UTICA, NY - The Utica University softball team is set for a weekend slate against non-conference Cazenovia College and Empire 8 foe Alfred University. The Pioneers will play home on Saturday as the designated away team against Cazenovia with game one at 1 p.m. before heading to Alfred to begin Empire 8 play on Sunday for a 1 p.m. game one start. Utica will officially open up Greenman field on Monday against Houghton College at 3:30 p.m.
Follow Along: Live video and stats for all home games will be available through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/ while Alfred will provide live video/stats on Sunday through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/alfred/.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers dropped a non-conference double-header to host Skidmore College on Saturday, falling 9-8 in game one and 13-2 in game two. In game one, Utica used six unanswered runs in the last three innings to cut the 9-2 lead to 9-8. Senior
Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) led the way for the Pioneers going 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored, while sophomore
Julia Phelps (Waterford, NY/Shenendehowa High School) was 2-for-3, including two triples, with two RBIs and two runs scored. Senior
Kaitlyn Paul (Albany, NY/Guilderland) was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run as well. In game two, Utica had just three hits, including two off the bat of freshman
Alyssa Barbato (Rhinebeck, NY/Rhinebeck ), who finished 2-for-3, and one from freshman
Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland).
Abbigayle Finch (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz) recorded an RBI as she had a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.
On Base Machine: Outfielder
Julia Phelps (Waterford, NY/Shenendehowa High School) has had a consistent start to her sophomore campaign. Through 12 games, Phelps is batting .308 including a team-high two triples and nine runs scored. Phelps' seven walks this season are not only leading the team, but they're tied for fifth in the Empire 8 while her .455 on-base percentage is 10th in the conference. Phelps is also 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts this season.
Power in Numbers: Through 12 games,
Kaitlyn Paul (Albany, NY/Guilderland) has asserted herself as one of the top players on the team as well as in the Empire 8.
Kaitlyn Paul (Albany, NY/Guilderland) currently leads Utica in a plethora of statistical categories with a .375 batting average, 1.084 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), 40 trips to the plate, 15 hits, three doubles, three home runs, 16 RBIs, 27 total bases, and a .675 slugging percentage. Within the conference, Paul's 16 RBIs are tied for second, her 27 total bases are fourth, her three doubles fifth and her 1.084 OPS is sixth.
Running Wild: One aspect of the game the Pioneers continue to do well is baserunning. Utica is 14-for-15 on stolen base attempts this season which places the team third in the E8 in total attempts and bases swiped. Freshman
Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) leads the team (5-for-5),
Julia Phelps (Waterford, NY/Shenendehowa High School) is second (4-for-4),
Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) is third (2-for-3), and
Alyssa Barbato (Rhinebeck, NY/Rhinebeck ),
Abbigayle Finch (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz) and
Abriana Wadley (Utica, NY/Proctor) are all 1-for-1. For teams within the E8 with 10 or more stolen base attempts, Utica leads the league with a success rate of 93.3 percent.
One-Two Punch: Junior
Jordyn Conte (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley High School) and freshman
Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester ) lead the pitching staff thus far in appearances (Murray with eight, Conte with seven) and have logged at least 35 innings. In 35.1 innings pitched, Conte has struck out 19, walked nine and has given up 17 earned runs (3.37 ERA), while throwing two complete games. Her counterpart, Murray, has thrown 35 innings, struck out 23, walked 10 and has given up 20 earned runs (4.00 ERA), while throwing three complete games. Conte is 1-2 on the season in seven appearances, while Murray is 3-3 in eight appearances.
About Cazenovia: The Wildcats are currently 9-1 on the season and have won four straight coming into this matchup. Cazenovia is led by a junior from Whitesboro, NY, Madison Cieslak, who is batting .536 with a 1.393 OPS, and graduate student Naomi Kubo, who is batting .485 with a 1.352 OPS. The Wildcats have seven girls who are batting over .400 on the season, as well as every batter on the roster scoring at least one run. Cazenovia owns the second-lowest ERA in the North Atlantic Conference at 2.92 as Kirsten Joslin leads the team and the NAC with a 0.70 ERA. Utica is 11-1 all-time against Cazenovia however, the sides have not met since April 30, 2015. Utica swept the Wildcats 8-0 and 10-1 in those matchups.
Analyzing Alfred: The Saxons are currently 6-5 and will have four games between SUNY Geneseo and Russell Sage College before they face Utica. Alfred is led by sophomore Mya Wells (.364 batting average), junior Isabella Carrillo (.350 batting average), and senior Ashley Lugo (15-for-15 on stolen bases). In the circle, Alfred is second in the Empire 8 with a 3.37 ERA thanks to Mikaela Perez's 1.94 ERA, the third-lowest in the league. Last year's Empire 8 champions began the year ranked No. 25 in the NFCA Division III Poll, but a difficult schedule has caused them to fall out of the rankings. Utica is 25-19 all-time against Alfred, with the last matchup coming on April 10, 2021, where Alfred took game one 6-0, and Utica took game two 9-6.
Scouting Houghton: The Highlanders are currently 11-8 on the season and are riding a three-game win streak. Houghton is led by some of the best in the Empire 8, including seniors Grace Thompson (.433 batting average, 29 hits) and Hannah Haskell (.410 batting average, 25 hits) and junior Elise Swanson (.404 batting average, 21 hits), who are all in the top-five in the E8 in hits. Houghton leads the E8 with a staff ERA of 1.78 while Jen Burrows (4-0, 0.67 ERA) and Kayla Loomis (6-8, 1.89 ERA) are one-and-two in the league in ERA. Utica is 13-3 all-time against Houghton. The last time the two teams played was on May 1, 2021, where Utica won game one 2-1, and Houghton won game two 9-6.
Looking Ahead: Utica will head out to Troy, NY for non-conference action against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Wednesday, April 6. Game one of the twin bill is slated for 3:30 p.m.
