DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Mar. 23, 2024) – The Mercy University softball team plays at Bentley University for a doubleheader on Sunday, March 24th starting at 12 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Sunday, March 24th 12 & 2 p.m.
Records: Mercy (2-12), Bentley (8-8)
Location: Waltham, Mass.
Last Meeting vs. Bentley
Mercy dropped 8-4 and 9-0 decisions to Bentley on February 18, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off 7-5 and 13-5 losses at Queens in their ECC opener on Thursday. The Mavericks were led by freshman Julianna Coluccio who recorded her first career home run. Mercy enters the 2024 season picked third in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 15-31 overall and 10-10 in ECC play last season, qualifying for the ECC Tournament for the third straight season. The Mavericks earned the No. 3 seed in the ECC Tournament last season and look to qualify for the ECC Tournament for the fourth straight season under Head Coach Jaime Lorenzo.
Leading the returners for the Mavericks is graduate student Samantha Franck who was named First Team All-ECC last season after hitting .289 with 27 RBI, six home runs and 35 hits. Franck was named to the ECC Honor Roll three times last season and led the team in home runs and was fifth in the ECC in RBI. Senior Shannon Sisco also returns after being tabbed First Team All-ECC a year ago. Sisco ended the 2023 season hitting .373 with 60 hits, 39 runs, eight RBI and 20 stolen bases. She ranked second in the ECC in stolen bases and batting average last season and led the team in runs, hits, and doubles. Junior Victoria Seppala earned First Team All-ECC honors in 2023 and hit .328 with 15 RBI, two home runs, four triples, 42 hits and 28 runs scored. Seppala led the team in triples and was third in runs scored.
Graduate student Nicole Smart also returns after hitting .258 with 18 RBI, 32 hits, five doubles and 10 runs scored in 2023. Senior Mia Harris had four RBI, seven runs scored and five stolen bases last season and returns and sophomore Elizabeth Stark had two home runs, eight RBI and nine runs scored in her rookie campaign. Senior Alexandra Karavias, junior Maddie Lula and sophomore Daedra VanLuvanee return after combining for nine RBI, one home run, 11 hits and six runs scored last season. Sophomore Delaney Baker returns after sitting out last season. Baker hit .561 during her junior year of high school at South Hunterdon Regional and had the most RBI and home runs on the team.
Returning in the circle is graduate student Alexi Benson who was named Second Team All-ECC in 2022 and won six games last season with a team-best 3.73 ERA in 23 games with a team-high 99 strikeouts. Benson was named to the ECC Honor Roll once last season and had 16 complete games and tied for the team in wins in 135 innings pitched. She led the team in strikeouts and innings pitched and set a school record for career strikeouts. Sophomore Marina Provencio also returns after winning a team-high-tying six games last season. She appeared in 22 games making three starts with 30 strikeouts and one save in 52.1 innings pitched. Graduate student Angelina Oquendo made 16 starts in the circle last season and returns after recording one win, one save and 22 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched a year ago. Sophomore Mackayla Secoda returns after winning two games last season with 18 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched. Secoda was named ECC Rookie of the Week once last season and made five starts in the circle.
Lorenzo welcomes a strong recruiting class led by freshmen Onnika DeBruhl, Allison Murphy, Julianna Coluccio, Ryleigh Melendez, Averi Miller, Dylan Reyer and Madison Haack. Murphy was named League Player of the Year, Third Team All-State, All-Section, All-County and All-League at North Rockland High School. Coluccio was tabbed First and Second Team All-Conference during her time at Timber Creek Regional High School and Melendez was named All-League three times and All-Section twice at Lakeland High School. Miller was a four-year varsity player at Arbor View High School in Nevada and hit .356 during her career with 53 hits and 39 RBI. Reyer was named a Newsday Top 100 softball player on Long Island for three straight years and was named All-County three times.
The Mavericks also welcome junior transfers Kimberlee Childs from University of Bridgeport. Childs appeared in 15 games in two seasons at Bridgeport with seven runs scored and four stolen bases.
Mercy has been led at the plate by Coluccio who is batting a team-high .391 with a home run, six RBI and three runs scored. Graduate student Nicole Smart has a team-high eight RBI and is hitting .343 with five doubles and four runs. Senior Shannon Sico was named to the ECC Honor Roll on Monday and is hitting .289 with a team-high eight stolen bases and 10 runs with five RBI. Freshman Allison Murphy is hitting .256 with 11 hits, five runs and seven stolen bases. Freshman Averi Miller was named to the ECC Honor Roll last week and is hitting .268 with six RBI, four runs and two doubles. Graduate student Samantha Franck has four RBI and six runs and freshman Dylan Reyer is hitting .273 with two RBI and six runs.
The pitching staff is led by graduate student Angelina Oquendo who was named to the ECC Honor Roll last week and is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 28.0 innings with 11 strikeouts. Sophomore Mackayla Secoda is 1-3 with a 5.00 ERA in 27.0 innings with 18 strikeouts. Graduate student Alexi Benson has pitched 22.0 innings with eight strikeouts.
Mercy is looking to beat Bentley for the first time since 2019.
Scouting the Falcons
Bentley is coming off a 11-0 win over Pittsburgh-Johnstown on March 15th. The Falcons were picked fourth in the NE10 Preseason Poll after going 30-16-1 last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Bentley is led by Hailey Feiler who is hitting a team-high .382 with four RBI and by Jordan Krause who is hitting .347 with a team-high 11 RBI and eight runs scored. Kylee Amato has seven RBI and eight runs scored and the pitching staff is led by Riley Piromalli who is 4-4 with a 2.23 ERA in 59.2 innings with 46 strikeouts. Payton Doiron is 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA in 32.2 innings with 19 strikeouts.
Next Game
Mercy plays at St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday, March 26th at 2:30 p.m.
