UTICA, NY - The Utica University softball team is looking to make it to back-to-back title game appearances in its second straight Empire 8 Conference tournament appearance this weekend as the team travels to top-seeded St. John Fisher in Rochester, NY to take on the 2025 Empire 8 Conference Softball Tournament. The Pioneers will take on third-seed SUNY Geneseo in a true first round matchup on Thursday, May 8 beginning at 2pm. 
 
Ticketing Information: Tickets will be available online only and will not be sold on-site. Tickets will be $6 for adults, $4 for students with a valid ID and seniors, and children under 12 are free. Tickets for day one of the tournament can be purchased here. Should the Pioneers advance, tickets for day two can be purchased here, and tickets for day three can be purchased here. 
 
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video for every game can be found here, and live stats can be found here. 
 
How We Got Here: The Pioneers secured the fourth seed heading into the tournament after being jumped by Geneseo via tiebreaker at the end of the regular season. The Pioneers finished the regular season with a 22-10 record, marking their second consecutive 20-win season, and a 17-5 record in conference play. Utica has been dominant at the plate this season, recording the team's fourth best combined batting average in program history at .340 through the end of the regular season, and well as the team's highest on-base percentage since 2013 at .417. The Pioneers have remained at the top of the conference all season at the plate, sliding into the top five in almost every hitting category including combined batting average at .340, with 314 hits, 223 runs and 199 RBIs through a combined 924 at-bats. The Pioneer pitching staff has been solid inside the circle this season, combining for a team ERA of 4.13, which currently falls inside the top 10 lowest of all time, and have allowed some of the lowest batting averages to opponents this season at .312. 
 
A Look at the Field: The seeding for the tournament and schedule is as follows: 
Seeding:
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (18-4 E8, 26-13 Overall)
No. 2 – Alfred University (18-4 E8, 28-9 Overall)
No. 3 – SUNY Geneseo (17-5 E8, 28-10 Overall)
No. 4 – Utica University (17-5 E8, 22-10 Overall)
No. 5 – Nazareth University (14-8 E8, 20-13 Overall)
No. 6 – Russell Sage College (12-10 E8, 16-23 Overall
No. 7 – SUNY Poly (12-10 E8, 18-15 Overall)
No. 8 – Elmira College (9-13 E8, 12-23-1 Overall)
 
Schedule:
Tuesday, May 6 (Single Game, First Round at Higher Seed)
No. 8 Elmira College at No. 5 Nazareth University – 10:30 a.m.
No. 7 SUNY Poly at No. 6 Russell Sage College – TBA
 
All Double Elimination Games at Top-Seed
Thursday, May 8
Game 1 – Lowest first round winner seed at No. 1 St. John Fisher University – 9 a.m.
Game 2 – Second lowest first round winner vs. No. 2 Alfred University – 11:30 a.m.
Game 3 – Utica University vs. SUNY Geneseo – 2 p.m.
Game 4 – Losing team from Game 1 vs. Losing Team from Game 2 (Elimination game) – 4:30 p.m.
 
Friday, May 9
Game 5 – Winning Team from Game 1 vs. Losing Team from Game 3 – 9 a.m.
Game 6 – Winning Team from Game 2 vs. Winning Team from Game 3 – 11:30 a.m.
Game 7 – TBA vs. TBA – 2 p.m.
Game 8 – TBA vs. TBA – 4:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 10
Game 9 – TBA vs. TBA – 11 a.m.
Game 10 – TBA vs. TBA – 1:30 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 11
Game 11 – (if necessary) – TBA
 
Scouting Geneseo: The third-seeded SUNY Geneseo Knights have finished the regular season with a 28-10 overall record and finished 17-5 in its first season of Empire 8 play. Leading the way for the Knights at the plate is third baseman Molly Griffin who has batted .505 this season through 34 games. Griffin has been able to get on base over 53 percent of the time, with 47 hits, 13 of which have been for extra bases, and 28 RBIs. Ray Schumacher has been a force for the Knights at the plate as well, averaging .362 with 47 hits, a team high 32 RBIs and a team leading five home runs this season. Gabriella Petroski and Kaitlyn Schmitz have done most of the dealing for the Knights inside the circle this season, with Petroski posting a 2.73 ERA through the regular season. In her 89.2 innings of work, Petroski has allowed 83 hits, 45 runs and accumulated 64 strikeouts. Schmitz has posted a 2.82 ERA this season, and through her 82 innings pitched has given up 95 hits, 43 runs, and has struck out 50 batters. Last time out against the Knights, the Pioneers split the regular season series 1-1, taking the first game by a score of 8-0 in a five-inning affair before falling in game two 12-3. In game one of the series, pitcher Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) tossed her first career no-hitter, after dealing five no hit innings, not allowing a walk, and striking out 6 of the 16 batters she faced.