FARMNGDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College softball team is back in action this evening as the double elimination round of the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament gets underway. The Valiants, having earned the No. 2 seed following their 16-2 conference record in the regular season, earned a first round bye into the three-day bracket that will determine the 2022 conference champion. Joining Manhattanville for the festivities is No. 1 seed Farmingdale, who will play host for the duration of the bracket, No. 3 Mount Saint Mary, and No. 5 St. Joseph's-Brooklyn.
The fifth-seeded Bears take on the top seeded Rams to kick off the bracket at 4 p.m. on Thursday, before the Valiants take to the field at 6:30 p.m. for the clash with the third-seeded Knights.
How We Got Here
The Valiants ended the year with four-straight conference wins, ending 16-2 in the Skyline to secure the No. 2 seed in the Conference Championship. Manhattanville advanced to the conference finals last year, ultimately falling to top-seeded Farmingdale in the championship games.
Manhattanville's two conference losses in the regular season came in splits against Farmingdale and Mount Saint Mary earlier in April. Both Farmingdale and Mount Saint Mary entered the final day of the regular season with just one conference loss each, both at the hands of the Valiants. The Rams and Knights had a doubleheader on Sunday to determine the regular season champion, in which Farmingdale won both games to claim the top seed. Mount Saint Mary, meanwhile, fell to third.
Rounding out the final four is St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, as the Bears made the postseason as the Skyline's fifth-seed. The Bears took on their St. Joseph's-Long Island counterparts in the First Round, defeating the Golden Eagles on the road 6-4 on Tuesday to punch their ticket to the double elimination bracket. The Knights rolled past sixth-seeded Old Westbury in their opening round matchup, 9-1 in six innings, to set the stage for the next three days.
It will figure to be
Charli Shinstine (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) doing a majority of the work in the circle for the Valiants over the next three days, as the junior has been Manhattanville's workhorse on the season. Shinstine is the Skyline leader in wins (14), innings pitched (133.0), strikeouts (179) and opposing batting average (.198). In her final start of the regular season, Shinstine set Manhattanville's single-season strikeout record, a number she will build upon over her starts in the tournament. Perhaps most importantly, Shinstine went 3-0 in her three regular season games against the remaining opponents in the bracket, posting a 0.74 ERA with 23 strikeouts.
At the plate,
Giovanna Liggett (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) will look to close out her phenomenal senior campaign with a championship run. Liggett ended the regular season as the Skyline's leader in hits, runs batted in, and home runs and was amongst the conference's best in batting average, runs and doubles. A mainstay in the No. 3 spot of the Valiants lineup, Liggett has been extremely productive in driving in her leadoff runners while coming around to score herself.
Regular Season Meetings:
- Manhattanville vs Mount Saint Mary
- Split doubleheader @ Manhattanville on Apr. 2: Game One—Manhattanville 5, Mount Saint Mary 2; Game Two—Manhattanville 4, Mount Saint Mary 5
- Manhattanville vs St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
- Manhattanville swept doubleheader @Manhattanville on Apr. 9: Game One—Manhattanville 10, St. Joseph's 2 (5 Innings); Game Two—Manhattanville 4, St. Joseph's 0 (5 Innings)
- Manhattanville vs Farmingdale State
- Split doubleheader @ Manhattanville on Apr. 23: Game One, Manhattanville 5, Farmingdale 1; Game Two—Manhattanville 2, Farmingdale 5
- Farmingdale vs St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
- Farmingdale swept doubleheader @ Farmingdale on Apr. 24: Game One--Farmingdale 5, St. Joseph's 3; Game Two—Farmingdale 5, St. Joseph's 3
- Farmingdale vs Mount Saint Mary
- Farmingdale swept doubleheader @ Farmingdale on May 1: Game One—Farmingdale 3, Mount Saint Mary 0; Game Two—Farmingdale 6, Mount Saint Mary 0
- Mount Saint Mary vs St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
- Mount Saint Mary swept doubleheader @ St. Joseph's on Apr. 4: Game One--Mount Saint Mary 7, St. Joseph's 3; Game Two—Mount Saint Mary 9, St. Joseph's 7
Team Leaders
Manhattanville
- Batting Average: Liggett (.448), Mottoshiski (.379), Torres (.371), Walsh (.371)
- Runs Batted In: Liggett (44), Esparza (32), Walsh (23)
- Earned Run Average: Shinstine (2.53), Mottoshiski (4.27), Walsh (0.45)
- Strikeouts: Shinstine (179), Mottoshiski (62)
Mount Saint Mary
- Batting Average: Killeen (.339), Ferara (.330), Cedeno (.311)
- Runs Batted In: Bendig (24), Dentato (22), Killeen (21)
- Earned Run Average: Hansen (2.09), Morris (3.92), Ferar (3.68)
- Strikeouts: Morris (105), Hansen (41)
Farmingdale State
- Batting Average: Shaw (.479), Walker (.460), Giliberti (.442)
- Runs Batted In: Shaw (37), Walker (24), Shorr (22)
- Earned Run Average: Stanya (1.58), Shorr (2.03)
- Strikeouts: Stanya (77), Shorr (60)
St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
- Batting Average: Faraguna (.556), Hartwig (.545), McKeon (.500)
- Runs Batted In: Hartwig (32), Heinsch (28), Buchanan (25), Logreco (25)
- Earned Run Average: Kilimet (2.26), Mecham (3.58), Poppett (3.62)
- Strikeouts: Mecham (42), Poppett (36), Kilimet (30)
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