While distant from Marist softball’s MAAC tournament meltdown last season, it is a necessary catalyst to what transcended into one of the most successful seasons in program history and arguably the best in nearly 10 years. Marist head coach Joe Ausanio admitted this team goes toe-to-toe with any team during his tenure, even with all the obstacles they endured throughout this season.
Last season, Marist hosted the MAAC tournament following a stellar 17-6 conference play showing. Opponents knew the Red Foxes would be tough following a 2023 MAAC championship victory.
Yet, somehow, they have become even more dangerous following two tournament losses that prevented them from going back-to-back in 2024.
Marist currently sits at 34-7-1, 11-2-1 MAAC this season, ranking within D1Softball’s Top-25 Mid-Major Rankings each week and breaking the record for the longest win streak in program history, rattling off 19 straight wins from March 1 to April 4. They took down an ACC program early in the year and battled in a one-run loss to a Florida Atlantic squad that continues to receive national Top-25 votes throughout the season.
Before the season began, walking into the McCann Hall of Fame room for preseason interviews felt different. Of course, the greetings were warm and with a smile as four players graciously took their time to sit down and discuss the upcoming season. Shortly after the interviews, they dispersed and hunted down anyone and everyone throughout the McCann building, giving their best sales pitch to buy Krispy Kreme donuts as a part of their team fundraiser.
During the interviews, the answers from the team leaders and graduate students, pitcher Kiley Myers and shortstop Miah McDonald, along with redshirt junior first and second baseman Haley Ahr and junior catcher Isabella Manory were a bit unexpected and certainly a different tune than in the past.
Each answer given had a firm and confident feeling, almost business-like. Eventually, through nearly 20 minutes of discourse, it became evident that confidence rang out more profoundly than in 2024.
But how, after finishing the prior season by playing what the entire team, top to bottom, admits is the worst they played all season, is there more confidence coming into 2025?
The team embraced the losses during the tournament. They understood they fell short and, rather than feeling bad for themselves, are fueled to make up for it and redeem themselves by playing with urgency and attention to detail, yet maintaining a fun presence on the field.
Each player believes playing this way will result in what they are playing for: another MAAC championship and a chance to make some national noise, which they’ve already been drumming up.
The Red Foxes’ record is impressive, but maybe more impressive is combing through statistical leaders on NCAA Softball’s website and finding Marist’s logo near the top of numerous categories.
During the spring semester, a sports public relations class at Marist was asked to research the Marist softball team and create a public relations package for them as part of an exercise. Audible gasps filled the classroom when students discovered what their peers had been up to.
“Is this from this year?” “I had no idea they were this good?” “How have they even played games yet? It’s mid-February!”
Throughout the year, multiple individual players rank atop the national leaderboards. The class likely discovered that McDonald currently has 19 home runs and consistently ranks within the top five in home runs, slugging percentage and total bases while being named one of the nation’s best shortstops by D1Softball. During her epic last hurrah, she cemented herself as the program’s all-time leader in home runs and RBIs.
Ahr owns one of the nation’s best averages at .496, Myers held the number one spot for ERA for a while and remains in the top five with a 1.16 ERA and is top-five in shutouts. McDonald and junior center fielder Peyton Pusey rank first and second in runs scored per game in the nation.
As a team, the batting average is among the top-25, the ERA is in the top five and the Red Foxes are one of the top-25 scoring offenses. Marist also stomped over their previous single-season home run record set in 2024 of 55, breaking the record in their 31st game of the season and are currently at 71 and counting without a single game on their home field, which Ausanio finds to be most impressive given that their field is considered hitter-friendly.
Back to the question asked in class about playing games in mid-February: Yes, the Red Foxes traveled to their first tournament without an on-field practice. With the snow on the ground in Poughkeepsie, practicing on the field was impossible.
But the snow melted, and that trend continued to snowball. March arrived, and with one tournament remaining before MAAC play began, Marist softball still had not practiced on its field.
With the construction of Marist’s new track on Gartland Athletic field, Marist Athletics realized they could resod and level the softball field with Clark Companies with their equipment in proximity because of the track project. In early March, Marist Athletic Director Tim Murray told Center Field that the timeline to return to the field was a “tentative” April 1 date, “barring any unforeseen challenges, which you never know when you’re digging in the dirt.”
Those unforeseen challenges came to life. According to a Marist Athletics source, there were “issues” with the soil digging underneath the surface level, delaying the releveling process for a couple of weeks. The overhaul in soil issues caused the construction company to dig a massive pit in left field, which was refilled, followed by thick-cut sod being placed over the entire outfield for a quicker transition requiring no grass to grow.
Despite all of this, March became incredibly prosperous for the team, rattling off an undefeated month and on the way to owning a nation-best 19-game winning streak.
By the time April arrived, their first home games scheduled against Canisius needed to be relocated to Army West Point’s campus. In their “home” opener, Myers threw a no-hitter amidst senior designated player and pitcher Maddie Pleasants’ heater. Pleasants hit 10 home runs throughout 12 games to close the gap for the team lead and recorded four straight outings with at least 10 strikeouts.
The Red Foxes currently own a run differential of 209 and practiced on their field for the first time on Monday. The team will continue its quest and soon be able to rest from being road warriors. Marist will finally experience its first of five real home games in Poughkeepsie on Tuesday, April 22, against Merrimack, with four more to follow.
No matter the location, Marist softball expects to continue playing high-level softball, breaking program records and being a force within the MAAC, or in simpler terms: taking care of business.
Edited by Dan Aulbach and Marley Pope
Graphic by Nate Babcock; Photos from Marist Athletics and Kira Crutcher
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