Softball | 5/7/2021 11:53:24 AM
Top-seed St. John Fisher College is looking to win its fourth straight league title, as six teams will vie for the 2021 Empire 8 Softball Championship, which takes place from Saturday, May 8 to Saturday, May 15. First round games will take place at the higher seed on May 8, while St. John Fisher will host the four-team double elimination tournament from May 11-15. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division III Softball Championship, which begins May 21.
The 2021 Empire 8 Softball Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
Final 2021 Empire 8 Softball Championship Seeds
#1 St. John Fisher College (19-1 E8, 25-3 Overall)
#2 Russell Sage College (16-4 E8, 16-4 Overall)
#3 Alfred University (15-5 E8, 27-8 Overall)
#4 Keuka College (8-12 E8, 8-12 Overall)
#5 Utica College (8-12 E8, 13-13 Overall)
#6 Elmira College (5-15 E8, 6-20 Overall)
2021 Empire 8 Softball Championship Schedule
Empire 8 First Round – Saturday, May 8
#6 Elmira College at #3 Alfred University - 12 p.m.
#5 Utica College at #4 Keuka College - 2 p.m.
Empire 8 Double Elimination Championship (Hosted by St. John Fisher College)
Tuesday, May 11
Game 1 – Winner of #4 Keuka/#5 Utica at #1 St. John Fisher College – 11 a.m.
Game 2 – Winner of #3 Alfred/#6 Elmira vs. #2 Russell Sage College – 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 – Losing Team of Game 1 vs. Losing Team of Game 2 (elimination game) – 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 13
Game 4 – Winning Team from Game 1 vs. Winning Team of Game 2 – 12 p.m.
Game 5 – Winning Team from Game 3 vs. Losing Team from Game 4 (elimination game) – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 15
Game 6 – Championship Game 1 (Winner of game 4 vs. winner of Game 5) – possible champion to be crowned – 12 p.m.
Game 7 – Championship Game 2 (if necessary) – 2:30 p.m.
Top-seed St. John Fisher enters the 2021 Championship with a 25-3 overall record and is ranked No. 14 in the current NFCA Division III national poll. The Cardinals finished 19-1 to capture the 2021 Empire 8 regular season title and are attempting to win their fourth straight Empire 8 Tournament Championship and eighth overall. Eight players are batting at least .300 in 2021. Senior Emily Trotman leads the Cardinals with a .473 batting average, 1.290 OPS, 43 hits, 30 runs scored, six home runs and 26 RBI. Sophomore Allie Klonowski is batting .420 with a 1.208 OPS, six homers and a team-best 28 RBI. The Cardinals have hit a league-high 23 home runs as a team this season. Trotman and sophomore Jess Patterson are a dynamic duo on the mound. Trotman is 12-2 overall with a 1.30 earned run average and 0.96 WHIP in 81 innings, while Patterson is 13-1 with a 1.48 ERA and 1.17 WHIP to go along with 99 strikeouts in 89 2/3 innings. Overall, the Cardinals have recorded 10 shutouts.
Russell Sage is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the first time as a league member, having captured the No. 2 seed with a 16-4 record in conference play. The Gators are hitting .335 as a team in 2021 with two players, Arianna Papas and Taylor Dicranian batting over .500. Papas leads the league and is in the top-20 nationally with a .551 batting average, 43 hits, three homers and 16 RBI. Dicranian is right behind, hitting .520 with a homer and 19 RBI. Makayla Lindsey and Emily Agate are tied for the team lead with 22 RBI. On the mound Dicranian is 14-2 with a 3.30 earned run average and eight complete games.
No. 3 seed Alfred enters the tournament with a 27-8 overall record and finished 15-5 in league play. The Saxons are making their 13th appearance in the E8 Tournament, having won the league title in 2015. Ashley Lugo is second nationally with 49 stolen bases in 51 attempts. She is batting .413 with a 1.106 OPS, 44 runs scored, 50 hits, 17 extra base hits (including two homers) and 27 RBI. Alyssa Guitron is right behind with a .405 batting average and a team-high 28 RBI, while Mya Wells is batting .379 with a 1.041 OPS to go along with two homers and 26 RBI. Allison O’Toole is batting .474 in 57 at-bats for the Saxons. On the mound, Jessica Wilcox is 14-3 with a 1.40 earned run average, 0.75 WHIP and 195 strikeouts to just 10 walks in 115 1/3 innings. Wilcox, who surpassed 500 career strikeouts earlier in the season, is among the national leaders in strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Keuka earned the No. 4 seed in its first season as an Empire 8 program. The Wolves have four starters batting at least .300 on the season. Helena Hill leads Keuka with a .439 batting average and a .982 OPS with 16 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. Abby Kruse leads the Pioneers with seven doubles and 13 RBI, while Jordan Cole has driven in 11 runs. On the mound, Whitney Tyler has an impressive 1.82 earned run average over 80 2/3 innings with 10 complete games in 11 starts to go along with 67 strikeouts.
Utica enters the tournament with a 13-13 overall mark in 2021. The Pioneers are in the E8 Tournament for the seventh time in program history, looking for their first league crown. Emily Joss leads the Pioneers with a .420 batting average, 1.154 OPS, 34 hits, 11 doubles, two home runs and 24 RBI. She has also drawn 15 walks. Sara Stransky is tied for the team lead with 34 hits and has a .400 batting average. Six Pioneers are batting at least .300 in 2021. Jordyn Conte has thrown 102 2/3 innings for Utica and has eight wins, including three shutouts.
Elmira is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the fifth time in program history and first time since 2013. Felicity Brockhuizen leads the Soaring Eagles with a .315 batting average. Jillian Cortez and Katie Distefano both have two homers and 11 RBI to lead the team. Ally Barr has seen the majority of innings in the pitching circle with six wins, 12 complete games and 113 2/3 innings pitched in 2021.
Saturday’s first round game between Keuka and Utica will mark the fifth meeting of the season between the two programs. Keuka won three of the four regular season meetings, out-scoring Utica by a combined 21-16. Alfred won both regular season meetings at Elmira on April 17 by scores of 1-0 and 11-5.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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