UTICA, NY – The Utica College softball team returns to action with a pair of non-conference mid-week doubleheaders. The Pioneers will host SUNY Poly on Wednesday and then travel to Schenectady, NY to face Union College on Thursday. The first pitch is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. both days.
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers are 10-16 overall, with a conference record of 3-7 this season. They previously lost both games in a doubleheader against Stevens last Sunday. The first game ended with Stevens wining 2-0 and UC could not come back in the second game which resulted a 9-0 loss. The Pioneers are now 12-10 with a 10-10 conference record against Stevens since 2010.
 
Leading the Pack: UC has five players with over a .300 batting average. Senior Nicole Rice (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) leads the Pioneers with .369 batting average and she ranks seventh in the Empire 8 with 31 hits. Junior Jacqueline Aronin (Naugatuck, CT/Naugatuck High School) is trailing Rice in both categories with 24 hits and a .348 batting average. She is also the only player in the team to hit a home run this season. Junior Sadie Evans (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) has a .339 average and she shares the team lead with 14 runs.
 
Pitching: Sophomore Gabriella Caccamo (Suffern, NY/Suffern) is currently UC's leading pitcher. She has a 3.18 ERA and ranks seventh in the Empire 8 for strikeouts with 38. Following Caccamo is junior Alyssa Samborin (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) with 30 strikeouts.
 
Scouting SUNY Poly: The Wildcats are 9-15 with a 6-6 NEAC Conference record this season. They are coming off a split against Penn St.-Abington last Sunday. SUNY Poly lost 2-1 in the first game and won 4-0 in the second game. Melissa Barber is the Wildcats' leader with 23 hits and a .333 batting average. UC is 10-0 against SUNY Poly in the last five years. Last year, Utica came away with an 8-5 win in game one and a 12-0 run-rule victory in game two. 
 
Scouting Union College: The Dutchwomen are 10-10 (5-2 Liberty League) this season. They are coming off an 8-2 loss against Ithaca last Sunday. Julia Boule currently leads the team with 20 hits, 19 RBIs, and a .303 batting average. The Pioneers are 6-0 against Union College in the last five years. 2017 was the last time both teams meet, as Utica came away with a 10-2 win over Union College. The Pioneers had 15 hits in their win, with Jamie Miller (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) leading the team going 4-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will head to Elmira College this Saturday to face the Soaring Eagles in an Empire 8 doubleheader matchup. The first pitch is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.