Catch up on the CAA Softball weekly news, notes and awards.

WEEKLY HONORS

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Chloe Hatzopoulos, Elon

Sophomore | Outfield | Huntersville, North Carolina / Mountain Island Charter School

Hatzopoulos batted .778 (7-for-9) with five home runs, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored, slugging 2.444 to lead Elon to a weekend sweep. 

The sophomore outfielder opened the series with three home runs in three at-bats, totaling seven RBIs and three runs scored in a 9-0 win for the Phoenix. 

The three-homer game matches the NCAA single-game high this spring. 

She followed the performance with two RBI singles in Game 2, before going 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored in the series finale. 

With the three multi-hit efforts, Hatzopoulos has two or more hits in 10 games this season. 

Additionally, she is third in the CAA with 11 homers. 

CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Maddie Gardner, Towson

Junior | Sun Prairie, Wisconsin / Sun Prairie HS   

Gardner tossed her first career no-hitter, leading Towson to a 6-0 win over Coppin State in its regular season finale. 

It marks the 11th no-hitter in Towson history and the first for the Tigers since 2014. 

The junior right-hander totaled 96 pitches, with one walk as the lone blemish on her line. 

Garner fanned eight batters in seven innings en route to her first complete-game shutout this spring.   

Gardner records the first Towson no-hitter since 2014 in a 6-0 win against Coppin State to close out the regular seasonhttps://t.co/yohhZTVotq#GohTigers | #UnitedWeRoar

— Towson Softball (@Towson_SB) May 5, 2023

CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Taylor Wroten, Delaware

Graduate | Greenwood, Delaware / Sussex Technical   

Wroten went 2-0 in the circle, throwing 13 scoreless innings to lead Delaware to a weekend sweep that clinched its second straight CAA regular-season title. 

The graduate right-hander tossed back-to-back complete-game shutouts, scattering five hits and striking out eight in two starts. 

In Game 2 of the series, Wroten allowed just two hits, while punching out five over seven innings of work. 

She went the distance again in the series finale, scattering three hits and striking out three, as the Blue Hens won 9-0 in six innings. 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Katie Scheivert, Delaware

Freshman | Outfield | Leesburg, Virginia / Tuscarora

Scheivert batted .750 (6-for-8) with five runs scored and one RBI, helping Delaware to a weekend sweep. 

The freshman outfielder had two hits in every game and scored at least one run in all three. 

She opened the series by going 2-for-3 with an RBI single and run scored in a 5-0 win, before a 2-for-2 performance, including a double and two runs scored in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader. 

Scheivert concluded the series going 2-for-3 at the plate and scoring two runs in Saturday’s run-rule victory to secure the series sweep. 

The four-time CAA Rookie of the Week has hit safely in seven straight games, with multiple hits in five of her last six. 

Couple of Hens coming in hot! 🔥

📰: https://t.co/wZRIYcPmfe pic.twitter.com/FHCJ1ElxCp

— Delaware Softball (@Delaware_SB) May 8, 2023

CONFERENCE NOTES

BRACKET LOCKED AND LOADED

• The eight-team field for the 2023 CAA Softball Championship has been solidified. 

Delaware is the top seed, while UNCW earned the second seed, earning byes to Thursday. 

Hofstra is seeded third, and Elon is seeded fourth, receiving byes into Wednesday.

Towson is the fifth seed, Charleston is the seeded sixth, Stony Brook is the seventh seed and North Carolina A&T is the eighth seed, opening the tournament Tuesday. 

DELAWARE TAKES REGULAR SEASON TITLE

• Delaware won its second consecutive CAA regular-season title after going 18-5 in CAA play. 

The 18 CAA wins are the most for the Blue Hens, and the .783 conference winning percentage is their best since the league began playing softball in 2002. 

Prior to last season, Delaware had never won a regular-season title in softball. 

WHERE CHAMPIONS COME FROM

• Last season, UNCW became the first No. 3 seed to win the CAA Championship. 

The top two seeds in the conference tournament have combined to win 18-of-20 championship titles. 

The only other seed to win a league championship was fourth-seeded James Madison in 2009. 

The No. 1 seed has won the title 14 times, and last season was the first time the No. 1 seed failed to make the championship game since 2009. 

EXCLUSIVE CLUB

• Only four programs have won a CAA Softball Championship. 

Hofstra owns a league-best 12 conference titles, followed by James Madison (six), as the two account for 18 of the 20 league champions in tournament history. 

Georgia State won the title in 2011, and UNCW joined the exclusive club with its first CAA Championship title last season.  

TEAM NOTES

Charleston

Charleston is the sixth seed in the CAA Championship, making its second straight appearance in the tournament.

The Cougars have won at least one CAA Tournament game in the past four for which they’ve qualified.

The Cougars have two pitchers in the top 5 in the CAA in strikeouts. Payton Lemire is third (110), and Caroline Conner is fifth (99). 

Conner leads the team in wins (nine) and with a 2.93 ERA, throwing 119.1 innings this spring. 

Aniz Roman leads the team in batting average (.320) and ranks seventh in the CAA with 31 runs scored. 

Malaka Besler is the team’s top run producer, ranking seventh in the conference with 31 RBIs. 

Delaware

Delaware earned the top seed in the CAA Tournament after winning its second straight regular season title. 

The Blue Hens are making their third consecutive championship appearance. 

Delaware has advanced to the title game twice, most recently in 2021. 

The Blue Hens are second in the CAA in team ERA (2.67). 

Emily Winburn leads the league in wins (17), while ranking fourth in ERA (2.16) and strikeouts (100). 

