UTICA, NY - The Utica University softball team will play its home opener on March 27 against Cazenovia College in a doubleheader. Game one is set to begin at 3 p.m. with game two scheduled for 5 p.m. from Greenman Softball Field. The team will then travel to SUNY Poly on Wednesday, March 29 at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. before completing its week at Union College on Saturday, April 1 with the games scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Follow Along: Live video and stats for all home games will be available through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. Union will provide live video via https://bit.ly/2IqQYe5 and live stats through https://bit.ly/42BX6WA. Fans are advised to check Utica's schedule for how to follow along against Poly. 
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers concluded the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic on March 17 with an outstanding record of 7-2. Despite dropping the last two games against UMass Boston and Lycoming College, the Pioneers had a great road trip in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Utica started the season on a high note in the first nine games with 82 hits, 19 doubles, 52 runs batted in, .874 OPS as a team offensively. In the final game, Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) led Utica with two hits followed by six others with one each. Brooke Catlin (Brewerton, NY/Central Square High School) drove in a team high two runs while Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) had one. In the circle, Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) picked up her first loss of the season after four innings pitched allowing four runs, none of which were earned, on six hits. Lucia Gargiulo (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) came in for three scoreless innings of relief with just two hits allowed and no walks issued over 11 batters faced. The Pioneers started out ahead with an RBI single by Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) in the bottom of the 1st inning. Murray kept Lycoming off the board up until the 4th inning. With the bases loaded and one out, an E6 gave Lycoming its first run of the game and was followed by a sacrifice flyout and a two-RBI single for a 4-1 advantage. Utica came back with two runs of its own in the home half as Catlin doubled home Cassidy Doiron (Beacon Falls, CT/Woodland Regional) and Bailey McElwain (Baldwinsville, NY/Charles W. Baker High School) to bring the Pioneers back within one run. Gargiulo entered to pitch in the top of the 5th and kept Utica in the game over her three innings of work. Despite getting a runner on base in each of the final three innings, the Pioneers were unable to bring anyone home to tie the game as the team went on to fall 4-3.
 
Three of a Kind: The Pioneer pitching staff through nine games is ranked 12th in the nation (through games 3/23) in earned run average, backed by an impressive start from senior Jordyn Conte (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley High School). Conte is currently ranked 22nd in the nation in ERA (through games 3/23) with a staggering .71, tallying two wins in her three starts with 16 strikeouts. Not too far behind is freshman Maggie Habernig (Kingston, NY/Kingston), who currently sits tied for 25th in the nation (through games 3/23) with a .78 ERA over three appearances and snagging her first career win on the way. Sophomore Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) has also posted a 1.94 ERA in her three starts so far this season. 
 
Murray Magic: Murray did it all for Utica in a 6-2 week for the team in South Carolina. In the circle, Murray went 1-1 with two complete games and one save over 17.2 innings last week. She posted a 1.98 ERA, a 1.58 WHIP and struck out nine batters to four walks allowed. At the plate, Murray went 11-for-24 with a double, seven runs scored and three runs driven in. She also went 1-for-1 on stolen base opportunities. On the season, Murray is batting .500 in 28 plate appearances with 14 hits, and a .607 slugging percentage. 
 
Quick Hands: The duo of Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) and Cassidy Doiron (Beacon Falls, CT/Woodland Regional) have been no stranger to lending a helping hand this season. Doiron currently leads the team in RBIs with nine, followed by Paul with eight. Through nine games, Doiron has batted .458 with two doubles and a triple on 11 hits. Paul, who has the team's only home run so far this season, has also recorded three doubles while batting .370 on 27 plate appearances. 
 
Yes Swiping: The Pioneers have been superb, 18 out of 21 successful stolen bases as a team. Seven different players on the team have stolen at least one base. Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) currently leads the team with six stolen bases. Abriana Wadley (Utica, NY/Proctor) has four, followed by Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) with three. Brooke Catlin (Brewerton, NY/Central Square High School) has recorded two and Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester), Maddie Zulager (Moorpark, CA/Moorpark), and Julia Phelps (Waterford, NY/Shenendehowa High School) have all tallied one apiece. 
 
Scouting Caz: The Cazenovia Wildcats are currently 2-8 on the season, with a five-game losing streak looming. At the plate, the team has combined for a .251 batting average, scoring 33 runs on 58 hits. Olivia Simone leads the team at the plate, batting .522 with two doubles, a triple, and five RBI on 12 hits. In the circle, Haley Geistler has dropped her first three starts of the season while posting a 2.68 ERA with nine strikeouts over 15.2 innings pitched. All-time, the Pioneers are 12-2 against the Wildcats, with the Wildcats taking the last matchup by a score of 5-4. 
 
About Poly: The Wildcats are 5-4 this season and dropped their last game against Keene State 9-0 on Thursday, March 16 at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC. Amy DeSena is the team's top hitter batting .360 this season with five doubles and nine runs scored. Ava Faragon and Kimberly Birmingham are two more threats at the plate with each batting at least .320 while Birmingham leads the team with 10 runs batted in. Trinity Critelli is the team's ace this season with an incredible 1.07 ERA over 32.2 innings pitched this season and has a 3-1 record with an 11.57 K/9 while allowing just five runs.
 
Scouting Union: Union has opened its season 1-7 overall and will square off against MCLA on Wednesday for a pair before clashing with Utica on Saturday. The team has averaged roughly 4.5 runs per game on a .271 batting average, led by Karson Saunders' .565 over 23 at-bats and Olivia Valery's .423 in 26 trips to the plate. Valery has also gone deep once and has a team-high 12 RBI in eight games played. As for the pitching staff, it has posted a 6.29 ERA through 49 innings of work. Amanda Granato has tossed a team-high 18 innings and owns a 0-3 record with a 5.44 ERA with 14 walks to 10 strikeouts. Autumn Duff is second on the team in innings pitched, having gone for 12.1 frames with a 0-2 mark and 3.97 ERA to go with a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Union currently holds a 17-13 lead in the all-time series between the teams, including wins in the last two meetings last season. However, the Pioneers are 10-2 over the last 12 matchups dating back to 2013. 
 
Up Next: The Pioneers will make the short drive to take on crosstown rival SUNY Poly in a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 29. Game one is set to begin at 3 p.m.