2016: Falkanger enjoyed the best regular-season of her career when she earned a 13-3 record in the pitching circle and an 8-1 mark in MAAC play. Her efforts garnered an All-MAAC berth, the first of her career. The senior ended the regular-season with a flourish, winning two games in the final week which included stopping Marist’s 17-game win streak with a 2-1 decision. She followed up with a 2-0 shutout of Iona, her fourth shutout of the season. After going 1-2 in her first five starts, Falkanger ended the campaign with 13 wins in 15 decisions over her final 15 starts. The senior picked up her 100th career appearance in the Iona game, the final game of the regular season. Since April 16, the right hander fanned 43 hitters in 45.7 innings pitched, registering a 6-1 record during that stretch. Falkanger earned the MAAC Pitcher of the Week honor on April 26 after striking out 15 batters in 13 innings and shutting out Saint Peter’s and defeating Quinnipiac in eight innings.
2015: Falkanger became one of the mainstays in the Fairfield rotation this year by appearing in a team-high 34 games with a team-best 25 starts. She was particularly effective against the MAAC, winning six of 10 decisions with a 3.23 ERA and one shutout during the regular season. The right hander struck out 99 batters in 130.1 innings, fanning five or more seven times. She posted a season-high nine strikeouts against Iona in the MAAC tournament. After starting 0-5, Falkanger won 11 of her final 18 decisions. She came out of the bullpen nine times, the last of which was at against Monmouth in the MAAC Tournament (May 8). She made only one relief regular-season appearance against MAAC opponents, a three-inning effort against Siena after tossing a complete-game victory in the first game against the Saints. In that doubleheader, she allowed two earned runs and struck out four without walking a batter in 10 innings. She started the team’s first-ever NCAA tournament game against the University of Alabama, lasting four innings and striking out one batter in a loss.
2014: Laura Falkanger contributed primarily as a pitcher this year, tossing 43.1 innings over 17 appearances. She gained starts against East Carolina, Saint Francis, Stony Brook, Sacred Heart, and Rhode Island, earning a no-decision in five of those outings. She also picked up 10 relief appearances, averaging just over an inning per appearance. Her longest relief outing was three innings against Stony Brook. Her longest start last six innings in a no-decision which Rhode Island eventually won by a 4-3 margin. Falkanger fanned 26 batters in her 42 innings, including a season-high five strikeouts against Rhode Island. She fanned four hitters against East Carolina, her first outing of the season. Falkanger also served as a designed hitter this year with one hit in 17 at-bats.
2013: Falkanger worked her way into 25 games as a freshman with 11 of those coming as a starter. She tossed 72.2 innings and allowed 41 earned runs for a 3.95 ERA. She also fanned 43 batters, averaging 4.1 strikeouts per seven innings. She fanned a season-high six batters against Sacred Heart on April 25 with her next best total being four against Liberty on February 23. She won both of her complete game outings this year, including her first collegiate win against Southern Utah. She also earned the victory against Sacred Heart in late April.
Before Fairfield: Falkanger comes to Fairfield via Jefferson High School where she earned All-Conference honors on the softball diamond. The pitcher has the versatility to play several positions but will most likely make most of her appearances in the circle. In addition to her All-Conference honors, Falkanger was a member of the All-Section, All-State, and All-State Tournament teams while at Jefferson High School. In addition to her high school play, FAlkanger was a member of the Minnesota Sting U18 Gold team.
