Salisbury Regional Website

PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville softball team is back in the NCAA Div. III Championship for the first time since 2007 and will look to continue one of the best seasons in program history this weekend at the Salisbury Regional, which runs Friday through Sunday at Salisbury University's SU Softball Field.
 
Manhattanville will kick off the double-elimination tournament on Friday at 1 p.m., when the third-seeded Valiants take on second-seeded and NFCA #17 William Paterson in the first round of the regional. Top-seeded and NFCA #4 Salisbury will face fourth-seeded Penn State Berks in the second opening-day contest at 3:30 p.m.
 
The championship format has changed this year, incorporating a new super-regional round after a condensed regional schedule. Four teams will compete at 14 regional sites and three teams will compete at two regional sites on May 9-11, with the team advancing from each regional moving on to the super regional round on May 16 and 17. The finals will be hosted by the University of Texas-Tyler on May 22-27.
 
HOW MANHATTANVILLE GOT HERE: Manhattanville (27-8, 13-1 Freedom) was one of 42 conference champions to earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship, winning three straight games to capture the program's first Freedom Conference Softball Championship, culminating with a thrilling 7-4 victory over King's (Pa.) on Saturday. The 27 wins so far this season are tied for the third-most in a single season in program history, matching the 2007 squad.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The Valiants will be making their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history and are 2-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, having made the tourney previously in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The squad is the only non-hockey program at Manhattanville to ever win a game in the national tournament, including the team's second-ever contest in 2002.
 
ABOUT THE VALIANTS: Manhattanville enters the postseason as one of the hottest teams in Division III, having won 16 of its last 17 games and 25 of its last 27 dating back to March 27. The Valiants as a team are hitting .379 this season, ranking the team top 10 in Division III this season, and have all nine starters hitting at .298 or higher.
 
Senior Alyssa Taylor (Craik, Sask./Craik) was named Freedom Conference Player of the Year and also MVP of the conference tournament following a record-setting season in which she has dominated both in the circle and at the plate. The senior has already set a new Freedom Conference record with 25 wins this season and has nine shutouts and 152 strikeouts in 192.0 innings of work. She also is hitting .413 with a program single-season record 13 homers, a team-best 40 runs batted in and a conference-leading .837 slugging percentage.
 
Freshman Shelbee Damianos (Ojai, Calif./Nordhoff) looks to get back on track and return to form as one of the country's top hitters, as the Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year is still hitting .529 with a school-record 64 hits and 39 runs batted in. Senior All-Conference first-teamer Kirsten Savage (Harrington Park, N.J./Old Tappan) is also over .400 this season with a .407 batting average to go with a team-leading 34 runs scored and 21 RBIs from the middle of the order, while fellow first-team pick junior Rosaria Callara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) is the spark at the top of the lineup with a .376 average and 47 hits. Freshman Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) has also heated up lately, hitting .474 in the last seven games and ranking fourth on the team with 27 RBIs to earn All-Freedom second-team recognition.
 
The Valiants have also received excellent production all season from the bottom of the order.  Continuing that trend, freshman Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and seniors Emily Frawley (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) and Shauna Mulkerin (Branchburg, N.J./Immaculata) went a combined 12 for 25 with eight RBIs and eight runs scored at the Freedom Tournament last weekend. Frawley ranks fourth on the team hitting .389 this year, while Deieso is third on the team with 28 RBIs and Mulkerin has hit five homers with a team-best 19 walks.
 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: William Paterson (30-9, 15-3 NJAC) entered the postseason ranked 17th in D-III by the NFCA and was the top seed in the NJAC Tournament this season, but went 1-2 at the tournament. The Pioneers dropped their opener to sixth-seeded Rutgers-Camden, 5-4, before suffering elimination at the hands of third-seeded and eventual champion #22 Rowan in a 4-1 defeat.
 
William Paterson is paced by an excellent pitching staff, which boasts a team ERA of 1.61 with 192 strikeouts and a .231 opponents' batting average in 265.0 innings this season. The team's primary starter is Allison Podmajersky, who is 9-6 with a 1.66 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 20 appearances (17 starts). In addition, All-NJAC second-team pitcher Gabrielle Castelli is 12-2 with a 1.24 ERA in 84.2 innings, while Chelsea Batelli is 6-1 with a 1.29 ERA in 10 appearances.
 
At the plate, All-NJAC first teamer Katelyn Miele leads the Pioneers by hitting .413 with a team-best 29 RBIs and 26 runs scored. Nicole Fryer has scored a team-best 28 runs this year and is a .385 hitter with 18 runs batted in, while fellow All-NJAC first-team pick Kelsey Wimmershoff is the team's top power hitter with three homers, 15 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs this season.
 
The Valiants and Pioneers have two common opponents this season, having both played DeSales and The College of New Jersey. WPU defeated the Bulldogs twice, 6-4 and 6-2, on April 24 and also took two from the Lions two days later by 2-1 and 3-2 scores. Manhattanville swept DeSales, 6-4 (8 inn.) and 7-4, on April 5, while also posting a thrilling 8-7 comeback victory over TCNJ in Florida on March 8.
 
