For the second consecutive year, Marist softball earned the right to host the MAAC Championships with a dominant season. The tournament begins on Tuesday, May 6, and will run throughout the weekend until a conference champion is crowned. While the Red Foxes are the clear favorite heading into the tournament, there are plenty of contenders in the newly introduced eight-team field. Below is a preview of each team’s path to success.
No. 1 Seed – Marist Red Foxes (44-7-1, 21-2-1 MAAC) +269 Run Differential, +132 MAAC Run Differential
First matchup: Thursday, May 8, against the winner of Siena/Game Two Winner
As previously highlighted in this column, Marist softball is having an incredible year. Headed by two award winners, graduate student shortstop Miah McDonald and senior pitcher and designated player Maddie Pleasants, and seven All-MAAC selections.
McDonald dominated throughout the year, setting single-season conference records in runs scored (72) and home runs (24). According to the MAAC, McDonald becomes the third player in league history to win back-to-back MAAC Player of the Year awards, the first since Niagara’s Teresa Healy in 2010-11. She is also the seventh overall multi-time Player of the Year winner.
Pleasants finished right behind McDonald with 21 home runs during her Pitcher of the Year campaign. The senior became the first player in MAAC history to win a Player and Pitcher of the Year award in their career. Marist head coach Joe Ausanio won his fifth Coach of the Year award while leading his ultra-talented squad to 44 regular-season wins, coming within a win of the program record.
The Red Foxes enter the tournament on a 14-game winning streak and will play their first game on Thursday. This is familiar territory for Marist, who hosted last year as a large favorite but unexpectedly lost their first two games. The team leads the MAAC by a substantial margin in most statistical categories and expects a different outcome this year.
No. 2 Seed – Fairfield Stags (25-24, 18-7 MAAC) +3 Run Differential, +64 MAAC Run Differential
First matchup: Thursday, May 8, against the winner of Iona/Game One Winner
Fairfield will always have a chance with junior pitcher Alyssa Weinberg in the circle and one of the top defenses in the conference behind her. The Stags keep games close with their top-three defense, as 14 of their 25 conference games were decided by three runs or less.
Fairfield and All-MAAC First Team junior catcher Delaney Whieldon controls the run game with a 33 percent caught stealing rate, yielding 38 errors, the lowest in the conference. As for Weinberg, another All-MAAC First Team Selection, she finished three strikeouts behind Pleasants at 175 in 165 innings pitched and 19 complete games with a 2.24 ERA.
Offensively, the Stags do not slug much, with the second-fewest home runs and doubles among the playoff contenders. Led by the conference stolen-base leader and All-MAAC First Team senior outfielder Charli Warren, batting .381/.471/.469, Fairfield gets on base and utilizes speed.
The Stags are top-five in average, walks, hit by pitch and triples in the MAAC. showing a knack for getting on base. When the Stags get on base, they wreak havoc with 72 stolen bases, the third-most in the MAAC.
As highlighted by their run differential, Fairfield is comfortable with close games and needs to continue utilizing good defense, speed and pitching to be crowned champions at the end of the tournament.
No. 3 Seed – Iona Gaels (28-19, 18-8 MAAC) +33 Run Differential, +42 MAAC Run Differential
First matchup: Wednesday, May 7, against the winner of Rider/Quinnipiac
The Gaels are a top-three seed for the first time since 2021 after teetering near the bottom of the playoff bracket the past few years. Iona is riddled with contributing underclassmen as it only has five seniors on its 19-player roster.
Headlining the youthful talent is All-MAAC First Teamer and junior infielder Hailey Guerrero. Guerrero is hitting .326/.446/.638 with a 1.084 OPS, 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases. The junior leads an offense that limits strikeouts and is top-five in slugging, on-base percentage and stolen bases. Iona does a few things well offensively, but the pitching is what keeps the Gaels in games.
Freshman pitcher Nadia Andarowski and sophomore pitcher Allison Hoppe both own ERAs below 3.00, and the pitching staff as a whole limits walks. Over 47 games, Iona walked just 89 batters and possesses the fourth-lowest BAA at .262. However, they have been prone to giving up the long ball with the second-most home runs allowed of any team in the tournament.
Much like Fairfield, Iona plays games close, with only four games decided by run rule for the season. Recently, the Gaels stumbled into the tournament on a five-game losing streak, all five losses coming to the top two seeds. After holding the top seed for much of the season, will they be able to continue winning close games, or will a big swing by an opponent prove to make a massive impact in a tightly contested affair?
No. 4 Seed – Siena Saints (33-19-1, 16-7-1 MAAC) +84 Run Differential, +48 MAAC Differential
First matchup: Wednesday, May 7, against the winner of Canisius/Sacred Heart
The reigning MAAC champions entered last year’s tournament as the No. 6 seed, the last seed before expansion this year. The Saints will not be going under the radar this season and can expect to get every team’s best shot, as they did for most of the season.
