RSC Softball Hosts Utica in the First Round of the E8 Tournament
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Softball hosts Utica in the first round of the 2026 Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament.
2026 Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament First Round: Gators (Six Seed) vs. Utica (Seven Seed)
Tuesday May 5, 2026 | 3:00 PM | Plumeri Sports Complex, Albany, N.Y.| Live Stats | Live Video
Admission (Cash Only at the Venue): $10.00 – Adults | $2.00 – Students and Seniors with Valid ID | Free – Children under 12
#6 RSC Gators (19-19/12-10 E8): Roster| Stats
#7 Utica (16-20/11-11 E8): Roster| Stats
RSC Softball in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament History: RSC is making its sixth-straight appearance in the E8 Tournament. The run of playoff appearances includes a trip to the finals in 2023.
Head Coach Stephanie McKayHeading into the Postseason: "We're excited to have another opportunity to play at home and compete for our spot in the Tournament. It will be a great contest between us and Utica and we are looking forward to it."
Regular Season vs. Utica Recap: April 28 at Utica: Gators 7, Pioneers 3 | Pioneers 9, Gators 7
Gator Bites with Papa John's: 14 returners combine with seven newcomers to make up this year's roster…Junior infielder Annalise Tyler (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont),, senior catcher/outfielder Emma Heartquist (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane), and senior infielder Hannah Smith (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa/Saint Rose) headline the returnees…Pitcher Annabella Putnam (Prattsburgh, NY/Prattsburgh/Mansfield), a graduate student, and junior catcher/infielder Katie Call (Antwerp, NY/Indian River/Jefferson County CC) highlight the newcomers…Tyler and Smith both earned all-Empire 8 Conference honors last season…Tyler was named to the second team while Smith earned a spot on the third team…Tyler heads into the postseason among the Conference leaders in multiple offensive categories...The junior is tenth in hitting (.410), on-base percentage (.469), and runs scored (36), and ninth with 48 hits...She is third in the E8 with 22 stolen bases...The mark is third-most in a season by an RSC player...The leadoff hitter starts the playoffs with 56 career stolen bases, tied for third with Madalyn Ring '25 among Gators...RSC Pitchers closed the regular season second in the Conference with 213 strikeouts and third with a 3.85 Team ERA...Putnam (7-7, 1 save) and senior pitcher Bailey Catlin (Petersburg, NY/Berlin/Saint Rose) (8-6) lead the staff...Opposing batters are hitting just .222 off of Putnam, the worst in the E8...The graduate student is fifth in the Conference with a 2.98 ERA...She's whiffed 96 batters across 96.1 innings...Those marks ranked sixth and eighth in the E8...Catlin starts the playoffs sixth in the E8 with a 3.01 ERA...Tyler took home E8 Player of the Week honors for the period ending Sunday, March 15…The infielder slashed .462/.654/.533 during the team's season-opening trip to Florida…The junior scored eight runs, tallied four RBI, laced three doubles, and totaled 17 bases…She registered four multi-hit efforts and stole four bases across the eight games…Putnam was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Players and Pitchers to Watch List…The righty, just one of 118 players from across the country to make the prestigious list, was tabbed the E8 Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, April 12…The graduate student, who no-hit visiting Houghton on April 10, went 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA and 13 strikeouts in her two Conference starts that weekend…Overall, she went 2-1 across her three starts this week, all complete games…The righty registered 15 strikeouts across 18.0 innings, a 2.33 ERA, and a .232 opposing batting average...Tyler hit .500 (11-for-22) with eight runs scored and two RBI to help RSC secure a home E8 playoff game...The junior totaled 14 bases, laced three doubles, slugged .636, and had a .560 on-base percentage across the six contests... She went 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts.
Up Next: The winner advances to the double-elimination portion of the Tournament, which begins on Thursday and will be hosted by SUNY Geneseo.
