Sparkill, N.Y. - Like a championship boxer, the St. Thomas Aquinas College softball team has been knocked down a few times but found ways to regroup and come back even stronger.
That’s been the theme of the exciting 2022 season for STAC, which enters this week’s East Coast Conference playoff tournament as the top-seed seeking its first conference championship since joining the NCAA in 2001.
“We’ve stumbled a few times but this team has exhibited great resiliency,” said STAC Head Coach Kristen Sullivan. “Their ability to handle adversity will be a very valuable asset for them to draw upon in the post season.”
With new players at several key positions, STAC dropped its first two games to East Stroudsburg University before losing seven of its nine games in Florida. One week later, STAC took its hardest fall in a doubleheader sweep to Adelphi University. Adelphi’s pitchers threw perfect games in both games.
With the season on the brink at 4-11, the Lady Spartans mounted a comeback to remember.
“I knew we were capable of playing much better because we were losing close games by making very correctable mistakes,” said Sullivan. “A lot of other teams would not have recovered from such a bad stretch, but we never stopped working and things started to click.”
Anchored by the outstanding pitching of Carissa Della Vecchia and freshman Abbie Landrum, STAC won 12 of its next 14 games to turn its season around. The resurgent Lady Spartans marched to its first-ever ECC regular season championship and broke the program record for single-season wins on the way to an improbable 27-19 record.
STAC will meet fourth-seeded Mercy College on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Spartan Field in the first round of the double-elimination tourney. Two-time defending champion and second-seeded University of Bridgeport will host third-seeded Molloy College in Wednesday’s other opening-round matchup. The tournament will continue Friday and Saturday at Spartan Field.
“Winning the home-field advantage is important to us,” said Sullivan, whose team is currently ranked ninth in the NCAA Div. II’s East Region weekly poll. “We play with a lot of confidence on our turf field and we won’t need to travel to other sites like in 2019 and 2021.”
It would be an understatement to say that Della Vecchia and Landrum have been excellent this season. The lefty-right combo forms the best staff in the ECC. Consider this:
- Both have pitched no-hitters this season
- Both have thrown five shutouts
- Both own earned run averages below 3.00, a recognized threshold of mound excellence.
STAC’s pitching depth could be a deciding factor in the double-elimination formats in collegiate post-season tournaments. STAC’s superlative pitching has been backed by consistent defense by infielders Emilie Olivier (third base), Rudae Gadson (second base) and Nikki MacDonald (shortstop). Catcher Amanda Schweitzer, center fielder Amanda Demmerle and right fielder Emilee Mayer give the team effective defense at important positions.
Offensively, STAC sports its deepest and most versatile lineup in recent memory. Della Vecchia, Landrum and Olivier each hit for high average with extra-base punch while Amanda Castro has been a reliable hitter. Castro joined the program’s 100-hit club earlier this season. Slappers Mayer and Demmerle add a nice dimension to the lineup while Gadson and sophomore Tara Hagan enter the post season as the team’s hottest hitters. Gadson has also added power to the lineup.
The ECC postseason champion will earn an automatic bid into the East Region tourney, which is scheduled May 12-14. The winner advances to the Super Regional on May 19-20. NCAA Div. II National Championship tournament in Denver beginning May 26.
2022 EAST COAST CONFERENCE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
For More Information, visit the ECC Softball Championship Central
First Round – Wednesday, May 4 at campus sites
3:00 p.m. - No. 4 Mercy vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO)
3:00 p.m. - No. 3 Molloy vs. No. 2 Bridgeport (LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO)
BROADCAST/LIVE STATISTICS INFORMATION
For those who cannot be in attendance, Wednesday's Game will be broadcast LIVE on both the Spartan Sports Network and the ECC Network. The team of Marc Ernay and Sean Maldonado will bring you all of the action from Spartan Field.
Live Statistics will also be available for fans to follow all of the game action, if you cannot make it to Spartan Field or watch the web stream.
TICKET PRICING
Single Game Ticket
$8 - General Admission
$5 - Students with ID, Senior Citizens, Children Ages 5-12
Weekend Passes
$20 - Adults
* Children under 5 free for all games
** Tickets must be purchased at the link above. Cash will not be accepted so walkup tickets at the venue must be purchased through the ECC website (QR code will be available at the gate).