#1. St. Mary of the Woods College (24-16)
Securing the top seed in the 2014 Softball National Championships is St. Mary of the Woods College. With a 24-16 overall record, the Pomeroy’s were ranked number one in the USCAA’s coaches poll throughout the regular season. St. Mary of the Woods is led by a duo of Sophomore Brooke Jordan, and junior Sarah Burnham. Burnham is ranked in the top-5 in the USCAA in triples, doubles, hits, as well as at bats. The Pomeroy’s have been crowned USCAA National Championships a total of eight times and have finished runner-up three out of the last four years.
#2. Lindenwood University-Belleville (32-23-1)
The defending USCAA Softball National Champions enter this year’s tournament as the number two seed. Led by junior shortstop, Kaylin Stewart (.382/.449/.637, 8 HR’s, 28 SB’s), and junior catcher Jamie Navarro (.370/.412/.623, 5 HR’s, 18 SB’s), the Lady Lynx used a powerful offense on their way to a 32-23-1 season record. The Lady Lynx enter the 2014 USCAA National Softball Championships ranked in the top-3 in the USCAA in home runs, triples, hits, at bats, and runs batted in as well as fifth in doubles.
#3 Ave Maria University (31-29)
Ave Maria University enters this year’s championship as the third seed with a 31-29 season record. Coming off of last year’s Softball National Championship runner-up finish, the Gyrenes are looking to go one step further in this year’s tournament. Ave Maria is led by sophomore, Kingsley Avery, who finished the regular season with a .429 batting averaging, 21 RBI’s, and 32 stolen bases. The Gyrenes will be led on the mound by Emily Lemin (163 IP, 2.10 ERA , 111 K’s) and Beth Vaccarezza (84 IP, 2.00 ERA).
#4 Carlow University (21-18)
Carlow University enters the USCAA 2014 National Softball Championship as the fourth seed. Led by junior third basemen/pitcher, Emily Pritts, the Celtics recorded a 21-18 record during the regular season. Pritts finished the season with a team leading batting average of .443 that included 31 RBIs and 5 homeruns. On the mound, Pritts logged 145.2 innings with a 3.12 ERA and 112 strikeouts.
#5 Briarcliffe College (15-12)
The fifth seed in the 2014 USCAA National Softball Championships is Briarcliffe College. The Lady Bulldogs are led by senior shortstop, Lyndsay Coppola, who leads her team in total hits, doubles, homeruns, RBIs, and batting average. Emily Mazzaro (.400/.475/.576) will team with Coppola to pace Briarcliffe at the plate. The Bulldogs enter the tournament hot, having won three out of their last four games.
#6 Penn State Hazelton (25-14)
From the Penn State University Athletic Conference, Penn State Hazleton earns the sixth seed. Led by sophomore, Martina Herring, and their strong offense, Hazleton ranked in the top-10 in the USCAA in bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, homeruns, and RBIs. Individually, Herring hit .333 while Andrea Quillman added six home runs and a .632 slugging percentage for the Lions.
#7 NHTI (25-11-1)
Making their first ever appearance in the USCAA National Softball Championships, NHTI has earned the seven seed. The 2014 Yankee Small College Conference Champions head to Akron with a 25-11-1 record. Leading the way for NHTI is their ace pitcher, Tori Lemay, who has 93 strikeouts on the year.
#8 Penn State Mont Alto (18-10)
As the Penn State University Athletic Conference regular season champion, Penn State Mont Alto has earned the eighth seed. Mont Alto is led by freshmen pitcher, Sarah Bortner, who is ranked 5th in the USCAA in wins with 11 on the year. Opponents will have a tough matchup with Bortner as she is averaging 12.43 strikeouts per game. Offensively, Bortner has added five home runs and tallied a .337 batting average for the Lions.
#9 Concordia College Alabama (14-11)
The Concordia College Alabama Hornets will be making their first trip to the USCAA Softball National Championship. The player to watch for the Lady Hornets will be Jamesha Thompson, who heads to Akron with a .673 batting average on the season.
#10 Penn College (18-12)
Rounding out the 2014 USCAA National Softball Championships is Penn College who earned their way by winning the Penn State University Athletic Conference Tournament Championship over Penn State Mont Alto. Penn College is led on offense by Jessica Gmerek (.380/.471/.592) and Katie Kratzer, with a .375 batting average.
-USCAA