UTICA, NY – The Utica College softball team returns home with a pair of non-conference mid-week doubleheaders. UC will host RPI on Wednesday (3:30 p.m.) and Hamilton on Thursday (5 p.m.). 
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers are currently 14-16, with an Empire 8 Conference record of 3-7. They are coming off a doubleheader sweep over Union College last Thursday. UC won the first game 11-4 and won its second game 8-0. Four players had two hits and two runs, while three players had two RBIs in game one. In the second game, the Pioneers had 13 hits, with junior Sadie Evans (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) going 3-for-3, with three RBIs.
 
Leader of the Pack: Sadie Evans (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) leads the Pioneers and ranks third in the conference with a .406 batting average. She is tied for the team-lead with 17 runs scored and she is one of only two Pioneers to hit a home run this season. Evans has 28 hits and a team-best .522 slugging percentage.
 
300 Club: Apart from Evans, there are four other players with at least a .300 batting average this season. Senior Nicole Rice (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) is averaging .380, and she leads the team with 38 hits. Behind Rice is Jacqueline Aronin (Naugatuck, CT/Naugatuck High School) with a .376 average. She is also sixth in the conference for RBIs with 22. Sara Stransky (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) is batting .328 and she ranks third on the team with 16 runs scored, while Jamie Miller (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) has a .325 average with 14 RBIs.
 
Aronin Honored: Junior Jacqueline Aronin (Naugatuck, CT/Naugatuck High School) was named the Empire 8 Player of the Week on Monday for her performance in a pair of sweeps for Utica. Aronin delivered a powerful run-producing week as the Pioneers went 4-0. She was 8-for-16 with nine RBIs, and also doubled twice and scored three runs as Utica swept SUNY Poly and Union. Aronin's best performance of the week was a 4-for-4, 5 RBI performance against the Wildcats. 
 
Scouting Hamilton: The Continentals are currently 25-8 (7-5 NESCAC) this season. They are coming off a split in their previous doubleheader against Middlebury on Saturday. Hamilton won the first game 18-6, but fell 6-4 in the second game. Emily Fraser leads the Continentals with a .457 batting average and 48 hits. In the last five years, UC is 8-2 against Hamilton. The teams split the season series last year with Utica taking the first game 9-4, but dropping the night cap 5-2.
 
Scouting RPI: The Engineers are 22-8 with a 6-4 Liberty League record this season. RPI is coming off a doubleheader sweep against Union College on Sunday. It won the first game 2-0 and 8-1 in the second game. Veronica DeStefano currently leads the team with 43 hits and a .413 batting average this season. UC is 4-2 against RPI in the last five years. The last time both teams meet was in 2017 when UC won game one 2-0 and dropped the second game 5-0.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers returns to Empire 8 action this Saturday, as they travel to Elmira College for a doubleheader. The first pitch is set to begin at 1 p.m.