2012 MAAC Softball Tournament Bracket

2012 MAAC Softball Tournament Central

Game Notes

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- With Sunday's sweep of Siena College, the Fairfield University softball team was able to secure the second seed in this week's 2012 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament which is hosted by Marist College. The rest of the tournament field includes top-seeded Iona College, third-seeded Canisius College, and fourth-seeded Marist College.

The Stags draw Canisius in the first round of the double-elimination tournament, which will take place on Thursday, May 10 at noon. Following the Fairfield-Canisius game, Iona will take on Marist at approximately 2 pm. The two winners will meet on Friday at noon, while the losers of game one and two meet at 2 pm. A third game will be played on Friday as well as loser of the first game will take on the winner of the second game. The two remaining teams will meet in the championship round on Saturday afternoon at noon with a second game being played if necessary.

Fairfield and Canisius both finished the MAAC season with an 11-5 mark, but the Stags received the higher seed based on their sweep of the Golden Griffs earlier in the season. Fairfield owns a 3-3 record against the tournament field this year, losing two to Iona and splitting a twin bill with Marist.

Fairfield enters the 2012 tournament with a 29-25 overall record, winning five of its last six games and eight of its last 11 outings. The Stags are led by Kristen Filicia and Alli Wigand, both who hold averages of over .300. Filicia brings a team-best .325 hitting percentage into the tourney, stroking 55 hits and averaging just over a hit per game. Wigand is hitting .322 on the season and is the team's top run producer with 35 RBI. Pitchers Rebecca Trott and Rae Ball have tossed most of the innings this season. Trott won 16 of her 29 decisions this year and posted a team-best 2.29 ERA. Ball collected 13 wins and a 3.12 ERA in her 30 appearances.

Iona captured the top seed based on a 12-4 conference record, which included a two-game sweep of the Stags in the conference openers for both teams. The Gaels also boast two .300 hitters on the roster, namely Eileen McCann and Alyssa Maiese. McCann is the top hitter with a .347 batting average, while Maiese is next in line with a .316 hitting percentage and team-bests for doubles (14), home runs (9), and RBI (39). Sarah Jackson and Maiese have nearly split the innings in half this year with Jackson posting a 15-11 record with a 1.32 ERA in 175 innings. Maiese won 15 of her 25 decisions with a 1.38 ERA in 172 innings.

Canisius brings a six-game winning streak into the tourney which helped the Griffs close the regular season with a 19-28 overall record with an 11-5 MAAC slate. Three student-athletes are hitting better than .300 after 53 games, led by Katie Medina's .318 mark. Lauren Falzone (.316) and Lizzy Gatto (.304) are over the mark. Gatto is the team's top power threat with six home runs and 24 RBI, as well as a team-best 17 steals in 18 attempts. Pitcher Jen Consaul has the most wins at this point of the season, registering a 9-9 record with a 2.84 ERA in 133 innings of work.

Marist picked up a split against Iona on the final day of the regular season, earning a berth to the MAAC tournament. The Red Foxes are 28-25 overall and 9-7 in MAAC play, strong enough to gain the fourth seed of the tournament. Alyssa Zahka ranks first among her teammates with a .337 batting average, while Nicole DiVirgilio is hitting .314 with 11 doubles and team-highs with eight home runs and 39 RBI. Marist is the top offensive team in the conference with a .284 batting average and 244 runs scored. Pitcher Emily Osterhaus has a team-best 11 wins to her credit with a 3.76 ERA.