The Penn St. Behrend Lions won the AMCC softball regular season title, earning hosting rights to the 2019 AMCC Softball Championship Tournament. The tournament will take place this weekend, Friday, May 3 through Sunday, May 5 in Erie, PA.
The top-seeded Lions (25-9, 16-2 AMCC) will be looking for their 11th conference softball title, as they are led by sophomore C/INF Mackenzie McIntyre's .463 batting average, which is third-best in the AMCC. Senior P/INF AJ Nichols leads her team with 34 RBI and three home runs, while teammate Katie Gozzard has racked up 32 RBI. In the circle, Nichols has earned a conference-best 15 wins while recording a 2.49 ERA and 105 strikeouts.
Entering the tournament as the #2 seed is defending champion Mount Aloysius College (29-8, 15-3 AMCC). Sophomore 1B/C Lydia DeFazio leads the AMCC in three of the top categories with a staggering .495 batting average, nine home runs, and 44 RBI. The Mountie pitchers have been just as impressive, as they boast two of the top three ERAs in the league. Sophomore Kara Pisczek leads the conference with a 1.66 ERA while freshman Karlie Clark ranks third with a 2.24 ERA and has recorded team-leading 55 strikeouts.
Picking up the #3 seed is Pitt-Bradford (22-16, 10-8 AMCC). The Panthers are led by senior INF Maddy Hillery's .414 batting average and her 27 RBI, while Grace Dazdaa has added 15 stolen bases. Sophomore pitcher Jordan Uhing's 13 wins in the circle is second-best in the conference, while her 2.43 ERA ranks fourth and her 75 strikeouts fifth.
After missing the tournament a year ago, Franciscan University (21-12, 10-8 AMCC) enters this year's tournament as the #4 seed. Sophomore 2B Allyson Weiss leads the Baron offense with a .393 batting average, while ranking first in the conference with 29 stolen bases and second with 35 RBI and eight home runs. Freshman pitcher Sarah Keating has been hot in the circle, racking up 12 wins and recording the conference's second-best ERA of 2.22 in 97.2 innings pitched.
D'Youville College (12-20, 9-9 AMCC) earned the #5 seed and is in search of their first conference title since 2011. Junior OF Ashley Carney leads the Spartan offense, and ranks second in the conference, with a .467 batting average. Carney also leads her team with 20 RBI and two home runs. In the circle, sophomore Alexa Haberer has a 4.05 ERA and ranks fourth in the league with 88 strikeouts on the season.
Rounding out the field is #6 Penn St. Altoona (18-18, 8-10 AMCC). Junior 3B Abby Showers leads the Lady Lion offense with a .388 batting average, while senior SS Haley Giedroc has 21 RBI and 13 stolen bases this season. Freshman Sidney Lewis has picked up 10 wins in the circle, while recording a 2.94 ERA and 53 strikeouts.
The tournament kicks off on Friday at 10am with #3 Pitt-Bradford taking on #6 Penn St. Altoona. For the full tournament schedule go to the AMCC Spring Championships Page.