After a competitive regular-season race, the 2014 CAA Softball Championship begins Wednesday, May 7 at James Madison University’s Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Va. Four teams will battle for the conference title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The championship runs through Friday, May 9.
After a competitive regular-season race, the 2014 CAA Softball Championship begins Wednesday, May 7 at James Madison University’s Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Va. Four teams will battle for the conference title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The championship runs through Friday, May 9.
The double-elimination tournament gets underway at Noon on Wednesday as top-seeded James Madison (41-13, 15-3 CAA) faces fourth-seeded Towson (27-23, 6-9 CAA), followed by second-seeded College of Charleston (40-14, 14-4 CAA) meeting third-seeded Hofstra (32-11, 11-4 CAA) at 3 p.m. The opening-round winners will play at Noon on Thursday for a spot in the championship game, followed by an elimination game between the two first-round losers at 2:30 p.m. At 5 p.m. on Thursday, the winner of the elimination game will face the loser from the winner’s bracket contest. The conference championship is set for Noon on Friday, with a second game to follow if necessary.
James Madison, which won the CAA regular-season title for the first time in the program’s history, earned the top seed and the right to host the championship. The Dukes captured the CAA title in 2009 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large representative a year ago. JMU, which posted a 14-2 record at home this season, is currently riding a 12-game overall winning streak. At the plate, senior shortstop Caitlin Sandy is batting a team-best .325 with seven homers and 28 RBI. Sophomore catcher Erica Field follows with a .315 average and has recorded team highs of 53 hits, 15 doubles and 34 RBI. In the circle, sophomore Jailyn Ford brings a 21-6 record to the championship and a league-best 1.29 ERA. She has thrown a school-record 200.1 innings and became the only player in JMU history to reach 200-plus strikeouts for the second year in a row. Ford, who is the only pitcher in program history to tally 20-plus wins in a season, has also contributed with her bat, smacking a team-high nine home runs. The sophomore will team-up with Heather Kiefer, who owns a 19-7 record with a 2.10 ERA over 150.0 innings of work.
College of Charleston will look to take the CAA title home in its inaugural season. The Cougars bring a 10-game winning streak to the event and recently amassed 40 wins for the fourth time in program history and the first time since the 2005 team appeared in the NCAA Regionals. CofC is led by senior shortstop Lizzy Vaughn, who leads the league with 67 hits and ranks second in the CAA in batting (.372) and third in runs scored (37). Sophomore outfielder Rebecca Mueller is batting .333 and is second on the team with 52 hits and 35 runs scored. A duo of pitchers will lead the Cougars in the circle with junior Hope Klicker (20-10) and freshman Samantha Martin (13-3). Klicker owns a 2.47 ERA after 170.0 innings pitched and has struck out 132 batters on the season. Martin has fanned 109 batters over 110.2 innings and ranks third in the conference with a 1.64 ERA.
Hofstra has been the dominant program in the conference with 10 CAA championships over the past 12 years, but only one of those came on the road (2006). This is the first time in CAA history that the Pride enters the tournament lower than a two-seed. Hofstra has four starters hitting better than .340, led by sophomores Chloe Fitzgerald (.370) and Kim Smith (.362). Sophomore Maggie Hawkins (.343) tops the team with nine homers and 44 RBI, while senior Becca Bigler (.343) has a league-best .528 on-base percentage. In the circle for the Pride will be junior Morgan Lashley and freshman Taylor Pirone. Lashley sports a 17-4 record with a 1.76 ERA after tossing a team-high 143.1 innings and striking out 145 batters. Pirone owns a 1.44 ERA after 131.0 innings of work and has a 15-5 record in the circle.
Towson returns to the championship for the second straight season and the 10th time over the last 13 years. The Tigers are led offensively by infielder Hailey Balk, who enters the postseason with a league-best .373 batting average. The junior ranks second in the CAA with 63 hits. Sophomore outfielder Olivia Yarbrough leads the team with 43 runs scored, ranks second with 54 hits and has a .331 batting average. Senior outfielder Maureen Hepner bats .318 and leads the conference with 50 RBI and 12 home runs. Junior pitcher Missy McCormick leads TU in the circle with a 15-9 record and a 2.79 ERA. She has tossed 153.0 innings and struck out 113 batters. McCormick also provides power with her bat, having contributed 10 homers and 47 RBI.
All games of the 2014 CAA Softball Championship will be broadcast for free and live in HD on CAA.TV. Visit the CAA Softball Championship Central page for live stats, box scores, game recaps, video highlights and much more.
