CAA SOFTBALL REPORT – FEB. 22, 2022

WEEKLY HONORS:

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Janel Gamache, UNCW

Senior | First Base / Pitcher | Exeter, R.I. / Moses Brown School

Gamache made an impact at the plate and in the circle, helping UNCW take four out of five games over the weekend and improve to 8-1 this spring. In the batter’s box, Gamache hit .438 with two doubles and a home run while recording seven RBIs and five runs scored. In the circle, she made two appearances, picking up her first win of the season without allowing an earned run. In total, she pitched 6.0 innings scattering five hits with six strikeouts. On Saturday, she went 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored while pitching all 5.0 innings, picking up six strikeouts in a 9-0 win over Marist.  Gamache picked up at least one hit in four of the five games, including three in a row to conclude the weekend.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

McKenzie Weber, Elon

Senior | Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest

Weber posted a 1-0 record without surrendering a run in 8.0 innings of work last week as Elon improved to 7-2 on the young season. The senior from Overland Park, Kansas won her second start in as many tries, pitching a complete game shutout in Elon’s weekend finale against Morgan State. She scattered five hits over seven innings, picking up a pair of strikeouts as the Phoenix topped the Bears 2-0. Weber also had a relief appearance against Providence, striking out a pair in 1.0 innings of work.  

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Lauryn Richardson, UNCW

Freshman | Infielder / Designated Player | Moseley, Va. / Crosby

Richardson hit .429 with five RBIs and three runs scored while drawing a pair of walks in five games over the weekend. Against Bucknell on Saturday, the freshman went 4-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and one run scored, accounting for three of UNCW’s four runs despite suffering a setback to the Bison. In the first game of the weekend, Richardson went 1-for-3 with two RBIs a run, and a walk as the Seahawks topped Marist. In the second game of the double-header on Friday, she recorded one hit in two at-bats with an RBI and drew a base on balls, helping UNCW take both games against the Red Foxes.

NOTES:

• Charleston (3-7, 0-0 CAA): The Cougars went 1-4 at their home invitational last weekend. Charleston suffered three one-run losses but ended the weekend on a high note with a run-rule victory. At the plate, Jenna Helberg paced the Cougars, hitting .500 (7-14) for the tournament with three RBIs, a run scored and two walks. Helberg recorded at least one hit in all five games, extending her hitting streak to six games. In the circle, Carli McCants was on the wrong end of a pair of losing decisions in one-run ball games. McCants went the distance in both her starts, allowing two earned runs while striking out 12. McKenna Kelly picked up her first career win in the circle, throwing the Cougars’ weekend finale. Kelly surrendered three hits and one earned run in 5.0 innings of work. Charleston stays at Patriots Point this weekend to host the Cougar Classic Friday through Sunday.       

• Delaware (5-4, 0-0 CAA): The Blue Hens won a pair of games at the Red & Black Showcase at Georgia, including a win over Big Ten foe Purdue. Hanna Garber led Delaware in the batter’s box, hitting .368 (7-19) with two home runs, five runs scored, three runs batted in and a pair of stolen bases. Garber ended the weekend on a four-game hitting streak, and she has recorded a hit in eight of nine games this season. Halle Kisamore continued a hot start at the plate, hitting .313 (5-16) for the tournament with a home run, five RBIs and three runs scored. Kisamore has now recorded a hit in every game this season, extending her hitting streak to nine games. In the circle, Gracyen Frost made three relief appearances, going 1-1 in 10.1 innings pitched with 11 strikeouts. Delaware remains on the road, heading to Raleigh for the NC State Invitational Friday through Sunday.    