Surprisingly, redshirt junior pitcher and last year’s tournament MVP, Alissa Eimont, holds the highest ERA of qualified pitchers on the Saints staff. This speaks more to the pitching depth Siena possesses, as they rank second in the MAAC in team ERA. Sophomore pitcher and outfielder Gracie Goewey owns a 1.79 ERA, typically coming out for relief. Senior Kaycie Kennedy is Eimont’s partner in crime with a 3.08 ERA over 106 innings pitched to Eimont’s 3.24 ERA over 164 innings pitched.
Siena works walks offensively and limits strikeouts, but they separate themselves by putting runners in scoring position. Siena is second behind Marist with 225 RBIs and hit the second most doubles and most triples in the MAAC, putting pressure on defenses by getting runners into scoring position via the extra-base hit.
The Saints always play good defense, and they will bring plenty of energy while playing loose in games, so do not count them out of this tournament.
No. 5 Seed – Canisius Golden Griffins (25-24, 15-10 MAAC) +17 Run Differential, +30 MAAC Run Differential
First matchup: Tuesday, May 6 versus Sacred Heart (Game Two)
Canisius lost two big-time players and program staples in pitcher Megan Giese and outfielder Christie McGee-Ross, who is now on the coaching staff, following last season. This season, the Griffins own the second-best on-base percentage, triples and home runs in the MAAC. McGee-Ross’ departure has been made up for in two All-MAAC First Team outfield selections, sophomore Ella Johel and Rookie of the Year freshman Tabitha von Kolen.
Canisius continues to be a force offensively, through Johel, von Kolen and Canisius’ third First Team selection, senior utility Rosie Gomez, owning an OPS over 1.000, but is feeling the loss of Giese. The pitching prevented the Griffins from being atop the MAAC this season and playing in a newly introduced single-elimination game, which they typically avoid in recent seasons.
Sophomore pitcher Olivia Manchester has carried the load for a Canisius pitching staff that owns the worst ERA by .50 among all playoff teams. Manchester owns a 16-5 record with a 3.87 ERA, while the other four pitchers combined for a 9-19 record and 7.33 ERA.
The Griffins will need a huge tournament performance from Manchester while the offense continues to slug to give themselves a chance.
No. 6 Seed – Rider Broncs (22-32, 15-10 MAAC) -30 Run Differential, +36 MAAC Run Differential
First matchup: Tuesday, May 6 versus Quinnipiac (Game One)
Rider is middle of the pack in most statistics except one. The Broncs are prone to giving up the long ball; Rider is second in the MAAC with 39 home runs allowed. Rider is a bit top-heavy, with the top half of their lineup providing solid production and their No. 1 starter, graduate student pitcher Anna-Marie Groskritz, being steady in the circle.
Four players own an OPS over .800 while the other qualified hitters average an OPS of .593. Junior outfielder Maddie Luedtke is greatly missed in this lineup with little length or speed. Still, the Broncs’ three catchers, sophomore Kendall Reda-Fehsal, sophomore and All-MAAC Second Teamer Abby Cruz and senior All-MAAC First Team selection Kristyn Gardner drove home around 30 RBIs each on the season.
The Broncs will need continued production from them, the rest of the lineup to step up and Groskritz to be in the circle for the bulk of the innings to stay alive.
No. 7 Seed – Quinnipiac Bobcats (19-26, 14-11 MAAC) -37 Run Differential, 0 MAAC Run Differential
First matchup: Tuesday, May 6 versus Rider (Game One)
The battery of senior pitcher Sydney Horan and junior catcher Kennedy Demmott will be crucial to the success of Quinnipiac. Horan, an All-MAAC Second Team selection, threw 216.2 of the 297.2 innings for the Bobcats. Horan owned a 3.07 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP and 149 strikeouts to 47 walks in those innings.
Also, run if you dare on Demmott, throwing out a conference-high 17 runners caught stealing. The defense around these two needs to step up, as the Bobcats have the worst runs-to-earned runs difference of playoff teams at 51. Quinnipiac’s offense ranks towards the bottom in offensive productivity, and they do not have the juice to make up for it, only hitting 12 home runs.
No. 8 Seed – Sacred Heart Pioneers (21-26, 14-11 MAAC) -18 Run Differential, +6 MAAC Run Differential
First matchup: Tuesday, May 6 versus Canisius (Game Two)
Sacred Heart plays a solid brand of softball, getting production throughout the lineup and pitching to back it. Eight of the nine qualified Pioneers have double-digit RBIs, meaning runs can score throughout the lineup. Walks kill this team on both sides.
Offensively, they walk the second-fewest in the MAAC with 93 in 47 games. In the circle, they walked the second-most batters. In short, they allow extra base-runners while limiting their own. Sacred Heart junior Sam Kowalski is electric in the circle with 175 strikeouts and a .203 BAA over 165 of the Pioneers’ 307 innings pitched. She, along with the rest of the staff, is susceptible to walks, which puts a team with a small run differential in a difficult spot.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic by Eugene Barbieri; Photo from Marist Athletics
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Bluesky. Sign up to receive daily alerts here.