Taylor Wroten leads the league in opponent batting average (.188) and is third in ERA (1.90).

The Garber sisters lead the Delaware lineup, with Hanna ranking third (.373) and Julz ranking fourth (.371) in the CAA in batting average. Hanna is second in hits (59) and fifth in runs scored (32), while Julz is fifth in hits (56).

Drexel

Drexel concluded the regular season with losses in its final three games to Hofstra in league play. That followed a mid-week setback against Saint Joesph’s. 

The Dragons finish the season 12-37 overall and 5-18 in CAA play. 

Jessica Schable (9-14) posted a team-best 3.72 ERA. The senior right-hander was second in the conference with 156.1 innings pitched and recorded 15 complete games. In addition, Schable tallied 65 strikeouts.  

Ameryn Humble batted a team-best .284. The junior utility player tallied 33 hits in 36 games this season. She posted a .311 on-base percentage with 14 runs scored and 13 runs batted in. 

Elon

Elon is the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, making its fourth straight trip to the CAA Championship. 

The Phoenix have advanced to the championship game two of the past three seasons but still are looking for their first CAA title.

Elon leads the conference in runs per game (4.9), and a big reason why is Claudia Penny. 

The senior first baseman is second in the CAA with 39 RBIs and ranks eighth with a .353 batting average. Penny and 47 hits and 21 runs scored.

McKenna McCard (9-4) leads the team with a 2.38 ERA, which ranks fifth in the CAA. 

The senior right-hander has a team-high 91 innings pitched and tops the team with 50 punchouts. Additionally, she’s fourth in the CAA in opponent batting average (.209).

Hampton

Hampton dropped a three-game series against Delaware to finish the regular season. 

The Lady Pirates ended the year 15-31 overall with a 4-19 record in CAA play during its inaugural season in the conference. 

Janae Lyles batted a team-best .363 this season, recording 29 hits in 27 games. Lyles tallied 13 RBIs and seven scored. 

The fifth-year player hit safely in 18 of her starts, including nine multi-hit efforts.

Kayla Domon hit .292 and led the team in hits, RBIs and runs scored. Domon recorded 45 hits in 46 starts, adding 21 RBIs and 24 runs scored. 

In addition, Domon posted a .337 on-base percentage, adding nine walks.

Hofstra

Hofstra is seed third and will host the CAA Championship at Bill Edwards Stadium for the 12th time. 

The Pride have won a conference-best 12 CAA Softball titles and is searching for their first since 2018.

Meghan Giordano leads a potent offense with a .340 batting average and leads the CAA with a .447 on-base percentage. 

Giordano also leads the CAA with 41 RBIs, while she is second in home runs (13) and fourth in runs scored (34). 

Kasey Collins leads the team with 50 hits and is batting .318. 

In addition, the graduate second baseman is third in the CAA with 35 runs scored and sixth with a .429 on-base percentage. 

Monmouth

Monmouth was in contention for the final CAA Tournament berth but fell in three straight games to Stony Brook to end the year. 

The Hawks conclude their inaugural CAA season 10-34 overall and 8-16 in league play.  

Billie Kerwood (5-17) finished in the top 10 in the CAA in ERA, opponent batting average, innings pitched and strikeouts. 

The sophomore right-hander led the CAA with 157 punchouts, while posting a 3.03 ERA in 134 innings pitched.

Francesca Torraca led the Monmouth lineup, hitting .290 this spring. Torraca recorded a team-high 36 hits, while leading the team with 15 runs scored. She ranked second on the squad with 14 RBIs.

UNCW

UNCW will defend its CAA title as the second seed in 2023. 

Last season, the Seahawks won the first CAA Championship in program history in their first CAA Tournament appearance since 2018. 

Janel Gamache leads the CAA with a 1.50 ERA and ranks sixth with a .360 batting average. 

The graduate utility player is 6-4 in the circle with 50 strikeouts in 70 innings of work. 

At the plate, she has 49 hits with 26 RBIs and 22 runs scored.

Kara Hammock trails Gamache, ranking second in the CAA with a 1.79 ERA. 

The sophomore right-hander is 10-9 in the circle, going 7-4 in CAA play. She leads the team with 105.1 innings pitched and 85 strikeouts.

Stony Brook

Stony Brook swept Monmouth in its final regular season series to secure the last berth in the conference tournament. 

The Seawolves will make their Championship debut but are no strangers to the postseason. Stony Brook made the America East tournament from 2012-2021.

Alyssa Costello leads the lineup with a .378 batting average, which ranks second in the CAA. 

The sophomore outfielder is seventh in the league with 54 hits and fifth with 32 RBIs. In addition, she has 28 runs scored.  

Alicia Orosco is second on the team with a .341 batting average and leads the team with 57 hits to rank fourth in the CAA. 

Orosco is seventh in the conference with a team-best 31 runs scored and has 16 RBIs this spring. 

Towson

Towson is the fifth seed in the CAA Championship, making its first appearance in the tournament since 2019. The 14 wins in conference play are the most for the Tigers since joining the CAA. 

Mackenzie Lake is batting .403 to lead the CAA. 

The junior shortstop also ranks first with 64 hits and 38 runs scored. Lake is second in the league with a .446 on-base percentage and is tied for the team lead with 38 RBIs. 

Maddie Gardner has posted a 13-7 record in the circle with a team-best 3.38 ERA. 

The junior right-hander is second in the CAA with 123 strikeouts and is sixth with 141 innings pitched. 

Gardner has 14 complete-game efforts and recorded her first career no-hitter in the regular season finale.