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BROCKPORT, N.Y. – From Thursday, May 2, through Saturday, May 4, The College at Brockport will serve as host to the 2013 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Softball Tournament. The fifth-seeded Hawks (20-17, 11-7 SUNYAC) square off with second-seeded SUNY Cortland (24-14, 13-5 SUNYAC) on Thursday at 11 a.m. in their opening game of the six-team, double-elimination tournament.

ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT: Unlike most of the other team sport tournaments, the SUNYAC Softball Tournament follows a double-elimination format. The first game on Thursday features top-seeded Brockport and sixth-seeded SUNY Oswego, while the third game on Thursday matches third-seeded SUNY Plattsburgh up with fourth-seeded SUNY Geneseo. A fourth game will be played on Thursday between the loser of game one and the loser of game two, and the winner of game one will get the right to face the loser of game three on Friday. Game six pits the winner of game two against the winner of game three, and then two contests will follow on Friday. Two games are slated for Saturday, and if necessary, a final game will be played on Sunday. The champion of the tournament will gain the SUNYAC's automatic bid into the 2013 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament.

TICKET PRICING: Single-game ticket prices are $6 for adults, $3 for children 12 and under and free for all SUNY students with ID. An all-session pass can be purchased at the cost of $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.

WELCOME BACK: After a two-year absence from the SUNYAC Tournament, the Hawks return to the conference championships. New Paltz will look to reverse its playoff fortunes, as the program is just 3-13 all-time in the SUNYAC Tournament and has never won twice in the same conference championship.

NO STRANGERS TO THE POSTSEASON: While the Hawks have struggled in the SUNYAC Tournament, they have experienced success in other postseason tournaments. New Paltz won the 1988 NYSWCAA title, beating three current NCAA Division I teams (University at Albany, Stony Brook University and Binghamton University). The Hawks qualified for the NYSWCAA Tournament six times and made the NYSAIAW Tournament twice.

STRONG START: New Paltz used a strong start in league play to vault itself into the SUNYAC Tournament. The Hawks swept past Buffalo State and SUNY Fredonia during their first weekend of conference play on the road, and they returned home the following weekend to sweep SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Plattsburgh. After that 8-0 start, New Paltz faltered, falling to 9-7 in conference play after losing twice to Brockport, Geneseo and Cortland and losing once to Oswego. The Hawks solidified the No. 5 seed by sweeping SUNY Oneonta last Saturday, April 27.

TRAILBLAZER: Amber Carozza has fashioned one of the greatest all-around seasons in program history in the circle, as she is likely to finish the 2013 campaign in the record books. Carozza threw just the third no-hitter in program history on April 5 against Potsdam, and she became the first New Paltz pitcher to do so against a SUNYAC team. Carozza then set the program record for innings pitched in a game, as she hurled 12 innings in a 6-5 loss to Union (N.Y.) College on April 24.

WE STILL HAVE TIME: New Paltz's roster is deceptively young, as only one player on the team will have exhausted athletic eligibility after this season. Melissa Liotta is a true senior, having played four years on the team, but both Andrea Feeney and Amber Carozza, who are listed as seniors on the roster, have eligibility remaining after this season. Beyond that, the Hawks field a roster that features three juniors, seven sophomores and two freshmen.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: New Paltz is aptly ranked in the middle of the pack of the SUNYAC in both pitching and batting, holding the league's fourth-best ERA (3.36) and the conference's fifth-best batting average (.289). An area of strength for the Hawks, however, has been their defense, as they lead the SUNYAC in fielding percentage (.948). Plattsburgh boasts an identical fielding percentage, but New Paltz is given the upper hand by virtue of having more than 200 more chances. Among currently-rostered players, Melissa Liotta leads the team in batting average (.372), hits (42), doubles (11), triples (2), RBI (24), slugging percentage (.531) and on-base percentage (.446). Amber Carozza is the team's star pitcher, holding team-bests in ERA (2.30), wins (10), innings pitched (106 2/3), complete games (13), strikeouts (57) and opponent batting average (.236). Carozza ranks third in the SUNYAC in ERA and opponent batting average, and she stands eighth in the league in strikeouts.

HEAD COACH TONY CICCARELLO: In his first season as the head coach at New Paltz, head coach Tony CIccarello has assured the team of its 13th winning season in program history and its first since 2010. Ciccarello is completing his 12th season overall as a collegiate softball coach, as he previously coached at Geneseo for 11 years. Ciccarello is the 11th head coach in the history of the program.

SCOUTING THE RED DRAGONS: Always a perennial conference title contender, Cortland hosted the previous four conference tournaments and has won 11 of the 29 league titles issued in the sport of softball. The architect behind the program's success has been 19-year head coach Julie Lenhart, who owns a career record of 626-237-2. During her tenure at the controls, Cortland has made the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament 12 times and has advanced to the NCAA Division III Softball World Series on six occasions. Cortland is led offensively by Lucia Meola, who is leading the conference in batting average at .462. Meola also has a knack for getting on base, ranking first in the SUNYAC in on-base percentage (.552) and second in the league in walks (21). The Red Dragon pitching staff features two comparable starters, Amber Corrigan and Sarah Salamone. Corrigan is 10-4 with a 2.78 ERA, while Salamone is 7-8 with a 2.85 ERA.