to win game two 7-6.

Honoring the Seniors: On Saturday, the Pioneers will pay tribute to three seniors playing in their final games for the orange and blue… Pitchers Heather Kingsbury (Williamson, NY/Williamson) and Haley Butler (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) and infielder Jess Anson (Utica, NY/Proctor) have helped UC to its best record since 2006, and back-to-back seasons above .500… Kingsbury has compiled a 21-13 record, 100 strikeouts and a 3.53 ERA in two seasons with the Pioneers… Butler has totaled 16 wins in the circle for UC and has compiled a .235 batting average and 19 RBI in four seasons… Anson has started 71 of 72 games for the Pioneers while racking up a .285 career batting average, 59 hits and 28 RBI as well as a .909 fielding percentage… All three seniors are ending their careers with their best statistical seasons. 


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