PURCHASE, N.Y. – The road to the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament will go through Purchase this weekend, as Manhattanville hosts Misericordia, King's and Eastern for the 2012 Freedom Conference Softball Championships, held on Friday and Saturday at Manhattanville Field.
 
Manhattanville (18-15, 10-4 Freedom) just happens to be the top seed as well as the predetermined host of the conference championship this week, marking the first time since King's in 2004 that the top seed also hosted the event. The Valiants will take on fourth-seeded Eastern (20-19-1, 8-6 Freedom) in the first game of the tournament, followed by second-seeded Misericordia (25-15, 10-4 Freedom) and third-seeded King's (29-11, 10-4 Freedom) in the other opening-round game.
 
In last season's tournament, Manhattanville came out of the loser's bracket to eliminate top-seeded DeSales and second-seeded FDU-Florham on Saturday but ran out of gas in the championship round, falling to tournament champion King's in the rain-delayed final, 10-2.
 
Manhattanville enters as the top seed in the Freedom Conference Tournament thanks to a 3-1 combined record against Misericordia and King's that gave them the tiebreaker edge. The team is making its third straight postseason appearance and third overall since joining the conference in 2007-08, while still looking for its first Freedom Conference title and sixth conference tournament title overall, having previously take the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference title in 1995 and 1997 as well as the Skyline Conference Tournament crown in 2002, 2005 and 2007.
 
The Valiants are led offensively by the high-powered duo of senior Ashley Dell (Huntington Station, N.Y./Huntington) and junior Jessica Van Galen (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane), both of whom were named to the All-Freedom second team. Dell is having a career year at the plate, ranking third in the Freedom Conference with a .429 batting average, while leading the team with 20 runs scored and adding three homers, eight doubles and 21 RBI. Van Galen is the team's top power hitter, cracking a conference-best nine home runs this year – including setting an NCAA Div. III record with long balls in five straight games – and also tying for fourth in the conference with 32 runs batted in.
 
Junior Katie Pitcher (Cold Spring, N.Y./Valley Central) also is a key contributor both at the plate and in the circle for the Valiants. In her first year with the team, Pitcher is hitting .382 with four homers, 19 runs scored and 23 RBI, and also is a team-best 6-2 with a 4.36 ERA in 62.2 innings in the circle. She was named to the All-Conference first team.
 
Pitcher is one part of the team's three-headed monster in the circle, as junior Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Sask./Craik) and freshman Kristen Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y./The Ursuline School) are also key members of the staff. Taylor is the ace of the Valiants, as the All-Conference second-teamer posted a 6-6 record with a 2.69 ERA and a team-best 53 strikeouts in 78.0 innings of work, while also hitting .299 with three homers at the plate. Rodopoulos has also come strong on the plate recently, but will be most counted upon on the other side of ball, where she is 5-7 with a 4.48 ERA and 41 punch outs in 59.1 innings.
 
Misericordia is the second seed in the tournament this season thanks to its regular-season split with Manhattanville. Led by Freedom Coach of the Year Jen Probst, the Cougars are making their third Freedom Conference postseason appearance in four years since joining the conference in 2008-09, and are also looking for their first Freedom title after earning six titles (1994, 1996-98, 2005, 2007) as a member of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.
 
The Cougars are led both in the circle and at the plate by junior Caitlin Cromley, who was named to the All-Freedom second team. In the circle, Cromley leads the Freedom Conference with 155.1 innings pitched this year, winning a conference-best 15 games with a 3.02 ERA and 124 strikeouts. At the plate, Cromley is hitting a team-best .392 with eight home runs, 28 RBI and a conference-leading 40 runs scored.
 
Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year Kristi Seiler also plays a big role for the Cougars, as she is hitting .387 with four homers and 14 doubles, and ranks second in the conference with 37 runs batted in entering the postseason. Senior Jill Castaldi also was named to the All-Freedom second team after hitting .295 with a team-leading five triples and 10 extra-base hits from the outfield in 2012.
 
