UTICA, NY - The Utica University softball team will make its first Empire 8 Tournament appearance since the 2021 season when the team takes on second-seeded Alfred University in the opening round on Thursday, May 9 from St. John Fisher University. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Those unable to make the trip to Rochester can keep up with live video through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sjfc/index.htm and live stats at https://sjfathletics.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary for all tournament games. 
 
Getting In: Those attending tournament games will be charged $6 for adults, $4 for students and seniors with ID, while children under 12-years-old are free. Tickets must be purchased each day and will be sold online ONLY.  Spectators are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time as they will be directed to a tented area as they pull into Murphy Hall. Below are links to purchase tickets to each set of games:
 
Games 1 & 2: https://sjfcardinals.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/115
 
Games 3, 4 & 5: https://sjfcardinals.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/116
 
Games 6 & 7: https://sjfcardinals.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/117
 
Last Time Out: The Utica University softball team fell to St. John Fisher 2-1 and 5-1 on Saturday afternoon to complete its regular season. In game one, Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) led Utica at the dish, going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Frankie Luster (Granada Hills, CA/Granada Hills Charter), Jennifer Rodriguez (Sylmar, CA/John F. Kennedy), Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland), Rachel Little (Burbank, CA/John Burroughs) and Erica Sanford (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) all had one hit. Jordyn Conte (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley High School) tossed a gem over 6.1 innings as the graduate student held Fisher scoreless with five hits and two walks allowed to go with two strikeouts. Maggie Habernig (Kingston, NY/Kingston) was credited with the loss after giving up two runs on no hits and three walks. In game two, Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) accounted for three of Utica's six hits in the second game with the other three coming from Maddie Zulager (Moorpark, CA/Moorpark), Brooke Beleza (Amherstview, Ontario/Jefferson Community College) and Rachel Little (Burbank, CA/John Burroughs). In the circle, Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) picked up the loss after going five innings allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and four walks. She also struck out three. 
 
Tournament History: Since Empire 8 Tournament play began in 2002, the Pioneers have made seven previous postseason appearances (2006-07, 2013-14, 2016, 2018, 2021). Utica is 9-14 all-time in tournament play and has advanced to the Empire 8 Championship three times (2006, 2013, 2018). Against this year's tournament teams the Pioneers own a 3-2 all-time postseason record against Alfred, a 2-7 mark against Fisher, an 0-1 record against Sage and a 1-0 mark against Keuka. The defending champion and top-seeded Cardinals are looking to capture their ninth league title while second-seeded Alfred searches for its fourth. Utica, Sage and Keuka are all looking to hoist the Empire 8 trophy for the first time. 
 
Postseason Schedule: The 2024 Empire 8 Conference Softball Tournament will feature the conference's top five teams from regular season play. The No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seed in a single game on Tuesday, May 7. The winner of that game advances to the double elimination four-team tournament, which will begin on Thursday, May 9 at the home of the top-seeded St. John Fisher Cardinals. 
 
Teams
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (30-4, 14-0 E8)
No. 2 – Alfred University (26-12, 12-2 E8)
No. 3 – Utica University (20-13, 8-6 E8)
No. 4 – Russell Sage College (13-22, 6-8 E8)
No. 5 – Keuka College (13-21, 6-8 E8)
 
2024 Empire 8 Softball Championship Schedule 
 
Tuesday, May 7 (First Round at Russell Sage)
No. 4 Russell Sage 5, No. 5 Keuka 0 – Final
 
All Games at St. John Fisher
Thursday, May 9
Game 1 – No. 3 Utica vs. No. 2 Alfred – 1:30 p.m.
Game 2 – Winner of No. 4 Russell Sage/No. 5 Keuka at No. 1 St. John Fisher - 4 p.m.
 
Friday, May 10
Game 3 – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 10 a.m.
Game 4 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 –  (elimination game) – 12:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 – (elimination game) – 3 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 11
Game 6 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 – 12 p.m.
Game 7 – If Necessary – 2:30 p.m.
 
How We Enter: Utica completed its regular season at 20-13 overall with an 8-6 record in E8 play. The team reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2018 season. The Pioneer' offense enters the postseason ranked second in the E8 with a .329 batting average, 227 runs scored and a .401 on-base percentage, they are also third in the league with a .462 slugging percentage. Each of their batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and runs per game are near or within top-50 national marks. The pitching staff turned in the third-ranked ERA, posting a 2.98 over 204.2 innings pitched. In the field, Utica finished its season ranked fourth in the E8 with a .940 fielding percentage while holding opponents to the fewest stolen base attempts in the league (16) and offering the lowest stolen bases allowed percentage in the conference (.696). 
 
