Softball | 5/9/2019 5:06:00 PM

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. – In the 12 previous seasons under the guidance of head coach Dale Martin, the Manhattanville College softball team has reached the NCAA Division III Softball Championship tournament eight times and the No. 13 ranked Valiants are prepped and ready for their ninth bid in Martin's 13th season.
 
The Foursome
There are four squads in the Virginia Beach regional this weekend, hosted by two-time defending National Champion and No. 1 Virginia Wesley University. The Marlins enter the weekend with a 40-4 overall record and a .909 winning percentage, outdone by the only other 40-win team in Division III, the Manhattanville Valiants (40-2, .952 winning percentage). The other two squads joining the pod this weekend are VWU's Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) rival University of Lynchburg and a regionally familiar foe for the Valiants in the University of Scranton.
 
The Matchups
The NCAA Regional begins tomorrow, Friday, May 10, at 2:00 p.m. with the opening game between the Valiants and Lynchburg. Following that, at 4:30 p.m., Virginia Wesleyan will host Scranton.
 
Valiant-Hornet Comparison
Manhattanville ranks in the top four in all of Division three in several categories, including leading the country in doubles/game (2.45), ranking second in slugging (.612), third in batting (.388) and runs/game (7.95) and fourth in home runs/game (1.24). Lynchburg has scored 270 runs (6.14 per game) and will look to compete with the Valiants high-scoring offense.
 
BATTLE OF THE BACKSTOPS
The two squads match up most closely at the catcher position, as each possesses a senior with a big bat and big numbers. For Lynchburg, Mackenzie Chitwood is slashing .399/.456/.862 with 17 home runs and 62 runs batted in. For Manhattanville, Evonne Torres (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Pioneer) finished the season slashing .457/.493/.845 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI.
 
In the circle, Manhattanville holds the edge as well. The squad ranked 12th in the nation with a 1.70 team ERA compared to the 2.32 team ERA for Lynchburg. Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Pitcher of the Year senior Aarin Hartenstein (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) and three-time MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Year graduate student Alycia Feeney (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) have combined to make all but one start for the Valiants this season and look to send Manhattanville to the winners' bracket no matter who's in the circle against the Hornets. Lynchburg has a trio of pitchers that have combined for 43 starts, led by junior Alex Cisar's 15-4 record and 1.87 ERA.
 
The Marlins and Royals
No. 1 ranked Virginia Wesleyan hosts Scranton in Friday's second game at 4:30 p.m. and hold the offensive advantage over the Royals at 6.49 runs/game compared to 6.11. Individually, sophomore Julia Sinnett leads the way for the Marlins with a slash of .416/.483/.624 with 38 homers, 20 walks and 14 stolen bases along with junior outfielder Madison Glaubke. The speedster slashes .370/.554/.511 with 33 stolen bases, 21 RBI and 36 walks – several other Marlins contribute as well. Three Royals have at least 43 RBIs led by sophomore Jennifer Sweeney and her line of .352/.405/.593 with 46 RBI and eight homers, followed by rookie Heather Alich and junior Megan Zinn. Alich is posting a line of .383/.407/.578 with 44 RBI and four homers, while Zinn leads the team at .473/.500/.647 with 43 RBI, 51 runs scored, 21 double and 10 stolen bases.
 
Sweeney also leads Scranton in the circle with 151.1 innings, a 2.55 ERA, 109 strikeouts and a 14-7 record. She's joined by classmate Meaghan Dowdell who went 18-5 in 132.2 innings with a 2.81 ERA and 100 strikeouts. Virginia Wesleyan is led by junior Hannah Hull and her 0.42 ERA, second best in the nation, to go with 309 strikeouts (second in D-III) for a 27-2 record in 168.1 innings.
 
The Schedule
Following Friday's doubleheader, the winner of each game will faceoff at 12:00 p.m. Saturday, May 11, and the winner of that game sails on to the regional championship Sunday, May 12. Following Saturday's noon game, the two losing squads from Friday's games will matchup in a must-win contest. The loser will be eliminated from postseason play, while the winner will face the losing team from Saturday's noon game for a bid to Sunday's championship.
 
Valiants Versus:

• Manhattanville has faced Lynchburg one time, falling to them by a score of 12-4 in an early-season contest back in March of 2004.
• The Valiants and Royals have played three times in program history, with Manhattanville winning all three meetings. Most recently, the Valiants bested Scranton 3-2 down in Clermont, Fla., back in March of 2012.
• Manhattanville and Virginia Wesleyan have met three times, with the Marlins taking all three games. Most recently, the two squads met in an early-season nationally ranked battle in Virginia Beach back in March of 2017 between No. 6 Manhattanville and No. 11 Virginia Wesleyan, and the Marlins won 3-0.

Follow All Weekend Live
Every game at Virginia Wesleyan will be available live with video and stats and the links – as soon as available – can be found at govaliants.com/live. For all Manhattanville contests this weekend, ValiantVision's own Tim Moore will be on the call during the VWU broadcasts.