NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz softball team will play two key State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) doubleheaders this weekend, as the Hawks host SUNY Fredonia on Friday starting at 3 p.m. and Buffalo State on Saturday at Noon.
RECORDS: New Paltz enters Friday's doubleheader with a 9-19, 6-8 SUNYAC record... Fredonia is 8-15, 5-9 … Buffalo State is 13-11, 7-5 heading into Thursday's doubleheader against Rochester Institute of Technology…Buffalo State's Friday's away games are against SUNY Oneonta.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS (9-19, 6-8 SUNYAC): New Paltz ls coming off a busy week, having dropped a tightly-contested doubleheader against Liberty League Union College, 5-2 and 5-4 on Wednesday… On Thursday evening the Hawks finished an incomplete game against SUNY Oneonta that was halted due to rain on April 11... The Hawks could not overcome a 6-3 deficit and fell 6-4 in a game played at the University of Albany...
Nicole DeCosta homered to left field for the Hawks.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS: Noelle Grande (.395),
Shayna Burgess (.388) and
Juliette Verso (.360) are the top three hitters in the Hawks lineup and are among seven New Paltz players hitting above .300… Grande and Burgess rank fourth and fifth in the SUNYAC in hitting… Burgess is tops on the team and fifth in the conference in slugging percentage (.612)… She ranks Burgess sixth in the conference in hits and seventh in runs scored… Burgess and Grande have been strong on the base paths, with nine and eight stolen bases…
Katie Rutcofsky has anchored the Hawks' pitching staff this year with 72 innings pitched, a 5-8 record and a 2.82 ERA… She has 40 strikeouts on the season...
Amber Carozza has a 3-6 record in 62 innings pitched.
TEAM STATISTICS: New Paltz ranks sixth in the SUNYAC in batting average (.290), and the Hawks have also hit for power with a .387 slugging percentage… New Paltz has also been strong defensively with a .953 fielding percentage, which is third best in the SUNYAC.
SCOUTING THE FREDONIA (8-15, 5-9): The Blue Devils are led by former New Paltz head coach Tony Ciccarello, who led the Hawks last season, compiling a 20-19, 11-7 record… Fredonia was due to play Houghton in a doubleheader on Wednesday, but the games were cancelled due to poor field conditions… Previously, Fredonia dropped a SUNYAC doubleheader on April 21 to The College at Brockport, 8-0, 6-2 … Fredonia managed just six hits in the doubleheader loss.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS: Fredonia led in batting by Alyssa Morgan (.333), who has 24 hits on the season, five of those being doubles… Morgan is 16th in the SUNYAC in batting… She is followed by Kim Lotocki (.324), Jess Lauck (.311) and Kate Nicholson (.308) as the team's .300 or better hitters… Lauck is the team leader in RBI with 11… On the mound, two Fredonia student-athletes carried the team, with Kelsey Gannett appearing in 16 games and sporting a 6-7 record… She has a .293 ERA and 11 complete games… Alyssa Brognano has appeared in nine games and has a 2-6 record.
TEAM STATISTICS: A solid pitching staff has Fredonia fifth in the SUNYAC in ERA (3.40)... The Blue Devils rank ninth in hitting (.256).
LAST MEETING: New Paltz defeated Fredonia in a doubleheader, 5-2 and 6-5 at Fredonia on March 30, 2013.
GAME RECAP:March 30, 2013
SCOUTING BUFFALO STATE (13-11, 7-5 as of post date): Buffalo State has a doubleheader against SUNY Oneonta The Bengals feature the conference's leading hitter in Stephanie Novo, who is batting .506 with 43 his (10 doubles, two triples and two home runs)… Teammate Kate Brownell is hitting .429, third best in the SUNYAC… Maggie Coneys is leads Buffalo State with a 1.94 ERA, which is third best in the SUNYAC.
TEAM STATISTICS: Buffalo State leads the SUNYAC in team batting average (.326) and ranks sixth in pitching (3.77 ERA)…
LAST MEETING: The Hawks swept a doubleheader against Buffalo State, winning 3-1 and 6-5 on March 29.
GAME RECAP:March 29, 2013 WHAT'S NEXT: New Paltz hosts Buffalo State on Saturday at Noon… Fredonia heads to Oneonta for a Saturday doubleheader at Noon… Buffalo State, which played at Oneonta on Friday, next heads to The College at Brockport for a doubleheader on Monday, April 29 at 3 p.m.
COACHES: New Paltz is led by head coach
Brittany Robinson in her first season… Fredonia is coached by Tony Ciccarello, in his first season… Buffalo State is led by Marie Curran in her seventh season.