King's earned the third seed in the conference tournament due to its being swept by Manhattanville and splitting with Misericordia in the regular season. King's is the only team in this year's field to win a Freedom title and has done so with amazing regularity – the Monarchs have won 10 of the last 12 Freedom Conference championships, including each of the last three, and are making their 13th straight conference tournament appearance.
 
The Lady Monarchs tied Manhattanville for the most All-Conference honorees with four, led by the first-team sophomore tandem of Amanda Cardone and Jenn Harnischfeger. Cardone, the 2011 Freedom Tournament MVP, is one of the most dangerous hitters in the conference, hitting .386 with a team-leading 20 extra-base hits and a conference-best 48 runs batted in. Harnischfeger is tied for the conference lead with 40 runs scored and is hitting .355 on the year.
 
Senior Rachel Zinni and junior Brittny Baynes also earned All-Freedom second-team honors this year. Zinni hit .366 with 22 RBI, 31 runs scored and 12 stolen bases, and Baynes was a .331 hitter and tied for fourth in the conference with 32 runs batted in. Surprisingly, the team's leading hitter is none of the above players but instead is junior Kayla Rutkoski, who is hitting .402 on the year with 20 runs batted in and 26 runs scored.
 
King's also has a trio of players capable of making an impact in the circle, as junior Annie Erndl and sophomores Brittany Haight and Karissa Kross may all see time this weekend. Erndl may be the ace of the staff, posting a team-leading 2.29 ERA and a 9-4 record in 73.1 innings. Kross is 5-4 on the year with a 2.79 ERA and has held opponents to a .240 batting average against on the year, while Haight is dangerous in her own right with a 7-3 record and a 3.08 ERA in 66.0 innings.
 
Eastern earned a spot in the Freedom Conference Tournament as the fourth seed. The Eagles are making their first appearance in the Freedom Conference Tournament this year since joining the conference in 2008-09 and have been the surprise of the year so far, as the squad was tabbed to finish last in the conference preseason poll.
 
The Eagles are led in all aspects by senior Maggie McGowan and junior Janelle Fair, both of whom were named to the All-Conference first team after stellar seasons. Fair is one of the best pitchers in the conference, posting a Freedom-best 2.09 ERA and a 14-8 record with 122 strikeouts in 150.2 innings, while also hitting .348 with 32 runs scored at the plate. McGowan also is counted on in both areas: she leads the team with a .365 average, 18 extra-base hits and 29 RBI, while going 6-11 with a 4.53 ERA in 105.0 innings of work.
 
Senior Jaime Schwartz and freshman Emily Houck also play big roles in the Eagle offense, as the pair rank second and third on the team in runs batted in with 26 and 24, respectively. Houck also has a team-best 13 doubles and 22 runs scored to go with a .283 batting average.
 
The complete tournament schedule is as follows:

Friday, May 4, 2012
Game 1 - 11:00 am: #1 Manhattanville vs. #4 Eastern
Game 2 - 1:00 pm: #2 Misericordia vs. #3 King's
Game 3 - 3:00 pm: Game #1 Winner vs. Game #2 Winner

Saturday, May 5, 2012
Game 4 - 9:00 am: Game #1 Loser vs. Game #2 Loser (loser is eliminated)
Game 5 - 11:00 am: Game #3 Loser vs. Game #4 Winner (loser is eliminated)
Game 6 - 1:00 pm: Game #3 Winner vs. Game #5 Winner
Game 7 - 3:00 pm: Game #3 Winner vs. Game #5 Winner (if necessary)
 
One-day admission for the championship is $5.00 for adults and seniors and $3.00 for students, while the two-day pass costs $8.00 for adults and seniors and $5.00 for students. For those that can't make it to Purchase for the weekend, Manhattanville will be providing live stats and live Twitter updates for all games of the tournament.
 
For more information on the 2012 Freedom Conference Softball Championships, including team information and visitor information, visit the tournament web page.