CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For the second time in as many years, the Lesley University softball team is set to take on Tufts University in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Division III Softball Championship. The Lynx earned their fourth straight automatic bid to the tournament following their sixth consecutive New England Collegiate Conference Championship.
The tournament will kick off on Friday, May 9th on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. First pitch is slated for 2:00p.
Scouting the Lynx: The Lynx are led by a core of NECC All-Conference players, including freshman Mekenzi Golden (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) who was named 2014 NECC Rookie of the Year. Golden led the Lynx with a .422 batting average, 49 hits, six home runs, 33 runs scored, and 37 RBI. Setting the table for the offense is senior catcher Allison Fountain (Cheshire, Conn.) who has been slated in the leadoff spot for the majority of the year. Fountain hit her way to a .402 average, finishing second on the team with 43 hits, while knocking in 25 runs and scoring 26.
Nicole Mercurio (Wakefield, Mass.) finished second on the team with a pair of home runs while leading the Lynx with 12 doubles. The senior ended the season with a .382 average and 27 RBI.
In the circle for Lesley, freshman Alyson Nisbet (Clovis, Calif.) pitched her way to a 12-4 record, including earning the win in the NECC title game over Mitchell College. Nisbet finished the season with a 2.58 ERA while striking out 79 batters in 125.0 innings pitched. Sophomore Jordan Thomas (Fitchburg, Mass.) matched her win total from the 2013 campaign with nine and sent the Lynx to the Championship game of the conference tournament in an 8-1 win over Regis College. The lefty also tossed the first no-hitter of her career in an 8-0 win over Southern Vermont College on April 12th.
Scouting the Jumbos: The 2013 Division III National Champions have seen their success carry over into the 2014 season as the Jumbos finished with a 38-3 overall record and were ranked No. 1 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings. Tufts claimed their third straight New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), their ninth in program history, title with back-to-back victories over Williams College.
Senior catcher Jo Clair (Glastonbury, Conn.) powers the offense as she led the team with a .468 batting average with a team-best 18 home runs, 13 doubles, and 57 RBI in 40 games. Freshman infielder Cassie Ruscz (Wolcott, Conn.) followed Clair with a .378 average while slugging ten home runs and knocking in 47. Leadoff hitter Michelle Cooprider (Hopkinton, Mass.) finished second on the squad with 33 runs scored and nine doubles while hitting .328 on the season.
Junior hurler Allison Fournier (South Windsor, Conn.) ended the season a perfect 19-0 while finishing second in the country with a 0.47 ERA and third in the country with 232 strikeouts. The right-hander boasts a career record of 67-4. Senior Lauren Giglio (Niskayuna, N.Y.) follows Fournier in the rotation and finished the year with a 14-1 mark and 1.29 ERA.
Previous Matchups: The two teams met for the first time in the opening game of the 2013 NCAA Championship with Tufts pulling a 12-5 victory.