• Drexel (0-0, 0-0 CAA): Drexel posted its best winning percentage (29-12, .707) in program history last year and qualified for the CAA tournament for the second straight season. The Dragons will have to account for the loss of one of the most prestigious players in CAA history, Linda Rush, the 2021 CAA Player of the Year. Head coach Katie Jansson is tasked with this in her first season with Drexel. The Dragons return a pair of first-team all-conference honorees in Brooklyn Daly and Kristi DiMeo. Daly, the Dragons ace, posted a 10-3 record with a 2.57 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 2021. DiMeo, a storied career in her own right, was second in the conference last season in batting average (.429) and RBIs (53). Drexel starts the 2022 season Feb. 25-27, partaking in the FIU Invitational in Miami, Fla.  

• Elon (7-2, 0-0 CAA): The Phoenix went 4-2 last week, picking up a mid-week win over in-state rival North Carolina before three wins at their home invitational. In the circle, McKenzie Webber pitched 8.0 innings, including a complete-game shutout, scattering six hits while not allowing a run. Freshman Isely Duggins earned the win against North Carolina, pitching a complete game in the effort. Megan Grant paced the Phoenix hitters, posting a .368 (7-19) batting average with two runs and an RBI. On Friday, Grant matched an NCAA single-game record with three triples in the second game against Providence. Rebecca Murray stayed hot at the plate, hitting .353 (6-17) with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. Elon hits the road for the first time this spring, visiting No. 13/13 Duke on Wednesday before returning home for a three-game series against St. Bonaventure the weekend. 

• Hofstra (0-4, 0-0 CAA): Hofstra opened the season at THE Spring games, falling in all four contests. Chelsea Manto had a torrid start to the season, hitting .600 (9-15) for the weekend. Manto recorded multiple hits in three games and at least one in all four. Madison McKevitt picked up both of Hofstra’s RBIs while four different players scored a run for the Pride. Freshman Olivia Malinowski picked up her first two career hits in six at-bats and posted a .429 on-base percentage in her first collegiate weekend of softball. Hofstra will stay in the sunshine state, heading to Tallahassee this weekend for the Unconquered Invitational hosted by No. 3/3 Florida State.   

• James Madison (3-1, 0-0 CAA): JMU went 3-1 in its opening weekend at the Charlotte Invitational. Hannah Hennessy paced the JMU lineup, slashing .455/.500/.818. She matched team-highs with five hits and four RBIs while recording one home run and two runs scored. Emily Phillips hit .333, recording two home runs, four RBIs and four runs scored. Overall, the Dukes’ lineup was well-rounded as eight players recorded at least three hits and five batted in at least three runs. In the circle, Alexis Bermudez posted a 2-0 record with a 2.69 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 13.0 innings of work. JMU heads further south this weekend to the UFK Knights Invitational in Orlando Friday through Sunday. 

• UNCW (8-1, 0-0 CAA): The Seahawks improved to 8-1 this season after a 4-1 weekend at their home invitational. Janel Gamache continued her hot start to the season, hitting .438 (7-16) with a home run, seven RBIs and five runs scored. She also picked up her first win in the circle, totaling 6.0 innings pitched and not allowing an earned run while striking out six. Lauryn Richardson hit .429 (6-14), picking up five RBIs and scoring three runs. Tayler Vitola matched a team-high with seven hits in 18 at-bats, scoring eight runs and adding an RBI. UNCW has gotten it done at the plate and in the circle as the Seahawks lead the CAA in team batting average (.288) and team ERA (1.89). UNCW will entertain Canisius for a double-header on Wednesday before hosting its second home invitational this weekend.  

• Towson (1-8, 0-0 CAA): The Tigers earned their first win of the season in the weekend finale at the Winthrop Tournament. At the plate, Nicole Kidwiler led the way hitting .357 (5-14) with two RBIs and two runs scored. Three of her five hits went for extra bases, including a home run and two doubles. Sydni Byers hit .385 (5-13) for the weekend, and knocked in one run. Julia Jackson went 1-1 in the circle, posting a 1.48 ERA in 14.2 innings of work. She allowed 10 hits, surrendering three earned runs while striking out 11 in her work. Her win came in a complete-game effort in the weekend finale. Towson heads to UNCG to participate in the Spartan Classic Friday through Sunday.  

