Utica, NY (4/19/13)- The Utica College softball team is set for a huge Empire 8 Conference weekend as it hosts Ithaca College and Stevens Institute of Technology Saturday and Sunday, respectively.  Game time is set for 1 p.m. both days.

Last Time Out: UC is coming off a split against the University of Rochester on Wednesday… U of R won the first game 4-3 in nine innings, before UC took game two 4-1 in eight innings… Dominique Carcone (Frankfort, NY/New Hartford) was 3-for-7 with two runs, while Cassie Smith (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) and Chelsea Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) each had three hits on the day…. Alysa Russell (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) had two hits and two RBI, and Courtney Fitzgerald (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) and Taylor Ellis (Willet, NY/Greene) had one RBI apiece… Freshman Abby Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) finished with three strikeouts and allowed just five hits to improve to 10-4 on the year… Freshman Erica Colucci (Glenville, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) struck out five in six innings of work in game one. 

NCAA Regional Rankings: UC was ranked No. 1 in the first NCAA Division III Northeast Region Rankings released Thursday by the NCAA...  The regional rankings are used to determine both bids and seeding for the NCAA tournament… The Pioneers are currently 19-9 overall and 5-3 in the highly competitive Empire 8 Conference headed into the final weekend of E8 regular season play. 

Monroe Honored: Junior Chelsea Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) was named both the Empire 8 and ECAC Upstate Player of the Week for her efforts last week… Monroe batted .429 and hit four home runs to help Utica to a 6-0 record last week, including back-to-back Empire 8 sweeps over Nazareth and St. John Fisher... In the four Empire 8 games, she had a .444 average with three home runs... Her biggest performance was against Fisher on April 14 where she went 4-for-6 on the day with two homers, including a two-run shot... On the week, Monroe scored six runs and totaled seven RBI with a slugging percentage of 1.357… On the season, she ranks second on the team with a .412 average...  She is tied for third in the conference with six home runs and has stolen seven bases.

Fitzgerald Named UC Athlete of the Week: Sophomore Courtney Fitzgerald (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) was named the College's Female Athlete of the Week Monday after smashing a walk off grand slam Sunday to lift the Pioneers over conference power St. John Fisher...  Utica trailed 2-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning and tied the game before loading the bases for Fitzgerald, who cleared the bags with a moon shot to left center giving the Pioneers a 6-2 victory... The Sunday sweep against Fisher was only the third and fourth time in 20+ games Utica beat Fisher and it extended UC's winning streak to six straight…  On the season, Fitzgerald currently leads the team in total bases (54), hits (32), RBI (27) and homeruns (six).

Big Bats: UC leads the conference in hits (255), home runs (31), and RBI (169)… Eight different players have hit at least one homer… Courtney Fitzgerald (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) and Chelsea Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) are tied for the team lead with six apiece… Seniors Mallory Ingalls (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) and Bridgette Plummer (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville), and freshman Alysa Russell (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) have each hit five over the fence… Junior Meghan Matan (Latham, NY/Shaker) has two home runs, while freshmen Cassie Smith (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) and Taylor Ellis (Willet, NY/Greene) each have one.

Ace in the Circle: Freshman Abby Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) has been a standout so far in her first year campaign… She is tied for first in the conference in wins (10), ranks third with 59 strikeouts, and has a 1.61 ERA. 

Class of 2013: On Sunday, Utica will be honoring its three seniors, Mallory Ingalls (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany), Dominique Carcone (Frankfort, NY/New Hartford), and Bridgette Plummer (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville)… Under their leadership, the Pioneers have posted back-to-back winning seasons, and are on the verge of an Empire 8 Conference Tournament berth for the first time since 2007.

Scouting Ithaca: The Bombers are 18-8 and sit in first place in the Empire 8 with a 6-2 record… They are coming off a sweep over Kings College, 6-5 and 7-3… Ithaca is led by senior Jen Biondi and freshman Casey Gavin who each have a .387 batting average… Junior Sydney Folk is third on the team with a .381 average and leads the squad in home runs (6), RBI (24), triples (3), and total bases (66)… UC has never beaten Ithaca… Last year the Pioneers fell 4-1 and 5-0… Meghan Matan (Latham, NY/Shaker) led the way for Utica by going 3-for-6 at the plate with one run scored and Dominique Carcone (Frankfort, NY/New Hartford) tallied two hits in five at-bats.

Scouting Stevens: The Ducks are 5-27 overall and 0-8 in the Empire 8… They are coming off two losses to Richard Stockton on Thursday… Stevens is led by Danielle DeFeo and Gavriella Risman-Jones… DeFeo has a .340 batting average while Risman-Jones is batting .314… UC is 5-1 all-time against the Ducks… Last year the Pioneers topped Stevens 11-2 before falling 6-5 in game two… Junior Meghan Matan (Latham, NY/Shaker) was 7-for-9 on day with four runs and two stolen bases.

Looking Ahead: The Pioneers face Oswego and RPI next week, both at home… On Monday, Utica will face Oswego, before taking on RPI on Wednesday… The first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. both days.

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