We Started the Fire: Emily Joss (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) and Rachel Little (Burbank, CA/John Burroughs) enter the postseason in peak form, both carrying hitting streaks of at least eight games. Little's eight-game heater began on April 23 against Houghton and since then is 13-for-24 with four multi-hit games. Her average has risen from .241 to .321 over that stretch as well. Over 29 games and 81 at-bats, the freshman backstop has been one of the toughest to set down on strikes as she's done so just five times, tied for the third fewest in the E8. She and classmate Frankie Luster (Granada Hills, CA/Granada Hills Charter) are the lone two Pioneers with five or fewer strikeouts. Behind the plate, Little has thrown out six of 13 runners attempting to steal and has contributed to six clutch pick-offs on the basepaths. She's also only allowed two passed balls. As for Joss, she finds herself amid a nine-game hitting streak that has taken her average up to .465; second only to teammate Jennifer Rodriguez (Sylmar, CA/John F. Kennedy) in the Empire 8. Joss has etched her way up the Utica record books during the span as well, needing just nine more hits to become the fourth player in program history to reach 200. In her fifth year with the team, the graduate student has set single-season highs with her .465 average, 46 hits (tied with her 2022 season), and .592 on-base percentage which also ranks first in the E8 and 11th in the country. 
 
California Love: The West Coast bats of Maddie Zulager (Moorpark, CA/Moorpark) and Jennifer Rodriguez (Sylmar, CA/John F. Kennedy) enter postseason play in prime form. Rodriguez has been a consistent threat all season as she still ranks amongst the top-11 in the country with a .505 batting average. The freshman also ranks within the top-five in the Empire 8 with a 1.309 OPS, a .774 slugging percentage, a .535 on-base percentage, 11 doubles, four home runs, 29 RBIs, 72 total bases, and has been one of the toughest to strikeout with just six over 93 at-bats. Zulager has hit safely in 11 of her last 12 games, going 15-for-39 over that span with six extra-base hits. Her batting average has ascended to .341 while her four home runs rank tied for fourth in the league. Zulager's 25 RBIs are nearly top-10 in the conference as well, ranking 11th amongst 70 qualified hitters. 
 
One-Two Punch: Jordyn Conte (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley High School) (8-3) and Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) (8-4) both come into the postseason sub-three ERA's. They are tied with one another for fifth in the E8 in wins while Conte's 2.64 ERA ranks fourth in the league and Murray's 2.97 fifth. The duo has each set single-season bests in ERA, Conte surpassing her mark of 4.53 in 2023 and Murray beating her 4.14 in 2023. Opponents have hit below .300 against both pitchers with Murray posting a .275 opponent batting average (fifth in E8) and Conte .299 (ninth in E8). 
 
A Look at the Field: St. John Fisher earned the top-seed to host the tournament after going 30-4 overall and 14-0 in conference play while amid a 20-game winning streak. The team boasts the highest batting average in the league (.356), as well as runs (250). Emily Mcmanu leads the conference with 10 home runs and has a .411 batting average over 95 at-bats. The pitching staff's ERA is the lowest in the league at 1.72 thanks to the league's top-two ERA leaders in Cassidy Ormo (15-2, 1.22 ERA) and Ainsley Evan (13-2, 1.54 ERA). The Cardinals' fielding percentage also tops the E8 at .975. Second-seeded Alfred's defense impressed this year as well, coming in second in the league at .959 clip. Megan Bennett (19-4, 1.80 ERA) has led a Saxons pitching staff that ranks second in the league with a 2.66 ERA and just 125 total runs allowed. The offensive attack led by Mya Wells (.429 BA, 26 XBH, 42 RBIs) is third in the E8 with a .319 average and 223 runs scored over 38 games. Fourth-seeded Russell Sage College played its way into the double elimination field with a 5-0 win over Keuka College in the first round game on Tuesday. The Gators own the league's fifth-ranked offensive unit with a .280 team batting average and 157 runs scored across 35 games. Emma Heartquist (.381/.402/.452) and Annalise Tyler (.368/.417/.387, 17 RBIs, 21 R) have been quality table-setters as top-15 hitters in the conference. The pitching staff led by ace Leah Madore (10-10, 3.22 ERA, 3/1 K/BB) has posted a 4.86 ERA over 219.2 innings. In fact, Madore leads the E8 with her 146 strikeouts; however, her 45 walks are the second most issued in the league. In the field, Sage ranked near the bottom of the Empire 8 with a .916 fielding percentage (77 errors over 920 chances).  

Up Next: The winner of the Empire 8 Tournament will receive an automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. The selection show will be aired at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 13 on NCAA.com.