ALL-TIME VS. WILLIAM PATERSON: Manhattanville is 4-18-1 all-time against the Pioneers, including a 3-0 loss in the teams' only postseason meeting, coming in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on May 13, 2005. The two teams have not played since March 24, 2010, when the Valiants dropped a 2-1 decision and also settled for a 5-5 (8 inn.) tie at Manhattanville Field.
 
SCOUTING THE SEA GULLS: Salisbury (35-3, 11-1 CAC) entered the CAC Tournament as the second seed despite a #1 NFCA national ranking and only one loss during the regular season. The Sea Gulls went 2-2 at the CAC Tournament on April 17-19, losing twice to top-seeded and #6 Christopher Newport to bow out of the postseason. CNU is the only team to defeat Salisbury this year, posting a 3-1 mark against the Sea Gulls.
 
The team is able to beat opponents with in the circle and at the plate, posting a team batting average of .384 while holding opponents to a mere 1.13 runs per game in 38 contests. Rachel Johnson was named the CAC Player of the Year for the second straight year following a season in which she is 20-2 with a 0.78 ERA and an amazing 220 strikeouts in 126.0 innings this season. She is backed up by fellow All-CAC first teamer Kathryn Larson with a 1.67 ERA to go with a 15-1 record.
 
The All-CAC first-team tandem of Paige Knussman and Kim Dorsey are big players in the middle of the Sea Gull lineup, combining for 25 home runs and 108 runs batted in from the three and four holes. Knussman is hitting .546 with 10 doubles and 10 homers to go with 52 RBIs, while Dorsey is a .500 hitter with 15 long balls, 30 extra-base hits, 56 RBIs and a team-best 59 runs scored. Fellow All-CAC first-team pick Katie Sebbane is also hitting .421 with seven homers and 44 runs batted in as she provides some protection for Knussman as the fifth hitter.
 
Salisbury and Manhattanville have one common opponent this season, as the Sea Gulls dispensed fellow Freedom Conference school Wilkes, 12-0 and 9-1, on March 8. The Valiants dispensed the Lady Colonels with similar ease this year, posting 13-2 and 13-6 wins on April 12.
 
ALL-TIME VS. SALISBURY: Manhattanville is 0-4 all-time against the Sea Gulls, dropping spring-break doubleheaders in both 2004 and 2005. The Valiants were outscored 33-4 in the four games.
 
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: PSU-Berks (29-8, 18-2 NEAC) captured its second straight NEAC Tournament championship with a perfect 3-0 weekend, including a 9-0 victory over SUNYIT in the championship round. The top seed outscored its opponents by a 25-3 margin in the three victories.
 
The Nittany Lions have four players hitting over .400 as part of a team batting average of .366, pacing an attack that has outscored their opponents by a 309-87 margin this year. All-NEAC second-team selection Rhianna Roulston hits at a .434 clip with 26 RBIs and 21 runs scored in 32 games near the bottom of the order, followed by cleanup hitter and fellow All-NEAC second teamer Julia Moscato, who is a .421 hitter with a team-leading five homers and 36 runs batted in.
 
In the circle, NEAC Pitcher of the Year Casey Hafer is a team-best 18-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 115 punch outs in 121.0 innings. She will be backed up by All-NEAC second-team pitcher Megan Olsen, who is 7-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 10 starts.
 
ALL-TIME VS. PSU-BERKS: Manhattanville and PSU-Berks have never met before.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT – SALISBURY REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 9, 2014
Game One – 1:00 pm: #3 Manhattanville vs. #2 William Paterson
Game Two – 3:30 pm: #1 Salisbury vs. #4 PSU-Berks
 
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Game Three – 11:00 am: Game #1 Winner vs. Game #2 Winner
Game Four – 1:30 pm: Game #1 Loser vs. Game #2 Loser (loser is eliminated)
Game Five – 4:00 pm: Game #3 Loser vs. Game #4 Winner (loser is eliminated)
 
Sunday, May 11, 2014 – Championship Round
Game Three – 12:00 pm: Game #3 Winner vs. Game #5 Winner
Game Four – 2:30 pm: Game #3 Winner vs. Game #5 Winner (if necessary)
 
For those who plan on being attendance this weekend, tickets are $5.00 (adults) and $2.00 (students, children and senior citizens) for a single-session pass, while an all-session pass costs $10.00 for adults and $4.00 for students, children and senior citizens. If you can't make it to Maryland for the games, Salisbury will have live stats and live video for all games at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/salisbury.portal. Manhattanville will also be providing in-game commentary (as well as off-the-field content) all weekend long on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
 
To view the official NCAA Division III Championships program, visit http://www.ncaa.com/diiisoftball (available on May 7). The complete NCAA bracket can also be viewed by clicking here.