2023 Schedule
2023 Roster
2023 Stats

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. - The 2023 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Softball Tournament is set to begin on Thursday, May 11 at SUNY New Paltz. The Plattsburgh State Softball team (22-10, 11-7 SUNYAC) will take on Cortland (23-11, 14-4 SUNYAC) in the second game of the tournament on Thursday, May 11 at noon. Below is a link to the tournament homepage with information on ticketing, streaming, and game times followed by a preview of each team competing in the six-team double-elimination tournament.
 
2023 SUNYAC Softball Tournament Homepage and Information

ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT: The SUNYAC Softball Tournament is a six-team, double-elimination tournament, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III playoffs.

TICKET PRICING: Daily ticket prices are $5 for adults and $3 for children 5-12. Admission is free for all SUNYAC-member school students (with ID) and for children 4 and under. Tickets must be repurchased each day, as no multi-day passes will be available. 

#5 Seed, Plattsburgh State Cardinals, 22-10 Overall, 11-7 SUNYAC

The Plattsburgh State Cardinals enter the SUNYAC tournament as the fifth seed and will open up the tournament against rival Cortland, whom the Cardinals defeated twice in the regular season, both on walk-offs by senior Kelsy Waite (Winthrop, N.Y./St. Lawrence Central). The Cardinals clinched a postseason berth with their sweep over Oneonta two weekends ago, as they qualified for the postseason for the second straight season under head coach Sam Van Dorn.
 
The team is built around an exceptional top-of-the-order and a strong pitching staff in 2023. Claire Palmer (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) is turning in one of the best seasons in the SUNYAC as a sophomore, as the team's leadoff hitter is second in the league with 57 hits and carries the fourth-best batting average, registering a .438 clip. Offensively, she is supported by an experienced middle-of-the-order, headlined by the team's only all-conference player from last season, Kristen Langdon (Burnt Hills, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake). Langdon has followed up her strong junior campaign with perhaps a more impressive senior year, as she is hitting .425, good for seventh in the conference. Her 1.002 OPS is tops on the team as she leads the team in SLG (.517) and OBP (.485).
 
Seniors Kristina Maggiacomo (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) Julia Golino (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai), and Rebecca Diller (Halfmoon, N.Y./Shenendehowa) have each provided power, and consistency in the middle of the lineup for the Cardinals this season, helping the team to boast the third best average in the conference at .331 this year. Maggiacomo has produced a 37-hit season, as she has recorded eight doubles and three triples to go with a .343 AVG and .843 OPS. Golino is second on the team in hits (39) thus far, as she has hit a team-high 11 doubles this year, driven in a team-best 30 runs, and also posted a .331 AVG. Diller has enjoyed the best season of her career, hitting .386 over 70 at-bats in 2023. The team has also received some power in the lineup from two newcomers this year, as Michelle Gonzales (Grass Valley, Calif./Nevada Union) and Kylie Persampire (Bellmore, N.Y./Wellington C. Mepham) have each hit three homers to lead the team, and Persampire has driven in 24 runs.
 
While Maggiacomo and Golino have been an important part of the strong Cardinal offense in 2023, they have also been a key part of the league's third-best staff by ERA, which is currently 3.05. Both arms have set numerous career highs in the circle, with Maggiacomo boasting the league's sixth-best ERA at 2.79. She finished the year 9-6 with 10 complete games, eclipsing the 100-innings pitched mark for the first time in her career with 100.1 innings of work. She is second in the league with 105 strikeouts, averaging just over a strikeout per inning this year, one of two qualified pitchers in the SUNYAC that has done so. Golino has been great for Plattsburgh as well, registering the 10^th-best ERA in the conference with a 3.69 mark in 79.2 innings. She led the team with 10 wins, finishing 10-2 on the season, tossing seven complete games, and striking out 54 batters. The team has also had a great contribution from first-year Morgan Ormerod (Valatie, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) who is boasting a 2.39 over 14 appearances, mostly in relief. She has struck out 38 batters in 26.1 innings, good for a strikeout rate of 10.1 per seven innings.
 
The Cardinals will vie for their third SUNYAC title in program history, as they last won in 2012 and 2006 and they will look for wins in back-to-back tournaments for the first time since they won early-round games in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

#2 Seed, Cortland Red Dragons, 23-11 Overall, 14-4 SUNYAC

The Red Dragons match up with Plattsburgh on a red-hot streak, as they have won 12 straight games dating back to April 15. Before that, they had lost six straight games, a streak which was started by the Cardinals, who defeated the Red Dragons twice by walk-offs, both by scores of 6-5. They are currently the lone SUNYAC softball team in the NCAA Regional rankings, slotting in at fourth in the latest iteration of the region rankings.
 