BIG WINS FOR THE BIRDS 

• Delaware and Elon picked up wins over Power Five opponents last week. On Wednesday, the Phoenix earned a walk-off win over in-state, ACC foe North Carolina, defeating the Tar Heels 4-3. The Blue Hens opened their weekend tournament in Athens by defeating Big Ten adversary Purdue 6-5 in extra innings. 

HOT STARTS DOWN SOUTH

• UNCW and Elon have jumped out to impressive starts in 2022, combining for 15 of the league’s 27 non-conference victories while only accounting for three losses.

• UNCW has posted an 8-1 record through its first nine games, marking the best start for the Seahawks in program history.

• Elon maintains a 7-2 record through the first two weeks of the season for the second time in the past three years. The Phoenix also started the 2020 season 7-2 before it was shut down. 

NEW FACES AROUND THE LEAGUE 

• Three CAA teams enter 2022 under new leadership in their head coach position.

• Tracey Lynch takes over at Charleston, where she was an assistant coach during the 2013 season. For the past six years, Lynch served as an Assistant Coach at UNCG.

• The Katie Jansson era of Drexel softball starts in 2022. Jansson arrives at Drexel after three seasons of head coaching duties at her alma matter Iona.

• Adrienne Clark returns to Hofstra after an illustrious career as a student-athlete and assistant coach. During her time as a player and Assistant Coach, Clark won five CAA Championships and 14 NCAA Tournament games.

NEW MEMBERS COMING 2023

• The Colonial Athletic Association announced Hampton, Monmouth, and Stony Brook will join the conference as full members in 2023. Subsequently, CAA Softball will grow from eight teams to ten.  

• Half the league will get a 2023 preview facing the newest members of the CAA this spring. Drexel will face Hampton twice at Hampton’s Pirate Invitational, and see Stony Brook at the Rutgers tournament. Towson will host Monmouth for a pair of games at Towson’s TU Tiger Clash. Hofstra will face Long Island rival Stony Brook in a home-and-home, while Delaware will host Monmouth in a mid-week non-conference matchup.  

2021 SEASON IN REVIEW 

• 2021 was a historic year in CAA Softball as James Madison become the first team in conference history to win an NCAA Super Regional, advance to the WCWS and win a game at the WCWS. 

• JMU won its second consecutive CAA Tournament title following a 17-1 CAA regular season. 

• James Madison’s Odicci Alexander was named the Softball America Player of the Year, in addition to the D1 Softball Women of the Year and was a second-team All-American.

• The JMU coaching staff earned NFCA and D1 Softball Coaching Staff of the Year accolades, while Associate Head Coach Jennifer Herzig was named NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year. 

YEAR FOR THE RECORDS 

• Two of the most storied athletes in CAA Softball history battled each other in the CAA record books throughout the 2021 season.

• Drexel’s Linda Rush finished her career ranked first in the CAA record books in batting average (.426), runs scored (210) and RBIs (245), while she was second in home runs (68) and hits (269). 

• JMU’s Kate Gordan, a three-time conference champion, ended her career as the conference’s all-time leader in home runs (71). Additionally, Gordon ranks second in CAA history in batting average (.407), runs scored (201) and RBIs (200).  • Rush and Gordon are the only two players in CAA history that have recorded over 200 runs scored, 200 RBIs and 65 home runs. 

2022 PRESEASON RUNDOWN

• We return to a traditional 21-game round-robin format in conference play, with each team playing one three-game series against all conferences teams throughout the season.  

• James Madison was picked atop the CAA preseason poll with six first-place votes and 48 total points. Delaware received one first-place vote and 42 points, while Elon collected the final first-place vote and 35 points to finish second and third, respectively. Fourth through sixth were separated by just six points, as Hofstra tallied 28, Drexel totaled 24, and UNCW accumulated 22. Charleston and Towson rounded out the field with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

• The 2022 CAA Softball Championship is set to take place May 12-14 at Hunt Softball Park on the campus of Elon.