Softball Back in the E8 Championship Tournament
Link to 2023 Empire 8 Tournament Championship Page
Link to Alfred University hosting information (PLEASE NOTE PARKING INFORMATION)
Top-seed Alfred University is looking to win its third straight league title, as five teams will vie for the 2023 Empire 8 Softball Championship, which begins on Tuesday, May 9 with No. 4 seed Nazareth College hosting No. 5 Elmira College in an opening round game. The winner advances to the four-team double elimination tournament, which takes place from Thursday, May 11 to Saturday, May 13 at Alfred's Harrington Field. The tournament winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division III Softball Championship, which begins May 18.
The 2023 Empire 8 Softball Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
Final 2023 Empire 8 Softball Championship Participants
No. 1 – Alfred University (14-2 E8, 24-12-1 Overall)
No. 2 – St. John Fisher University (12-4 E8, 25-11 Overall)
No. 3 – Russell Sage College (11-5 E8, 20-16 Overall)
No. 4 – Nazareth College (8-8 E8, 14-16 Overall)
No. 5 – Elmira College (8-8 E8, 19-17 Overall)
2023 Empire 8 Softball Championship Schedule
Empire 8 First Round Game (Hosted by Nazareth College)
Tuesday, May 9
No. 5 Elmira College def. No. 4 Nazareth College, 7-5
Empire 8 Double Elimination Championship (Hosted by Alfred University)
Thursday, May 11
Game 1 – No. 2 St. John Fisher University vs. No. 3 Russell Sage College – 2 p.m.
Game 2 – No. 5 Elmira Vollege at No. 1 Alfred University – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, May 12
Game 3 – Winning Team from Game 1 vs. Winning Team of Game 2 – 10 a.m.
Game 4 – Losing Team of Game 1 vs. Losing Team of Game 2 (elimination game) – 12:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Winning Team from Game 4 vs. Losing Team from Game 3 (elimination game) – 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 13
Game 6 – Championship Game 1 (Winner of game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5) – possible champion to be crowned – 12 p.m.
Game 7 – Championship Game 2 (Winner of game 6 vs. Losing Team from Game 6) (if necessary) – 2:30 p.m.
Top seed Alfred enters the tournament with a 24-12-1 overall record, having finished 14-2 in league play to win the 2023 E8 Regular Season title. The Saxons are making their 15th appearance in the E8 Tournament and are looking to win their third straight league crown and fourth overall. Alfred is hitting .341 as a team with five starters batting at least .340 Mya Wells is enjoying a tremendous season, batting .418 with a 1.153 OPS, seven homers and 41 RBI (second in the league). First-year standout Jessica Remm is right behind Wells with a .400 batting average, 13 doubles and an E8 best 42 RBI. Isabella Carrillo is batting .382, while Allison O'Toole is a .364 hitter. Ashley Lugo is second in the league with 25 stolen bases and holds the Empire 8 career record for steals with 169. She is batting .342 with a .935 OPS, 38 runs scored, 16 extra base hits (including two homers) and 26 RBI. On the mound, Arden Hatch and Megan Bennett are a strong duo. Hatch is 12-4 with a league-best total of 102 strikeouts in 99 2/3 innings, while opposing hitters are batting just .220 off of her. Bennett, the 2022 E8 Championship Most Valuable Player, has eight wins and 75 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched.
No. 2 seed St. John Fisher enters the 2022 Championship having finished 12-4 in league play and is attempting to its eighth Empire 8 Tournament Championship. The Cardinals are 25-11 overall and have six starters batting at least .300 in 2023. Madi Rose is batting a team-high .369 with 31 runs scored and 21 walks. Allie Klonowski, the 2022 E8 Co-Player of the Year is batting .346 with a 1.030 OPS and a team-high seven homers and 33 RBI. Mari Spitz had added three homers, while Kelly Cournoyer has two homers and 23 RBI. St. John Fisher has three top starting pitchers in Jess Paterson, Cassidy Ormond and Ainsley Evanetski. Patterson is 10-5 with 96 strikeouts (second in the E8) in 84 2/3 innings. Ormond is 8-1 with a 1.34 ERA, while Evanetski has a 1.84 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 60 strikeouts to just 11 walks.
Russell Sage is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the third straight season, having captured the No. 3 seed with an 11-5, record in conference play. Graduate student Arianna Papas, the 2022 E8 Co-Player of the Year leads all Empire 8 players with a .467 batting average, .808 slugging percentage and remarkable 1.340 OPS. She has 56 hits in 2023, with 25 going for extra bases, including 15 doubles, six home runs and 36 RBI. She has also stolen 11 bases. Taylor Dicranian has 12 doubles to go along with three home runs and 26 RBI. Madalyn Ring is batting .378, while Ciana Santana has a .322 batting average. On the mound Dicranian and Leah Madore have identical 10-8 records along with 16 complete games each. Dicranian has walked just five batters in 111 innings pitched.
Nazareth is the No. 4 seed in the 2022 E8 Tournament, having finished 8-8 in league play and have 14 wins in 2023. The Golden Flyers have five starters batting at least .300 on the season. Sarah Simmons leads Nazareth with a .407 batting average and a 1.057 OPS with eight doubles, two triples and a home run with 24 RBI runs batted in. Maddy Spakoski has team-best totals of four homers and 26 RBI, while Cassidy Hoffmier is batting .337. On the mound, Emily Daciw, the 2022 E8 Pitcher of the Year, is 11-5 and has struck out 95 batters over 97 innings pitched with 12 complete games in 15 starts.
Elmira finished 8-8 in league play and is 19-17 overall heading into Tuesday's first round contest against Nazareth. The No. 5 seed Soaring Eagles are hitting .280 as a team and have three starters batting at least .300. Shortstop Kaitlyn Belmont leads the team with a .352 batting average and 1.016 OPS to go along with three home runs and 23 RBI. She is also second in the league with 24 walks. Amelia Martin leads the Soaring Eagles with 17 extra-base hits, including five home runs and 27 RBI, while batting .339. Madison Brown-Bloom is batting .340 with 29 RBI. Asia Curkendall leads the conference with 27 stolen bases in as many attempts. On the mound, Maryann Sobel is 12-10 with a 3.94 ERA and 11 complete games.
Tuesday's first round game between Elmira and Nazareth is the third meeting in the last four days between the two programs. Elmira and Nazareth battled to a split on May 6 with the Golden Flyers winning the opener, 6-2 and Elmira rebounding to win 7-4 in game two.
Thursday's opening game between St. John Fisher and Russell Sage marks the third meeting of the season between the two schools, as the Cardinals swept a doubleheader at Russell Sage by scores of 9-0 and 2-0 on April 15. Alfred and Nazareth split a pair of games on April 7, while the Saxons earned a doubleheader sweep at Elmira on April 21 by scores of 11-4 and 3-0.