For Cortland, they claim one of the league's top pitching staffs, coming second in the conference with an ERA of 2.56. The trio of Karlee Weeden (1.92 ERA), Kim Westenberg (2.77 ERA), and McKenna Barry (2.79 ERA) have been extremely strong and are a large reason for their success as of late. In their 12-game win streak, the team has given up one run or less in eight of those games and has given up more than three runs just twice in the streak.
 
Offensively, Gina Meyers has had a fantastic graduate campaign, batting .416 with a 1.000 OPS, including 52 hits, five doubles, and six triples. Barry has also been a strong bat as well as arm for head coach Molly O'Donnell, recording a team-best OPS of 1.001 with 10 doubles, a triple, and two homers. Halle Wright and Elaina Ornstein have been fantastic as well, with batting averages of .380 and .373 respectively.
 
Cortland finished up as the runner-up a year ago, and the year before, and are looking for its first title since 2019 and the first of O'Donnell's tenure. They have the most titles of all SUNYAC softball teams since the league's inception in 1984, with 16 titles to their name.
 
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#1 Seed, New Paltz Hawks, 29-11 Overall, 16-2 SUNYAC

The top-seeded Hawks have enjoyed a fantastic season and earned the right to host with their dominance against the SUNYAC this year. With just two losses, they swept seven of their nine conference opponents, with only Geneseo and Buffalo State earning wins over New Paltz. The team was picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll but have more than exceeded those expectations as the best team in the league so far this season. They match up with the Oneonta Red Dragons in their first game, as they open up the tournament at 10 a.m. on May 11.
 
The Hawks have had great success this year behind the best pitching staff in the conference with a team ERA of 1.98. Lindsay Roman has been dominant in the circle, as the junior carries a 1.49 ERA, a .89 WHIP, and a 16-2 record in 22 games. Sydney Waldon has been a fantastic second fiddle to Roman, posting a 2.11 ERA and a 10-1 record over 19 appearances in 2023.
 
Offensively, Jackie Rometo has been arguably the hitter in the SUNYAC with a .426 AVG, a league-best 60 hits, 13 doubles, three triples, and a homer. Jillian Shelbourne has been strong for the team as well, providing power with a .529 SLG and a .405 AVG. While boasting the best staff in the league, they also have recorded the second-best batting average among league teams, forming a formidable opponent in this year's tournament.

#3 Seed, Geneseo Knights, 21-14-1 Overall, 12-6 SUNYAC

The defending SUNYAC champs jumped from the fifth to the third seed in the final weekend of play, as they are winners of six straight. Despite losing some of their core from last season, including staff ace Lauren Kersch, the team has a lot of experienced talent, as the Knights go for their third straight conference championship, opening up the tournament with a matchup against Buffalo State at 1 p.m. on May 11.
 
Kaitlyn Schmitz has been one of the conference's top power bats, putting together a .410/.424/.667 slash line, with 15 doubles, three triples, three homers, and 37 RBI. Around her, the team has some strong offensive bats with Brook Fraas (.442 AVG), Rebecca Schwartz (.394 AVG), and Leah VanDerwarker (.304 AVG, 10 2Bs). Elizabeth Eberhardt has been a great ace for the Knight's pitching staff, posting a 2.28 ERA in 86 innings, and posting an 11-2 record on the season.

#4 Seed, Buffalo State Bengals, 23-13 Overall, 12-6 SUNYAC

Buffalo State enters the field in the SUNYAC tournament in 2023 as the only team that was not in the postseason last year. The Bengals were picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll and jumped up to fourth in the final standings. They will face the Geneseo Knights in round one on May 11 at 1 p.m., a regular season series that was split between the two western New York teams.
 
The Bengals have an outstanding offense that ranks near the top in nearly every offensive category among SUNYAC teams, including first in batting average where they are hitting an astounding .353. The lineup is highlighted by a great mix of contact and power, with Sydney Bielicki providing a bit of both this year. The sophomore infielder has a team-best .451 batting average, including a 1.081 OPS, with 51 hits and 30 RBI, to go along with 11 XBH. Caitlyn Parson has two homers on the year batting in the middle of the order, where she is currently hitting .457. After those two, the team still has five qualified hitters batting over .300 this year. Kaitlyn Schnitzer holds a team-best 2.99 ERA for the team over 19 appearances and 79.2 IP.

#6 Seed, Oneonta Red Dragons, 17-20-1 Overall, 10-8 SUNYAC
 
The Red Dragons return to the postseason in 2023 looking for their fifth title in program history, as they take on the top-seeded Hawks in round one. The Hawks swept the regular season series and have won five of the last six games against Oneonta, as the local rivals play in game one of the SUNYAC tournament on May 11 at 10 am.
 
Oneonta boasts some of the top power bats in the conference in Julia Serena and Megan Palmatier. Serena has a league-best 18 doubles this year and four homers to go along with a .402 AVG, while Palmatier has a league-best nine homers, seven doubles, and four triples. They also have several players that hit well for average as Delaney Hart and Sara Cartier are batting .441 and .423 on the year, respectively.