DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 22, 2024) – The Mercy University softball team hosts Caldwell University on Tuesday, April 23rd for a doubleheader starting at 2:30 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 23rd 2:30 & 4:30 p.m.
Records: Mercy (13-23), Caldwell (22-20)
Location: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. Caldwell
Mercy dropped 11-3 and 5-0 decisions at Caldwell on March 24, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off 6-2 and 14-8 wins over D'Youville on Senior Day on Saturday. The Mavericks were led by graduate student Samantha Franck who hit two home runs on the day, setting a new single-season school record for home runs. 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 .300 with a home run, nine RBI and nine runs scored. Graduate student Nicole Smart was named ECC Co-Player of the Week on April 15th and to the ECC Honor Roll on March 25th and has 21 RBI and is hitting .358 with nine doubles, four home runs and 17 runs. Smart recorded her 100th career hit in game one against STAC on April 17th. Senior Shannon Sisco has been named to the ECC Honor Roll four times and is hitting a team-high .410 with 22 stolen bases and 27 runs with 17 RBI. Sisco set a new school record with her 53rd career stolen base in game one against Dominican on April 7th. Freshman Allison Murphy was named ECC Rookie of the Week on April 22nd is hitting .315 with 39 hits, 28 runs and 23 stolen bases. Freshman Averi Miller was named to the ECC Honor Roll on March 11th and on April 1st and is hitting .333 with 28 RBI, 22 runs and eight doubles. Graduate student Samantha Franck was named ECC Player of the Week on April 8th and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll three times. She has a team-high 37 RBI and an ECC-best 17 home runs with 28 runs and is hitting .343. Franck recorded her 100th career RBI against Queens on April 13th and has set a single-season school record with her 17 home runs this season. She surpassed the previous record of 15 set by Chelsea Methot in 2011. Freshman Dylan Reyer is hitting .322 with 10 RBI and 19 runs and sophomore Delaney Baker was named to the ECC Honor Roll on March 25th and is hitting .382 with 11 RBI and a home run.
The pitching staff is led by graduate student Angelina Oquendo who was named to the ECC Honor Roll on March 11th and is 2-6 with a 4.74 ERA in 51.2 innings with 18 strikeouts. Sophomore Mackayla Secoda was named to the ECC Honor Roll on March 25th, April 8th and April 15th and is 6-7 with a 3.61 ERA in 93.0 innings with 45 strikeouts. Graduate student Alexi Benson was named to the ECC Honor Roll on April 1st and is 4-8 with a 4.78 ERA in 70.1 innings with 37 strikeouts.
Scouting the Cougars
Caldwell is coming off 5-2 and 12-1 wins over Jefferson on Sunday. The Cougars will host Bloomfield on Monday before playing at Mercy on Tuesday. Caldwell was picked fifth in the CACC Preseason Poll after going 35-19 last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars were one of 10 teams in the first East Regional Rankings released last week. Caldwell is led by Grace Vondracek who is batting a team-high .508 with 23 RBI and a team-high 67 hits and 53 runs. Ashleigh Tavaska has a team-high 48 RBI and seven home runs and is hitting .433. Taylor Quinn has 37 RBI and Jessica Klein has a team-high 27 stolen bases with 34 runs scored. The pitching staff is led by Allison Winters who is 8-6 with a 2.30 ERA in 103.1 innings with 43 strikeouts. Madison Burns is 4-7 with a 4.69 ERA in 56.2 innings and Katie O'Connor is 9-7 with a 4.93 ERA in 102.1 innings with 57 strikeouts.
Next Game
Mercy hosts Chestnut Hill on Thursday, April 25th at 2:30 p.m.
