CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The 2017 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Champion Lesley University softball team will be making their fifth overall appearance in the NCAA Division III Softball Regionals this Friday May 12th hosted by Babson College.
The Lynx will face host school and NEWMAC Champion Babson College in the first game of the double elimination regional tournament Friday afternoon in Babson Park, Mass. at 3:30 p.m.
Under the direction of first year head coach Heather Ross, the Lynx finished the season with a 22-17 overall record and went 15-3 in conference play. Lesley received the NECC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after winning their seventh conference title Sunday afternoon. The Lynx's last NCAA appearance and NECC Tournament Championship was 2014.
Senior outfielder Mekenzi Golden (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), who was named to the All-NECC First Team, was also crowned as the NECC Tournament MVP after posting a .632 batting average. First year right-hander Sarah Bushman (Aurora, Colo.) led Lynx pitchers posting a 13-7 record with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP while striking out 129 opposing batters. Additionally, Bushman went a perfect 9-0 with a 1.40 ERA against NECC opponents.
Rounding out the field at the Babson Park Regional is MASCAC Champion Framingham State University and Rowan University. The Profs, who finished the regular season with a 31-9 overall record, received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after being eliminated from the NJAC Tournament by Ramapo on Saturday. Rowan will play Framingham State at 1:00 p.m. on Friday.
The double elimination regional begins on Friday May 12th and concludes on Saturday May 13th.