PURCHASE, N.Y. – With one extra day of preparation, the Manhattanville College softball team will begin its quest for the program's third MAC Freedom title in the last four years on Saturday as the Valiants make the trip to Delaware Valley University for the 2017 MAC Freedom Softball Championship.
 
THE TEAMS: Manhattanville (26-12, 14-0 MAC Freedom) is the top seed in the tournament for the fourth time in the last six years after the first perfect season in MAC Freedom softball history, and will face off with fourth-seeded Misericordia University (20-20, 8-6 Freedom) in the opening game of the weekend on Saturday at 10 a.m. Second-seeded Wilkes University (14-14, 9-5 MAC Freedom) and third-seeded King's (Pa.) College (17-17, 8-6 MAC Freedom) will battle in the second opening-round game at noon on Saturday.
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY: Manhattanville is making its seventh postseason appearance in the last eight years, with the Valiants 11-8 all-time in the MAC Freedom Tournament, including a 3-3 mark in opening-round games. The Valiants have won MAC Freedom titles in 2014 and 2016 and seven conference tournament titles 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 last five of those seven titles have come under current head coach Dale Martin.
 
EIGHT IS GREAT: For the second straight year, eight Manhattanville players earned All-MAC Freedom recognition on Wednesday, led by MAC Freedom Player of the Year Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and two-time MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Year Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster). They were joined on the All-Conference first team by sophomores Desiree Buboi (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran) and Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) and freshman Melina Strano (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster). Three Valiants also earned All-Conference second-team honors: seniors Alicia Marino (Mahopac, N.Y./Pleasantville) and Dolores Diemicke (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) and freshman Sam Jedrey (La Canada Flintridge, Calif./La Canada).
 
BIG BATS: After a slow start to the season, Manhattanville has regained its spot as one of the top hitting teams in the country. The Valiants enter the postseason second in Division III in home runs per game (1.00/gm), third in doubles per game (2.39/gm), fourth in slugging percentage (.546) and 17th in team batting average (.349). The team also ranks 21st in the country in scoring as well, averaging 6.92 runs per game.
 
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Manhattanville is all over the D-III national statistics entering the postseason. Marino leads the team by ranking in the top-100 of Division III in six different categories: 14th in homers (10), 25th in homers per game (0.26/gm), 51st in total bases (87), 62nd in RBIs (38), 81st in slugging percentage (.713) and 89th in RBIs per game (1.00/gm). Among hitters, Deieso also ranks 44th in batting average (.462), sophomore Sophia Chapelone (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) ranks 46th in doubles per game (0.40/gm), Diemicke ranks 63rd in home runs (7) and Buboi  ranks 70th in runs per game (1.08/gm). In the circle, Feeney ranks 24th in D-III in shutouts (6), 47th in saves (2) and 78th in wins (13) so far this year as well.
 
ABOUT THE COUGARS: Fourth-seeded Misericordia is making its seventh Freedom Conference Tournament appearance and looking for its second MAC Freedom title after winning in Purchase in 2012. The Cougars are led by MAC Freedom Rookie of the Year and All-Conference first-team selection Taylor Kenerson, who is hitting .379 with 10 RBIs and 18 runs scored in 34 games this season, and All-Conference honorable mention Lori Brennan, who has driven in a team-high 28 runs. All-MAC Freedom second-teamer Brooke Moyle contributes in all areas, as she is 8-9 with a team-best 3.94 ERA in 124.1 innings in the circle while also hitting .282 with 20 RBIs and a team-best 16 extra-base hits. The Valiants shut out the Cougars by the scores of 8-0 (6 inn.) and 9-0 (5 inn.) at home on April 9 and are 12-9 all-time against Misericordia.
 
ABOUT THE LADY COLONELS: Wilkes enters the weekend as the second seed as the Lady Colonels make their 12th MAC Freedom Tournament appearance but first since 2008. The team, which won its only MAC Freedom title in 2006, are led both at the plate and in the circle by the freshman tandem of Celine Podlesney and Gracen Staunton. Podlesney is hitting a team-best .391 with 14 RBIs and 18 runs scored, and also is 9-6 with a 1.93 ERA in 101.1 innings in the circle. Staunton hits at a .376 clip with a team-leading 30 RBIs and has also made a team-best 21 appearances in the circle, going 13-5 with a 2.25 ERA, six shutouts and 81 strikeouts in 106.0 innings. Manhattanville finished the conference season with 8-5 and 11-2 (6 inn.) wins over Wilkes on April 29 in Edwardsville and are 12-12 all-time versus the Lady Colonels, including seven wins in the last eight meetings.
 
ABOUT THE LADY MONARCHS: Third-seeded King's is making its 18th straight postseason appearance as the Lady Monarchs look for their 11th tournament championship since 2000. Samantha Bloom is the team's top player at the plate and in the circle, hitting .392 with 23 RBIs and 13 multi-hit games while also posting a team-best 9-4 record and 3.22 ERA in 78.1 innings. Megan Beaupre was named to the All-Conference first team after hitting .390 with a team-best 25 RBIs and 18 runs scored, and Rachael DeTore has driven in 24 runs with three homers as well. Manhattanville posted a 14-4 (5 inn.) and 6-5 sweep of King's on the road on April 2 and is 16-12 all-time against the Lady Monarchs, including 10 wins in the last 12 games.
 
The complete tournament schedule for the double-elimination weekend is as follows, weather permitting:

Saturday, May 6, 2017
Game 1 - 10:00 am: #1 Manhattanville vs. #4 Misericordia
Game 2 - 12:00 pm: #2 Wilkes vs. #3 King's (Pa.)
Game 3 - 2:00 pm: Game #1 Winner vs. Game #2 Winner
Game 4 - 4:00 pm: Game #1 Loser vs. Game #2 Loser (loser is eliminated)

Sunday, May 7, 2017
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 $6.00 for adults, $5.00 for seniors and $3.00 for students, For those that can't make it to Doylestown for the weekend, Delaware Valley will be providing live stats for all games and fans can also follow Manhattanville Athletics on Twitter for in-game updates as well.
 
For more information on the 2017 Freedom Conference Softball Championships, including team information and visitor information, visit the tournament web page.