LIve Stats

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Fairfield University softball team opens up the 2012 campaign with a trip down south, participating in the Seahawk Classic which hosted by the University of North Carolina-Wilimington. The Stags will play a round-robin format before moving into bracket play on Saturday afternoon. The tournament field also includes the University of Kansas, Gardner Webb University, and the host school.

The Stags will open the tournament by facing the University of Kansas, which is already off to a 7-2 start. The team has already gained some strong play from junior Maggie Hull, who leads the team with a .424 batting average. She has stroked 14 hits in nine games. Senior Liz Kocon has a .400 hitting percentage with a team-best 13 RBI. Pitcher Alicia Pille is making her mark as a freshman, fanning 49 batters in six outings. She was named the pitching most valuable player of the Charlotte Classic last weekend.

Gardner-Webb has also played games this season, sporting a 4-4 mark coming into this weekend. Samantha Meenaghan is hitting .423 in the early season which comes from a team-high 11 hits in the eight outings. McKenzie Morenus is tops among her teammates with seven RBI in just 16 plate appearances.

UMC-Wilmington is five games into the season and owns a 1-4 mark after a weekend of action. Kelsey Eddinger and Ashley Shingleton pace the offense with a .357 and .353 batting averages, respectively. Shingleton has six hits on the season with four leading to extra bases. She has two doubles and a pair of home runs to date, both of which lead the team. Pitcher Amanda Davenport picked up a win against North Carolina Central in the season opener.

Fairfield comes off another 30-win season, posting a 31-22 mark and capturing the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular-season championship in 2011. The Stags, which were selected third in the MAAC preseason poll, return 12 student-athletes to the roster which includes All-MAAC preseason selections Kristen Filicia and Mikayla Shumate. Lauren Liseth, the 2011 MAAC Rookie of the Year, also returns to the lineup after hitting .305 and leading the team with seven home runs a year ago.