FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University softball team begins its postseason quest to repeat as conference champs today as there are four teams left standing in the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament for the double elimination round. The Valiants will carry the No. 2 seed into the action across the next three days, with top-seeded Farmingdale playing host to Manhattanville, Saint Joseph's Brooklyn and Old Westbury.

The Valiants' first challenge awaiting in the final four will be No. 3 Saint Joseph's Brooklyn at 6:30 p.m. On the other side of the bracket, No. 1 Farmingdale takes on No. 5 Old Westbury to kick off the action at 4 p.m. How We Got Here
After not dropping a game against a conference opponent until the Conference Championship a year ago, the reigning Skyline champion Valiants were nearly perfect in the Skyline for a second straight season as the team went 17-1 against the conference as part of a 28-10 regular season.

The lone blemish fittingly came against top-seeded Farmingdale, as the teams split their Apr. 28 doubleheader meeting. The Valiants won the opening pitching duel 2-1, but the Rams were able to earn the split in a 12-7 finale. The run differential was the deciding factor in the final postseason seedings, giving the Rams the top spot.

The top two seeds both earned byes into the double elimination round where they will be joined by No. 3 Saint Joseph's Brooklyn and No. 5 Old Westbury after their respective first round wins on Tuesday. The Bears knocked off No. 6 Mount Saint Vincent 9-1, while Old Westbury defeated No. 3 Mount Saint Mary 12-2 in nine innings.

Manhattanville boasts the top-scoring offense in all of Division III to enter the postseason, plating 8.74 runs per game. Leading the charge has been Sarah Harker (Irvine, Calif./Irvine). After coming off her Conference Player of the Year campaign in 2023, the graduate outfielder has outdone herself as she currently ranks third in the nation with a .567 batting average. Harker has been an offensive catalyst, leading with the Valiants with 53 RBI and sitting second in runs scored with 49.

Amaya Esparza (San Diego, Calif./Granite Hills) has also been raking her senior campaign, with the catcher's 37 RBI second in the conference only behind Harker. Samantha Reyer (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside), Samantha Walsh (Spring City, Pa./Owen J Roberts), Rachel Coleman (Lake Forest, Calif./Mission Viejo), Sydni Brooks (Anaheim, Calif./Cypress) and Juliana Parkes (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada/Belmont Secondary) have all driven in 20 or more runs this season for an offense that threatens with a big inning every time they step into the box.

On the run scoring front, Walsh leads the team with 50 runs scored in the number two spot in the lineup. Harker, typically the No. 3 hitter, ranks second on the team, while Olivia Fasce (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) has been able to get on base and score whether at the top or bottom of the lineup with 33 runs this season.

In the circle, the Valiants have turned to the 1-2 punch of Charli Shinstine (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) and Emily Mottoshiski (Craryville, N.Y./Taconic Hills) all season long. Shinstine enters the tournament 13-6 on the season with a 1.55 ERA, having struck out 156 batters. The 2023 All-American had gone 76 straight innings without allowing an earned run before finally showing she is human after all by allowing runs against Moravian on Tuesday. Mottoshiski has also pitched very well this season, heading into Thursday with a 12-3 record and a 2.67 ERA in her junior campaign.

Regular Season Meetings:

• Manhattanville vs Saint Joseph's Brooklyn
  • Manhattanville swept doubleheader @ Manhattanville on Apr. 14
    • Game One: Manhattanville 16, SJBK 0 (5 Inn.)
    • Game Two: Manhattanville 15, SJBK 0 (6 Inn.)
• Manhattanville vs Farmingdale State
  • Teams split doubleheader @ Manhattanville on Apr. 28
    • Game One: Manhattanville 2, FSC 1
    • Game Two: Manhattanville 7, FSC 12
• Manhattanville vs Old Westbury
  • Manhattanville swept doubleheader @ Manhattanville on May 4
    • Game One: Manhattanville 4, Old Westbury 0
    • Game Two: Manhattanville 10, Old Westbury 0 (5 Inn.)
• Farmingdale vs Old Westbury
  • Farmingdale swept doubleheader @ Old Westbury on Apr. 7
    • Game One: FSC 9, Old Westbury 1
    • Game Two: FSC 10, Old Westbury 5
• Farmingdale vs Saint Joseph's Brooklyn
  • Farmingdale swept doubleheader @ Farmingdale on Apr. 27
    • Game One: FSC 2, SJBK 0
    • Game Two: FSC 9, SJBK 0 (6 Inn.)
• Old Westbury vs Saint Joseph's Brooklyn
  • Saint Joseph's swept doubleheader @ Old Westbury on Apr. 19
    • Game One: SJBK 3, Old Westbury 2
    • Game Two: SJBK 7, Old Westbury 3

Team Leaders
Manhattanville

• Batting Average: Harker (.567), Esparza (.431), Tansey (.419)
• Runs Batted In: Harker (53), Esparza (37), Reyer (28)
• Earned Run Average: Shinstine (1.55), Mottoshiski (2.67)
• Strikeouts: Shinstine (156), Mottoshiski (58), Wilkendorf (20)

Farmingdale

• Batting Average: Giliberti (.443), Hammock (.396), Stolfi (.351)
• Runs Batted In: Capuano (30), Giliberti (29), Hammock (29)
• Earned Run Average: Stanya (1.01), Shorr (1.50)
• Strikeouts: Stanya (139), Shorr (112)

Saint Joseph's Brooklyn

• Batting Average: Gomez (.406), Walker (.402), Logreco (.388)
• Runs Batted In: Logreco (29), Walker (28), Garcia (25)
• Earned Run Average: Poppett (3.54), Burr (3.78), Heller (3.90)
• Strikeouts: Heller (48), Poppett (43), Burr (35)

Old Westbury

• Batting Average: Reilly (.494), Danin (.449), DiLillo (.395)
• Runs Batted In: Pierce (32), Danin (23), Reilly (22)
• Earned Run Average: Ramos (1.64), Pastrana (3.48)
• Strikeouts: Ramos (56), Pastrana (30), Murphy (20)

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