UTICA, NY – The No. 3 seeded Utica College softball team will travel to the campus of St. John Fisher College this weekend for the 2018 Empire 8 Conference Tournament.
 
Tournament Information: Advancing to its fourth conference tournament in the last six years, UC will enter as the No 3 seed and take on No. 2 seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in the opening game Friday at 1 p.m...  The winner will face the victor of No. 1 Fisher-No. 4 Alfred on Saturday at 11 a.m. while the losers of each game will face each other in the elimination game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m... More Information and an updated tournament schedule can be found on thr tournament webpage HERE.
 
Tournament Advancement: The Empire 8 Conference Tournament hosts the top four teams in a three-day (seven game) competition to select the champion… The tournament is double elimination and the winner will be awarded with an automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament.
 
Last Time Out:  The Pioneers fell to St. John Fisher in their last conference double header of the regular season dropping the first game 3-1 and falling 9-1 in game two... Samantha Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) had one hit and scored Utica's lone run while Sadie Evans (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) had the RBI that drove in Whitehouse in game one… Nicole Rice (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) was 3-for-4 and Jamie Miller (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) was 2-for-4 to lead the Pioneers in game two.
 
Mid Season Turn Around: After starting the season 6-14, the Pioneers went on a tear in April that included a 12-game winning streak, the longest such streak in program history… During that span, Utica outscored its opponents 100-29, with four run-rule victories… Ten of the 12 games were against Empire 8 opponents… Utica wrapped up the regular season with an 18-16 overall record and a 10-4 mark in the E8… 10 conference wins in a season in a new program-high.
 
Hit Away: As a team, Utica ranks second in the conference in batting average (.339), total hits (323), home runs (15), least amount of time struck out (107), slugging percentage (.457), and on base percentage (.389)… The Pioneers also lead the conference with 199 runs scored and 188 RBIs… Additionally, three players are in the top four in the conference in batting average.
 
Here Comes the Boom: Junior Nicole Rice (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) leads the team and ranks second in the E8 with a .466 batting average… Rice has a conference-leading 54 hits and 30 runs scored and she ranks third in on base percentage (.508)… Rice has finished in the top two in batting average in each of her three seasons as a Pioneer… Last year she led the squad with a .480 average…As a freshman, she was second on the team, batting .323, behind senior Alysa Russell.
 
No Sophomore Slump: Sophomores Madison Akots (Wynantskill, NY/Emma Willard School) and Jamie Miller (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) rank third and fourth in the conference with batting averages of .456 and .433, respectively… Akots is second on the team with eight doubles and she also has 18 RBIs, while Miller is second in runs scored (25). 
  
On The Mound: Freshman Gabby Caccamo is 10-7 on the season and leads the Pioneers with 32 strikeouts, 101.1 innings pitched and a 2.63 ERA… Sophomore Alyssa Samborin (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) has a 4.04 ERA and has picked up six wins in the circle for UC, including a no-hitter against SUNY Poly on April 13… Samborin leads the team with a .289 opponent batting average.
 
Scouting Stevens: The Ducks hold a record of 21-11 overall and finished 11-3 in conference play securing the No. 2 seed in the tournament…  Stevens is led by Corinne Loncar who has tallied 40 hits, 12 runs and 26 RBI's on the season… UC fell to Stevens 1-0 and 7-1 in its Empire 8 Conference opener on April 7.
 
Scouting St. John Fisher: The Cardinals enter the tournament as the top seed after they went 14-0 in conference play… Fisher is ranked No. 6 nationally in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll and it currently holds an overall record of 27-7… They are led by senior pitcher Lindsey Thayer who is 17-3, with 217 strikeouts and a 1.04 ERA.
 
Scouting Alfred: The Saxons earned the No. 4 seed after finishing 8-6 in Empire 8 play and 21-17 overall… Alfred won the Conference title back in 2015 and it has secured a spot in the E8 tournament for the seventh time in the last 10 years... Jessica Wilcox leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference with a 1.91 ERA.