2015 Softball #CAAChamps Preview

5/5/2015 11:44:00 AM

Tim McDonnell

#CAAChamps Central

RICHMOND, Va. (May 5, 2015) – The 2015 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Softball Championship starts on Wednesday from James Madison University’s Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Va. Four teams are set to battle for the conference title and automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, with all games being broadcast live and for free online via CAA.tv.

Top-seeded and defending champion James Madison (44-6; 19-0 CAA), which hosts the double-elimination event for the second straight season, faces fourth-seeded Towson (35-20; 10-11 CAA) at Noon, followed by second-seeded Hofstra (34-11-1; 17-3 CAA) against third-seeded Elon (30-20; 11-10 CAA) at 3:00 p.m.

The opening-round winners play at noon on Thursday, May 7 for a spot in the championship game, followed by an elimination game between the two first-round losers at 2:30 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, the winner of the elimination game faces the loser from the winner's bracket contest. The conference title game is set for Noon on Friday, with a second game to follow if necessary. Fans can watch the title game on the American Sports Network at 5:00 p.m.

The Dukes, who have won 35 straight games and are currently ranked 18th in the latest NFCA Poll, earned the No. 1 seed thanks to a perfect 19-0 record in conference play. JMU is only the second team to go undefeated in league play, joining Hofstra’s 2012 squad, which also went 19-0.

JMU has been led by the masterful pitching tandem of freshman Megan Good and junior Jailyn Ford. Good is 26-0 this season with a miniscule 0.95 ERA and has fanned 173 batters in 162.2 innings of work. Ford has been nearly as impressive at 15-4 with a 2.31 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 118.1 innings. Ford also has a perfect game to her credit this season, the only one in program history. Offensively, Erica Field leads the way with a .439 batting average, 54 RBI, 21 doubles and 75 hits. Outfielder Taylor Newton has been red-hot for the Dukes over the last 17 games. Since April 1, Newton has hit an impressive .612 (30-for-49) with four home runs, 22 RBI, 14 runs and a 1.061 slugging percentage.

Hofstra, led by first-year head coach Larissa Anderson, has won an impressive 10 CAA titles over the past 13 years and has reached the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons. The Pride captured conference championships in 2012 and 2013 and earned an at-large bid last season. Hofstra has also notched 30 victories in each of the last six seasons.

Like JMU, pitching has been key for the Pride. Senior Taylor Pirone is 15-10 with a 1.96 ERA on the season, to go with 111 strikeouts. She currently leads all NCAA Division I pitchers in the fewest walks-per-seven innings, issuing just 10 free passes in 164.1 innings of work. Senior Morgan Lashley is equally formidable, having won 19 consecutive decisions and is 19-1 overall with a 1.85 ERA and 160 strikeouts in 147.2 innings. Powering the offense from the top of the order are junior outfielders Chloe Fitzgerald and Caryn Bailey. Fitzgerald is batting .367 with 32 runs scored while swiping nine bases this season. Bailey has smacked 12 homers and driven in 44 runs.

In its first season in the conference, Elon earned tournament’s No. 3 seed in dramatic fashion behind a walk-off win against UNCW in the regular season finale. The Phoenix recorded 30 wins this season and posted their highest winning percentage (.600) in five years. Junior hurler Kayla Caruso is 12-4 on the year, posting the most wins by an Elon pitcher since 2012. The righty has a 3.23 ERA and leads Elon with 53 strikeouts. At the plate, sophomore Alaina Hall and rookie Kara Shutt have been getting the job done in all 50 games. Hall is batting a team-best .360 with 59 hits, 28 runs scored, and 24 driven in. Shutt leads the Phoenix with 39 RBI, 34 runs scored, and 13 doubles and is batting .338 in her first season at Elon.

Towson punched its ticket to the championship for the third straight season and the 11th time over the last 14 years. Last year in Harrisonburg, TU reached the title game behind strong performances from then-junior Missy McCormick and then-freshman Holiday Cahill, both of whom return with even more experience this year. McCormick has started all 55 games this season, crossing the plate 26 times while pushing in 38 runs. McCormick (19-6) also gets it done in the circle with a 2.09 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 157.1 innings. Cahill, meanwhile, is the Tigers’ top hitter, crushing 13 homers, tallying 40 RBI, and scoring 32 runs. On the base paths, Olivia Yarbrough is a threat to opponents, going 10-for-11 in the stolen base department.

All games of the 2015 CAA Softball Championship will be broadcast for free and live on CAA.tv. Visit the CAA Softball Championship Central page for live stats, box scores, game recaps, video highlights and much more. Be sure to follow the CAA on Twitter (@CAASports) and on Instagram using the hashtag, #CAAChamps, for up-to-date and behind the scenes coverage.

2015 CAA SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
(Veterans Memorial Park | Harrisonburg, Va.)

Wednesday, May 6
Game 1: #1 @JMU_Softball vs. #4 @Towson_SB – 12:00 p.m.
Game 2: #2 @HofstraSoftball vs. #3 @ElonUSoftball – 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 7
Game 3: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 – Noon
Game 4: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 – 2:30 p.m.
Game 5: Loser G3 vs. Winner G4 – 5 p.m.

Friday, May 8
Game 6: Winner G3 vs. Winner G5 – Noon
Game 7: If necessary – 30 minutes following G6

Saturday, May 9
Rain Date if necessary